Cataulacus tenuis
Cataulacus tenuis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
Tribe: | Crematogastrini |
Genus: | Cataulacus |
Species: | C. tenuis |
Binomial name | |
Cataulacus tenuis Emery, 1899 |
Nothing is known about the biology of Cataulacus tenuis.
Identification
A member of the tenuis group. Both descriptions (Emery 1899, Santschi 1913) stress the fact that the head is about one quarter longer than it is wide. This gives a CI in the region of 75, by far the lowest yet recorded in the genus. If this is so then the species can be easily recognized on that single character plus the fact that it is restricted to Madagascar, but the following features are also of note. Any specimen from Madagascar combining a relatively very long and narrow head with the above series of characters should be recognizable as Cataulacus tenuis. (Bolton 1974)
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Malagasy Region: Madagascar (type locality).
Distribution based on AntMaps
Distribution based on AntWeb specimens
Check data from AntWeb
Countries Occupied
Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species. |
Estimated Abundance
Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species. |
Biology
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Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- tenuis. Cataulacus tenuis Emery, 1899f: 288 (q.) MADAGASCAR.
- Type-material: holotype queen.
- Type-locality: Madagascar: nr Antongil Bay, 1897-98 (A. Mocquerys).
- Type-depository: MSNG.
- Santschi, 1913c: 310 (w.).
- Status as species: Santschi, 1913c: 310; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1033; Emery, 1924d: 298; Bolton, 1974a: 37; Bolton, 1995b: 139.
- Distribution: Madagascar.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
Bolton (1974) - TL 3.5. Occipital corners projecting as broad teeth; the sides of the head behind the eyes without dentic1es. Sides of alitrunk marginate, denticulate; the propodeum with a pair of short spines. Head and alitrunk longitudinally rugose with an irregular reticulation upon the pronotum. First gastral tergite reticulate-punctate with longitudinal striae upon the basal third. Sparse pilosity is present upon the head and alitrunk.
Queen
Bolton (1974) - TL 5.0. As above but Emery (1899) states that the occipital corners of the head are acute and projecting. The c1ypeus is longitudinally striate but the remainder of the head is more or less reticulate-rugose, as is the pronotum. Mesoscutum and scutellum predominantly irregularly longitudinally rugose; propodeal spines short.
Type Material
Bolton (1974) - Holotype female, MADAGASCAR: Antongil Bay, 1897-98 (Mocquerys) (possibly in MCSN, Genoa). I have not been able to examine the type of this species, nor have I seen the worker which was described by Santschi (1913 : 310) and was based upon a single individual recovered by J. de Gaulle in Madagascar, at an unnamed location. However, the two descriptions are so similar in their salient features that Santschi appears to have correctly associated his single worker with the type female.
References
- Bolton, B. 1974a. A revision of the Palaeotropical arboreal ant genus Cataulacus F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Entomol. 30:1-105. (page 37, see also)
- Emery, C. 1899e. Formiche di Madagascar raccolte dal Sig. A. Mocquerys nei pressi della Baia di Antongil (1897-1898). Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 31: 263-290 (page 288, queen described)
- Santschi, F. 1913c. Glanures de fourmis africaines. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 57: 302-314 (page 310, worker described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Bolton B. 1974. A revision of the Palaeotropical arboreal ant genus Cataulacus F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 30: 1-105.
- Fisher B. L. 1997. Biogeography and ecology of the ant fauna of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 31: 269-302.
- Fisher B. L. 2003. Formicidae, ants. Pp. 811-819 in: Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.) 2003. The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, xxi + 1709 pp.
- Santschi F. 1913. Glanures de fourmis africaines. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 57: 302-314.
- Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. IX. A synonymic list of the ants of the Malagasy region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 1005-1055