Cladomyrma crypteroniae

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Cladomyrma crypteroniae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Plagiolepidini
Genus: Cladomyrma
Species: C. crypteroniae
Binomial name
Cladomyrma crypteroniae
Agosti, Moog & Maschwitz, 1999

Cladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173916 profile 1.jpg

Cladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173916 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

This species was collected from Crypteronia griffithii in Borneo (Lambir NP, Sarawak, Danum Valley, Sabah) and from Muarabungo district in Sumatra. Both ant partners associated with Crypteronia (maschwitzi and crypteroniae) are the only Cladomyrma species extending to Sumatra. (Agosti et al. 1999)

Identification

Agosti et al. (1999) placed Cladomyrma species into two groups based on the shape of the queen's petiole, raised (an erect node or scale) or depressed (dorsally truncate and low). Cladomyrma crypteroniae belongs to the raised petiole group.

The combination of yellow body color and smooth clypeus surface is unique among Cladomyrma workers. Crypteroniae workers are distinguished from maschwitzi workers by the smooth clypeus, more numerous and smaller ommatidiae, more densely set, long pubescence on alitrunk and along posterior margins of gastral tergites, darker yellow golden body color, and larger size of both workers and queens. Sumatran material differs from the rest by having somewhat smaller and darker-colored queens with slightly longer heads (CI 82–84), showing otherwise the typical character set of crypteroniae.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo (type locality), Indonesia, Malaysia.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

Agosti et al. (1999) - This species was collected from Crypteronia griffithii in Borneo (Lambir NP, Sarawak, Danum Valley, Sabah) and from Muarabungo district in Sumatra. Both ant partners associated with Crypteronia (maschwitzi and crypteroniae) are the only Cladomyrma species extending to Sumatra. Cladomyrma crypteroniae shares its host with maschwitzi, and preliminary data suggest crypteroniae to be a competitor for the host plant. In Borneo, as indicated by herbarium material, crypteroniae (or maschwitzi) appears to be associated with another Crypteronia species, C.ladomyrma macrophylla, but field data are lacking. Cladomyrma macrophylla is restricted to the central part of Sarawak and field trips to the collecting sites known from herbarium specimens have not been successful due to the rapid and destructive exploitation of formerly untouched primary forest. Two collections (#0022, #0032) by Diane Davidson were made from a Crypteronia species supposed to be different from Crypteronia griffithii and Crypteronia macrophylla (D. Davidson, personal commun.). However, all Crypteronia specimens, other than griffithii and macrophylla, seen by JM in several herbaria did not show signs of former ant occupation, but sample size for some species was low. Lack of ant occupation, as indicated by herbarium studies, may not reflect the proportion of occupied trees in the field. For instance, the very high proportion of ant habitation in young Cladomyrma griffithii trees is not seen in herbarium specimens because botanists usually collect plant parts from adult, flowering trees (Moog et al., 1998). Thus, we cannot yet exclude or verify a third Crypteronia species as host plant of Cladomyrma crypteroniae.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Cladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173917 head 1.jpgCladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173917 profile 1.jpgCladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173917 dorsal 1.jpgCladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173917 label 1.jpg
Paratype of Cladomyrma crypteroniaeWorker. Specimen code casent0173917. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Cladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173918 head 1.jpgCladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173918 profile 1.jpgCladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173918 dorsal 1.jpgCladomyrma crypteroniae casent0173918 label 1.jpg
Paratype of Cladomyrma crypteroniaeQueen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0173918. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • crypteroniae. Cladomyrma crypteroniae Agosti, Moog & Maschwitz, 1999: 17, figs. 20, 32 (s.w.q.) BORNEO.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Major worker. AL 1.12–1.28, HL 1.20–1.28, HW 1.06–1.13, EL 0.18–0.20, SL 0.48–0.58, CI 88–92, EI 17–19, SI 46–52 (n = 8).

Clypeus smooth, not longitudinally striate; body color yellow; long erect hair all over alitrunk; appressed, dense gastral pubescence; large ants.

Minor worker. AL 0.76–0.88, HL 0.68–0.80, HW 0.66–0.74, EL 0.14–0.16, SL 0.34–0.42, CI 87–95, EI 19–23, SI 53–61 (n = 8).

Whole body evenly yellowish; dorsum of mesonotum with many erect hairs.

Queen

Queen. AL 2.40–2.72, HL 1.60–1.74, HW 1.34–1.52, EL 0.54–0.58, SL 0.78–0.84, CI 85–87, EI 37– 40, SI 52–58 (n = 8). HOLOTYPE: Queen AL 2.64, HL 1.72, HW 1.48, EL 0.58, SL 0.78, CI 86, EI 39, SI 53.

Clypeus smoothly rounded; head slightly elongate with rounded sides in lateral view; genae same color as reminder of head; dorsal part of katepisternum punctulate and with pubescence; metapleural gland orifice large; petiole in lateral view high, dorsally truncated with the posterior face meeting the dorsal in an angle; whole body covered with long, erect hairs; gaster with long semidecumbent pubescence, space between hairs as long as hairs; whole body evenly yellowish, sometime with gaster slightly darker.

Type Material

HOLOTYPE : E-MALAYSIA, Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 1/30/1997, Joachim Moog, 97-073, ex: Crypteronia griffithii, queen, American Museum of Natural History. PARATYPES : EMALAYSIA, Sabah, vic. Danum Valley Res. Center, 85 km W Lahad Datu, 6/24/1991, Diane Davidson, 91-003; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/23/1995, Joachim Moog, 95-083, ex: Crypteronia griffithii, mature colony; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/23/1995, Joachim Moog, 95-086, ex: Crypteronia griffithii ; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/25/1995, Joachim Moog, 95-090, ex: Crypteronia griffithii, mature colony; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/26/1995, Joachim Moog, 95-091, ex: Crypteronia griffithii ; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/27/1995, Joachim Moog, 95-093, ex: Crypteronia griffithii; Sarawak, Lambir Hills NP, Miri, 1/31/1997, Joachim Moog, 97-078, ex: Crypteronia griffithii. AMNH, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, Collections of Agosti and Maschwitz.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Agosti D., J. Moog, and U. Maschwitz. 1999. Revision of the Oriental Plant-ant genus Cladomyrma. American Museum Novitates 3283: 1-24.
  • Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58