Leptogenys bezanozano

Leptogenys bezanozano
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Leptogenys
Species group:	toeraniva
Species:	L. bezanozano
Binomial name
	Leptogenys bezanozano; Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2014 Specimen Labels

Leptogenys bezanozano occurs in the high mountains of central-eastern Madagascar. It was found nesting in a rotten log in the rainforest of Mantadia and foraging in leaf litter in the montane rainforest of Torotorofotsy.

Identification

A member of the toeraniva species group. Rakotonirina and Fisher (2014) - Worker. Mandible capable of closing tightly against clypeus; eye small, maximum diameter less than greatest width of scape; in full face view, head rectangular; antennal scape with erect hairs longer than maximum width of scape; in profile, anterior face of petiolar node higher than posterior face and helcium located roughly near mid-height of anterior margin of third abdominal segment. Prora lobe-like and anteroventral section of third abdominal sternite rounded; strong indentation exists between prora and anteroventral angle.

The species in the toeraniva group look similar to each other, but L. bezanozano differs from Leptogenys avaratra by its elongate head and the large indentation between the prora and the anteroventral angle of the third abdominal sternite. Leptogenys avo and Leptogenys toeraniva have much shorter hairs on the antennal scape, transversely striate propodeal declivity, and a not sloping dorsal margin of the petiolar node.

Keys including this Species

Key to Malagasy Leptogenys

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -18.7917° to -18.7917°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

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

Explore Overview of MalLeptogenys biology

The Leptogenys genus page has more details about the general biology of ants in this genus. The following synopsis provided by Rakotonirina and Fisher (2014) offers an overview of the Malagasy Leptogenys: Recent surveys of arthropods in the Malagasy region uncovered a wealth of new species and showed that Leptogenys is one of the dominant ponerine ants widely distributed across all types of forest habitats. Workers are usually found foraging on the forest floor or in the leaf litter and only rarely on vegetation. They nest terrestrially under the soil, rocks, logs, or rootmat ground layers and in rotten logs, branches, in rotting bamboo, and rotten tree stumps. Most of the Malagasy species are endemic to Madagascar. In all Malagasy species, winged queens are absent, which limits their ability to disperse across the complex topography and various ecological barriers in the region. In the absence of alate queens, reproduction of Leptogenys in the region may be by fission, which enhances population viscosity and may result in important morphological variation across a species' geographic range. Though queens do not fly, males of Leptogenys are alate and are one of the most frequently collected ant genera in Malaise traps throughout Madagascar. Leptogenys exhibits a wide range of phenotypic diversity segregated both among spatially isolated habitats and along continuous environmental gradients.

Castes

Nomenclature

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

bezanozano. Leptogenys bezanozano Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2014: 135, figs. 2A, 4A, 4B, 152, 157 (w.) MADAGASCAR.

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

Description

Worker

(3 specimens). HW: 0.81–0.86, HL: 1.09–1.15, CI: 74–75, SL: 1.06–1.16, SI: 130–134, PW: 0.69–0.74, WL: 1.72–1.84, PNH: 0.53–0.60, PNL: 0.66–0.78, PNW: 0.60–0.67, DNI: 86–91, LNI: 77–84.

Head rectangular, sides approximately parallel to each other posteriorly and slightly diverging from level of eye to clypeus. Eye small, maximum diameter less than widest portion of scape. Lateral margin of clypeus convex and anteromedian lobe generally triangular, both separated by impression or notch. Mandible short, blades increasing in width towards their apices and capable of closing tightly against median lobe of clypeus. Scape relatively long, about one third of its length surpassing posterior margin of head; with long, erect hairs roughly equal in length to maximum width of scape. In dorsal view, metanotal groove impressed, with transverse striation. With petiole in dorsal view, node markedly longer than broad. In profile, node broader than high with straight dorsal margin and lower posterior face so that node inclined posteriorly. When viewed from side, helcium located roughly close to mid-height of anterior face of third abdominal segment; anteroventral section distinctly rounded and separated from prora by strong emargination. Without constriction between third and fourth abdominal segments. In full-face view, anterior portion of head in front of level of eye rugulose and mostly smooth and shiny apart from piligerous punctures behind the level of eyes to posterior cephalic margin. In dorsal view, pronotum sparsely, shallowly punctate; rest of mesosomal dorsum, petiolar node and third abdominal tergite punctate. Mesopleuron, lateral portion of propodeum and anterior half of third abdominal segment rugulose; sides of petiolar node densely punctate. Color reddish brown, with yellowish-orange appendages.

Holotype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Holotype worker: Province Toamasina, P .N. Mantadia, -18.7917, 48.4267, 1070 m, rainforest, ex rotten log, 25 Nov–1 Dec 1998 (H.J. Ratsirarson), collection code: HJR010, specimen code: CASENT0175420 (California Academy of Sciences). Paratype worker: with same data as holotype but specimen coded as: CASENT0196894 (CASC).

References

Rakotonirina, J.C. & Fisher, B.L. 2014. Revision of the Malagasy ponerine ants of the genus Leptogenys Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3836, 1-163.