Metapone truki

Metapone truki
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Metapone
Species:	M. truki
Binomial name
	Metapone truki; Smith, M.R., 1953 Specimen labels

A relatively widespread species known from mainland New Guinea, New Britain and several Micronesian islands. Possibly dispersed by human activity.

Identification

(In gynes & workers) Striae in relevant areas less-strongly developed and less-regular; partly effaced, especially on frons and cheeks. Clypeal proboscis relatively short and broad. Petiole relatively short in lateral and dorsal view. Subpetiolar extension similar to alternative, but with its apex acutely pointed (mainland New Guinea, gyne and worker).

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Micronesia (Federated States of) (type locality), New Guinea.

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

Specimens from Dublon Island are individually mounted on separate pins and identically labelled. They were almost certainly collected together, providing a matching Melanesian worker-gyne association. The Gogol colony was collected in lowland rainforest near the edge of a large recently (and environmentally questionably) clear-felled tract at a site previously deep in virgin forest, and thus almost certainly a “native” habitat unlikely to have been penetrated by an introduced species. We conclude that M. truki is probably of New Guinean rather than Micronesian origin, and that the Micronesian populations were likely derived from one or more introduced New Guinean propagules. The appropriate areas were subject to much aircraft and shipping movement by both Japanese and American forces during the Second World War (1942–1945).

Koror Island gyne is labelled “Voucher specimen Gottwald study 1968 My- 109”. Its mouthparts were discussed and illustrated by W.H. Gottwald (1969: p107, plate 80).

Castes

Nomenclature

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

truki. Metapone truki Smith, M.R. 1953d: 135 (w.) MICRONESIA (Truk I. (= Chuuck I.)).
- Type-material: holotype worker.
- Type-locality: Micronesia: Caroline Is, Truk I., North Basin of Mt Chukumong, Moen (=Weno), 10.ii.1949, from rotten breadfruit (R.W.L. Potts).
- Type-depository: USNM.
- Taylor & Alpert, 2016: 529 (q.)
- Status as species: Gregg, R.E. 1958: 120; Kusnezov, 1960a: 126; Bolton, 1995b: 258; Clouse, 2007b: 234; Taylor & Alpert, 2016: 526 (redescription).
- Distribution: Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea (+ New Britain).

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

Taylor and Alpert (2016) - Our concept of M. truki is based on assertion of conspecificity between the holotype worker and workers from various samples. The New Guinean Gogol Valley colony series provides confident identification of a worker-associated gyne. Its smaller workers closely match the Micronesian holotype, and its larger workers demonstrate that there can be considerable intranidal size variation in this species.

Description

Worker

Taylor and Alpert (2016) - (listed in order: M. truki holotype; other Micronesian workers: smallest (M. truki Paratype, largest (LACMNH Dublon Island specimen); Gogol Valley colony series: smallest; largest): TL(ca): 6.0; 5.1, 6.2; 5.1, 6.8. HL: 1.18; 1.13, 1.32; 1.10, 1.61. HW: 0.88; 0.85, 0.95; 0.78, 1.11. CI: 75; 76, 72; 71, 69. CpL: 0.43; 0.41, 0.50; 0.42, 0.57. CpI: 36; 36, - ; - , 35. MSL: 1.44; 1.40, 1.65; 1.34, 1.96. PML: 0.75; 0.73, 0.88; 0.70, 1.03. PMW: 0.61; 0.57, 0.63; 0.55, 0.76. PMI: 52; 52, 53; 52, 53. PDW: 0.57; 0.52, 0.58; 0.47, 0.67. PetL: 0.44; 0.39, 0.47; 0.37, 0.62. PetW: 0.35; 0.34, 0.40; 0.33, 0.51. PetH: 0.62; 0.57, 0.69; 0.54, 0.79. PpetL: 0.34; 0.32, 0.41; 0.32, 0.53. PpetW: 0.45; 0.43, 0.55; 0.41, 0.67. PpetH: 0.49; 0.47, 0.57; 0.44, 0.67. GW: 0.91; 0.88, 0.96; 0.85, 1.23.

Queen

Taylor and Alpert (2016) - Gogol Valley colony Gyne: HL: 1.68, HW (across eyes): 1.06, CI: 63, CpL: 0.61, CpI: 36, WL: 3.52, PetL: 0.66, PetW: 0.52, PetH: 0.86, PpetL: 0.53, PpetW: 0.68, PpetH: 0.66, GW: 1.21. The Koror gyne is small and relatively heavily sculptured.

Type Material

Taylor and Alpert (2016) - Worker: Caroline islands, Truk (properly Chuuck) Island [7°00’N, 152°00’E].

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Clouse R. M. 2007. The ants of Micronesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Micronesica. 39: 171-295.
Clouse, R.M. 2007. The ants of Micronesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Micronesica 39(2): 171-295.
Gregg R. E. 1958. Two new species of Metapone from Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 60: 111-121.
Kusnezov N. 1960. La posición sistemática del género Metapone Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Zoologica Lilloana 18: 119-126.
Smith, Marion R. 1953. A New Metapone fom the Micronesian Islands (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). The New York Entomological Society. 61:135-137.
Taylor R. W., and G. D. Alpert. 2016. The myrmicine ant genus Metapone Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a global taxonomic review with descriptions of twelve new species. Zootaxa 4105(6): 501-545.