Myrmecina alpina

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Myrmecina alpina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Myrmecina
Species: M. alpina
Binomial name
Myrmecina alpina
Shattuck, 2009

Myrmecina alpina holotype ANIC32-047350 side.jpg

Myrmecina alpina holotype ANIC32-047350 top.jpg

Specimen labels

This is a high-elevation specialist known from a limited number of mountain-tops, the lowest collection site being just less than 1000m, and is confined to an area less than 20 square kilometres within Queensland’s wet tropics. It is found in rainforest where it has been collected in leaf litter samples. It is sympatric with silvarugosa, another high-elevation species, and these two species are the only Australian species with carinae on the sides of the head behind the eyes. (Shattuck 2009)

Identification

Shattuck (2009) - Sides of head behind compound eyes with 2–3 well defined longitudinal carinae running nearly the length of the head. The presence of these carinae will separate this species from all others in Australia with the exception of some higher-elevation populations of Myrmecina silvangula. The longitudinal rather than transverse sculpturing on the pronotum will separate this taxon from these workers.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -16.45000076° to -16.60000038°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

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

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • alpina. Myrmecina alpina Shattuck, 2009a: 3, figs. 1-4, 47 (w.) AUSTRALIA.

Type Material

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

Description

Worker

Antennal scapes smooth to weakly ridged. First segment of funiculus cone-shaped. Sides of head behind compound eyes with 2–3 longitudinal carinae running the length of the head. Sculpturing on dorsal surface of mesosoma running longitudinally and generally with the central carina (or carinae) running nearly the length (the pronotum not differentiated from the mesonotum). Carinae extending continuously from the dorsal surface onto the lateral surfaces of the mesosoma. Metanotal spines short. Propodeal spines long. Erect hairs abundant, straight. Colour dark brown-black, antennae, mandibles and legs yellow-red.

(n = 5) - CI 95–99; HL 0.72–0.84; HW 0.69–0.80; MTL 0.38–0.45; SI 85–94; SL 0.65–0.72; WL 0.87–1.06.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Shattuck S. O. 2009. A revision the Australian species of the ant genus Myrmecina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 2146: 1-21.