Myrmica bactriana

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Myrmica bactriana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Myrmicini
Genus: Myrmica
Species group: tibetana
Species complex: tibetana
Species: M. bactriana
Binomial name
Myrmica bactriana
Ruzsky, 1915

Myrmica-bactriana hal.jpg

Myrmica-bactriana had.jpg

Synonyms

This species was found at high altitudes, on grasslands and subalpine meadows between 3500 and 3800 m. Almost certainly it nests in the soil.

Identification

A member of the smythiesii group. M. bactriana is very similar to Myrmica ruzskyana, differing only by its distinctly longer scape (SI2 ~ 0.93 vs. :S 0.91) with more abundant and suberect hairs, and it is quite possible this represents different populations of the same species. (Radchenko and Elmes 2010)

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 35.504° to 28.678°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: Nepal, Tibet (type locality).
Palaearctic Region: China.

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

Queens are unknown.

Nomenclature

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

  • bactriana. Myrmica smythiesi var. bactriana Ruzsky, 1915a: 438, figs. 16-18 (w.m.) TIBET. Raised to species: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 96. Senior synonym of furva: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 96.
  • furva. Myrmica tibetana var. furva Ruzsky, 1915a: 441 (w.) TIBET. Junior synonym of tibetana: Radchenko, 1994a: 41; of bactriana: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 96.
  • exigua. Myrmica smythiesi subsp. exigua Ruzsky, 1915a: 440, figs. 19, 20 (w.m.) TIBET.
    • [Junior primary homonym of exigua Buckley, 1867: 342, above.]
    • Replacement name: ruzskyana Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 249.
    • Junior synonym of bactriana: Seifert et al., 2018: 105.
  • ruzskyana. Myrmica ruzskyana Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 249.
    • Replacement name for exigua Ruzsky, 1915a: 440. [Junior primary homonym of exigua Buckley, 1867: 342.]
    • Junior synonym of bactriana: Seifert et al., 2018: 103.

Type Material

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Myrmica ruzskyana: Lectotype (designated here), w, [river Ba-chju, 12,000', Kam, bassin of riv. Yangtze, 2/3.viii.1900] (Moscow); paralectotypes: 14 w, 1 m with the same label (Moscow, Petersburg).

Seifert et al. (2018) - Myrmica bactriana: Radchenko & Elmes (2010) published a lectotype worker stored in ZM St. Petersburg and cite its label as “okr. ur. Darindo, Kam, verkh. Goluboj, Kozlov, 1/3.VIII.00” [in Cyrillic]. The term “1/3.VIII.00” stands probably for the first decade of August (I. Kabak, pers. comm.). This site is situated at the upper course of Yangtse at 33.054° N, 96.903° E and 3850 m. No type specimens could be discovered in the collection St. Petersburg during a search by D. Dubovikov in 2013 but the identity of this taxon and of M. ruskyana Radchenko & Elmes, 2010 can be concluded with low risk of error from Radchenko & Elmes drawings of the lectotypes and the geographic data.

Seifert et al. (2018) - Myrmica ruzskyana: This is a replacement name for the primary homonym Myrmica smythiesii var. exigua Ruzsky, 1915. Radchenko & Elmes (2010) published a lectotype labeled “rechka Bachyu, 12.000’, Kam, bass. Goluboj r., Kozlov, 2/3. VIII.00” [in Cyrillic]. “2/3. VIII”. means probably the second decade of August (I. Kabak, pers. comm.). Though the label shows another locality name, the travelling report of Kozlov does not allow separating this site geographically from the lectotype locality of M. bactriana. According to Kozlov’s map, he had been in Darindo (locality of M. bactriana) on 8 August and in Ba-Tshu River on 9 - 20 August 1900. The linear distance between Darindo and the mouth of Ba-Tshu River is approximately 11 km and that between Darindo and the next station – the confluence of the Ba-Tshu and Dza-Tshu rivers, reached on 21 August – is about 27 km (I. Kabak, pers. comm.). Thus the collecting points are between 11 km and 27 km apart and both in the Yangtse basin close to the present town of Yushu. Type material was not available from ZM St. Petersburg and ZM Moscow.

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

Description

Worker

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Head distinctly longer than broad, with subparallel sides, straight occipital margin and narrowly rounded occipital corners; anterior clypeal margin narrowly rounded, distinctly prominent with no medial notch. Upper latero-ventral corners of head rounded, not pointed (seen in profile). Mandibles with 6-7 teeth. Frontal carinae curved outwards to merge with rugae that surround antennal sockets. Frons wide (FI > 0.41), frontal lobes not extended (FLI < l.15). Scape distinctly shorter than head width (SI2 :S 0.91), weakly curved at the base, without any trace of lobe or carina. Alitrunk quite short, metanotal groove distinct, deep. Propodeallobes rounded apically. Propodeal spines short (ESLI < 0.24, mean 0.19), straight, thin, directed backward at an angle about 45°. Petiole with relatively short but distinct peduncle, its anterior surface slightly concave, dorsum of node rounded. Postpetiole higher than long (PPI1 < 0.87), its anterior and dorsal surfaces forming a regular arch. Spurs on middle and hind tibiae well developed and pectinate.

Frons with quite dense, fine, slightly sinuous longitudinal rugosity, numbering ca. 20 between frontal carinae level with the eyes, occiput and temples with fine reticulation, surface between rugae at most with superficial micropuntures, but appears shiny; clypeus with weak longitudinal carina and very fine rugulae, surface shiny; frontal triangle smooth and shiny; mandibles longitudinally rugose. Alitrunk with longitudinal, slightly sinuous but not coarse rugae. Surfaces between rugae on alitrunk smooth and shiny. Petiole and postpetiole with very fine longitudinal rugulosity, appearing shiny. Gaster smooth and shiny.

Head margins above the eyes with subdecumbent hairs, genae with a few long hairs; alitrunk dorsum with longer hairs; petiole with 6-8 long hairs. Scape and tibiae with subdecumbent to decumbent pilosity. Body colour reddish to reddish-brown, appendages somewhat lighter.

Male

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Head distinctly longer than broad (CI l.l6-1.20), with rounded occipital corners, sides and occipital margin feebly convex, anterior c1ypeal margin narrowly rounded and rominent, with no medial notch. Scape long (SI1 0.85-0.86, SI2 l.00-1.02) and very weakly curved at the base, antennae 13-segmented; second funicular segment subequal in length to the third one. Alitrunk relatively long (AI 1.64-1.66), scutum slightly convex, scutellum does not project dorsally above scutum when seen in profile. Propodeum without denticles, at most with small tubercles. Petiole relatively short, with slightly concave and steep anterior surface and widely rounded node dorsum (seen in profile); postpetiole higher than long, with convex dorsum.

Head dorsum (excluding frontal triangle) densely punctated, frons also finely longitudinally rugulose, surface of clypeus with reduced sculpture, appearing shiny. Scutum longitudinally rugulose, scutellum and posterior part of scutum quite coarsely punctated. Sides of pronotum and mesopleura finely longitudinally striated and punctated, sides of propodeum coarsely rugose and finely punctated. Petiole and postpetiole very finely superficially punctated but appear shiny.

Head margins and mandibles with numerous, relatively long, curved sub erect hairs. Alitrunk, waist and gaster with sparser hairs. Scape, tibiae and tarsi with quite dense decumbent to subdecumbent pilosity. Body colour dark brown to blackish-brown, appendages reddish-brown.

Etymology

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Myrmica bactriana: Bactria (or Bactriana) was an old province of Greater India centred on modern Tajikistan that has lent its name to many taxa from that region. We are not sure why Ruzsky chose the name bactriana for a Tibetan species unless he had in mind the Bactrian camels that live wild in parts of Tibet.

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - Myrmica ruzskyana: Dedicated to the famous Russian myrmecologist M. D. Ruzsky, who originally named the species M. exigua.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Chen Z. L., S. Y. Zhou, and J. H. Huang. 2016. Seven species new to science and one newly recorded species of the ant genus Myrmica Latreille, 1804 from China, with proposal of a new synonym (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). ZooKeys 551: 85–128.
  • Collingwood C.A. 1970. Formicidae (Hymenopter: Aculeata) of Nepal. Himalaya Khumbu Himal, 3: 371-388.
  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
  • Huang Jian-hua, Zhou Shan-yi. 2007. A checklist of family Formicidae of China - Myrmicinae (Part II) (Insecta: Hymenoptera). Journal of Guangxi Normal University : Natural Science Edition 25(1): 91-99.
  • Liu X. 2012. Taxonomy, diversity and spatial distribution characters of the ant family Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) in southeastern Tibet. PhD Thesis 139 pages
  • Liu X., Z. H. Xu, X. Y. Zhou, N. N. Yu, and C. L. Zhang. 2011. Ant communities of West slope of Mount Demula and Bomi Valley in Southeastern Tibet. Forest Research 24(4): 458-463.
  • Liu X., Z. Xu, C. Zhang, N. Yu, and G. Xu. 2012. Distribution patterns of ants from West slope of Mount Demula and Bomi Valley in Southeastern Tibet. Journal of Northwest Forestry University 27(4): 77-82.
  • Liu X., Z. Xu, N. Yu, and C. Zhang. 2016. Distribution patterns of ant species ( Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Galongla Mountains and Medog Valley of Southeastern Tibet. Scientia Silvae Sinicae 52(11): 88-95.
  • Liu X., Z. Xu, X. Zhou, N. Yu, and C. Zhang. 2011. Ant Communities of West Slope of Mount Demula and Bomi Valley in Southeastern Tibet. Forest Research 24(4): 458-463.
  • Liu X., Z.-H. Xu, C.-L. Zhang, N.-N., and G.-L. 2011. Distribution patterns of ants from West Slope of Mount Demula and Bomi Valley in southeastern Tibet. Journal of Northwest Forestry University 27(4): 77-82.
  • Radchenko A. G., and G. W. Elmes. 2010. Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 790 pp.
  • Thapa V. K. 2000. An Inventory of Nepal's Insects, Vol. III. IUCN Nepal, Kathmandu, xi + 475 pp.
  • Xu Z., J. Chu, C Zhang, and N. Yu. 2011. Ant species and distribution pattern in Gongbo Nature Reserve in Southeastern Tibet. Sichuan Journal of Zoology 30(1): 118-123.
  • Xu Z., J. Chu, C. Zhang, and N. Yu. 2011. Ant Species and D istribution Pattern in GongboNature Reserve in Southeastern T ibet. Sichuan Journal of Zoology 30(1): 118-123.
  • Yu N., Z. Xu, C. Zhang, J. Chu, B. Yang, and X. Liu. 2011. Distribution patterns of ant species from Mount Sejila, southeastern Tibet. Journal of Beijing Forestry University 33(5): 75-80.
  • Yu N., Z. Xu, C. Zhang, J. Chu, B. Yang, and X. Liu. 2011. Distribution patterns of ant species from mount Sejila, southeastern Tibet. Journal of Beijing Forestry University 33(5): 75-80
  • Zhang C., Z. Xu, N. Yu, Q. He, and X. Liu. 2012. Distribution Patterns of Ant Species on East Slope of Mount Demola and Zayu Valley in Southeastern Tibet. Journal of Northeast Forestry University 40(3): 87-92
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