Myrmica kurokii

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Myrmica kurokii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Myrmicini
Genus: Myrmica
Species: M. kurokii
Binomial name
Myrmica kurokii
Forel, 1907

Myrmica kurokii P casent0280829.jpg

Myrmica kurokii D casent0280829.jpg

Specimen Label

Synonyms


Common Name
Kuroki-kushike-ari
Language: Japanese

Inhabits mainly mountain forests (fir, spruce, larch, birch), at altitudes between 1000 and 2600 m, mostly around 1600-2000 m, but also bushes (mainly juniper), peat bogs, subalpine meadows, mountain tundra and, in Japan, grasslands. In forests, it builds nests almost exclusively in rotten wood, but in open habitats the ants construct moss mounds and build nests in soil under stones or dead wood. Nuptial flight is in August. (Radchenko & Elmes 2010; Hayashida, 1971; Sonobe, 1981; Japanese Ant Image Database).

Identification

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - A member of the kurokii group. This large and robust species is superficially similar to some rubra-group species (e .g. 'Myrmica ruginodis, Myrmica arisana, etc.), but well differs from them by having frontal carinae that do not curved outwards and do not merge with the rugae surrounding antennal socket, a short petiole with weakly developed peduncle, much denser rugulosity on the head dorsum and by having a densely punctated surface between rugulae.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 42.9096° to 33.36055556°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Japan (type locality), Republic of Korea, Russian Federation.

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

Flight Period

X
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • kurokii. Myrmica rubra subsp. kurokii Forel, 1907e: 18 (w.) JAPAN. Raised to species: Emery, 1908a: 171; Weber, 1947: 469. Senior synonym of ruzskyi Kisileva: Radchenko, 1994f: 74; of chinensis, helleri: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 179. See also: Kupyanskaya, 1990: 102.
  • chinensis. Myrmica chinensis Viehmeyer, 1922: 204 (q.m.) CHINA. Subspecies of tibetana: Weber, 1947: 466. Revived status as species: Radchenko, 1994a: 41. Junior synonym of kurokii: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 179.
  • helleri. Myrmica helleri Viehmeyer, 1922: 204 (w.) CHINA. Subspecies of kurokii: Weber, 1947: 469. Revived status as species: Radchenko, 1994a: 42. Junior synonym of kurokii: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 179.
  • ruzskyi. Myrmica kozlovi subsp. ruzskyi Kiseleva, 1925: 75, fig. (w.) RUSSIA. Junior synonym of kurokii: Radchenko, 1994f: 74.

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

Description

Etymology

Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - this species was obviously dedicated to a Mr. Kuroki but Forel did not say who he was. He might possibly have been a Japanese collaborator of the German collector and lepidopterist Hans Fruhstorfer who owned the material, or more probably he was the Japanese General Kuroki Tamemoto who in 1904-1905 had become famous for his part in the Russo-Japanese war.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Azuma M. 1955. A list of ants (Formicidae) from Hokkaido Is. Hyogo Biology 3:79-80.
  • 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.
  • Choi B.M., K. Ogata, and M. Terayama. 1993. Comparative studies of ant faunas of Korea and Japan. 1. Faunal comparison among islands of Southern Korean and northern Kyushu, Japan. Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Japan 48(1): 37-49.
  • Choi B.M., Kim, C.H., Bang, J.R. 1993. Studies on the distribution of ants (Formicidae) in Korea (13). A checklist of ants from each province (Do), with taxonomic notes. Cheongju Sabom Taehakkyo Nonmunjip (Journal of Cheongju National University of Education) 30: 331-380.
  • Choi B.M.; Bang, J.R. 1992. Studies on the distribution of ants (Formicidae) in Korea (10). Ant distribution in Gangweon Do. Journal of the Institute of Science Education (Cheongju National Teachers' College) 14:12-30.
  • Collingwood C. A. 1976. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from North Korea. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 68:
  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
  • Hayashida K. 1964. Studies on the ecological distribution of ants in Kutchan and its adjacent area. Journal of the Sapporo Otani Junior College 2: 107-129.
  • Kim B.J. 1996. Synonymic list and distribution of Formicidae (Hymenoptera) in Korea. Entomological Research Bulletin Supplement 169-196.
  • Kim B.J., S.J. Park, and J.H. Kim. 1996. Ants from Naejangsan national park (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Korean J. Soil. Zoology &(2): 120-133.
  • Kondoh, M. 1987. Ant communities at Mt. Fuji, with special reference to ecocline between scoria grassland and coniferous forest. Pp. 595-596 in: Eder, J.; Rembold, H. (eds.) 1987. Chemistry and biology of social insects. München: Verlag J. Peperny, xxxv + 757 pp.
  • Kwon T. S. 2012. Korean ant atlas. Korea Forest Research Institute 162 pages.
  • Lelej A. S. 2012. Annotated catalogue of the Insects of Russian Far East. Volume 1. Hymenoptera. Dalnauka: Vladivostok. 635 p.
  • Lyu D.-P. 2006. Review of the genus Myrmica in Korea (Hymenptera: Formicidae). Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 9: 189-202
  • Paik W.H. 1984. A checklist of Formicidae (Hymenoptera) of Korea. Korean J. Plant Prot. 23(3): 193-195.
  • Park S.J., K.G. Kim, J.H. Kim, B.J. Kim. 1998. Ants from Chiaksan National Park. Korean J. Soil Zoology 3(1): 25-34.
  • Terayama M. 1992. Structure of ant communities in East Asia. A. Regional differences and species richness. Bulletin of the Bio-geographical Society of Japan 47: 1-31.
  • Terayama M., K. Ogata, and B.M. Choi. 1994. Distribution records of ants in 47 prefectures of Japan. Ari (report of the Myrmecologists Society of Japan) 18: 5-17.
  • Terayama. M. 2004. Geological and ecological distribution of Japanese ants communities. (translated from Japanese) Reports of the Saitama Prefecture Animal Research Association. 48:23
  • Yasuda N., and M. Sato. 1999. Checklist of insect fauna of Nayoro. Research Records of North Country, Nayoro North Country Museum (in Japanese) 3: 15-36.
  • Yoshimura M. 1998. Ants from Islands in Hokkaido, Northern Japan (No. 1, Risiri Island). Rishiri Studies 17:33-38.
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