Myrmica zhengi

Myrmica zhengi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Myrmicini
Genus:	Myrmica
Species:	M. zhengi
Binomial name
	Myrmica zhengi; Ma & Xu, 2011

Nothing is known about the biology of Myrmica zhengi.

Identification

Ma and Xu (2011) - The new specie belongs to pachei-group of the genus Myrmica, the species of this group are characterized by antennal scapes slightly curved at bases, not angulate and without trace of a lobe; males with short antennal scapes; generally with much less coarse sculpture on the body , and with dense fine transverse striations on the promesonotum, etc. It can be distinguished from other related species mainly by its very light coloration, head nearly square in front view, the striations on the promesonotum transverse but very irregular, propodeal spine strong and widen at base, the first gastral tergite with obviously longitudinal fine striate-punctatures.

Zhong et al. (2024) - This species was established by Ma and Xu (2011) based on worker and male castes. In their justification for the synonymization of this species, however, Chen et al. (2016) mentioned that Myrmica luteola is characterized by the strongly reduced and simple non-pectinate spurs on the middle and hind tibiae, and somewhat developed ventral petiolar and postpetiolar processes. They examined five worker paratypes and one queen paratype of M. zhengi, but found no differences with M. luteola and therefore suggested that the species be synonymised. Although it is unclear whether the queen paratype is the queen caste described by Zhang et al. (2012), only four worker paratypes, three workers and one identified worker were seen in the material examined by Chen et al. (2016), but not their mentioned queen paratype. While we did not verify the type specimens of the two species, the color photographs and detailed descriptions of the three castes of M. zhengi by Ma and Xu (2011) and Zhang et al. (2012), along with the finely hand-drawn illustrations of M. luteola by Radchenko and Elmes (2003, 2010), are sufficient to demonstrate their distinct morphological differences:

Workers. The head in full-face view of M. zhengi elongated (Fig. 6), the posterior margin behind the eyes lacks hairs (Fig. 7A), whereas M. luteola, on the contrary, with dense hairs (Fig. 7B); the propodeal spines of M. zhengi slightly longer than M. luteola (Fig. 7C, D), and in dorsal view M. zhengi tends to be more rectilinear and pointing toward the posterior; the petiolar peduncle of M. zhengi longer than M. luteola.

Queens. Verification of the geographic information (same address and collector, with only three days difference in collection time) and morphological characteristics of the type specimen and the queen of M. zhengi suggests that the authenticity of the queen is extremely high. Therefore, if the description of the queen is correct, the most significant distinction between the two species is in the propodeal spines of the queen, specifically, M. zhengi is long and thick (Fig. 7E), whereas M. luteola is a shortened, angulated “spineless” species (Fig. 7F); and the subpetiolar process of M. zhengi is dentate, whereas M. luteola is large and broad; the other differences are identical to those of the workers.

Males. Differences within this caste are minimal, and the current variations may include the more protruding angulated propodeum of M. zhengi.

Considering these highly conspicuous and readily identifiable differences, we believe that M. zhengi and M. luteola should be recognized as two distinct species. Therefore, we propose to reinstate M. zhengi as a valid species and remove M. luteola from its distribution in China.

Zhong et al. (2024), Fig. 6. Morphometric differences in three characters of Myrmica zhengi and M. luteola, points indicate mean values, lines indicate maximum and minimum values. Data available from Ma and Xu (2011) and Radchenko (1994).
Zhong et al. (2024), Fig. 7. Morphological differences. A, C, E, Myrmica zhengi; B, D, F, M. luteola; A, B, head in full-face view; C–F, mesosoma in lateral view; A–D, workers; E, F, queens.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 33.6° to 33.6°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: Chen et al., 2016

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China (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

Castes

Nomenclature

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

zhengi. Myrmica zhengi Ma & Xu, 2011: 795, figs. 1-5 (w.m.) CHINA.
- Zhang et al., 2012 (q.).
- Junior synonym of luteola: Chen et al., 2016: 94.
- Status as species: Zhong et al., 2024: 6.

Type Material

Holotype worker, China, Shaanxi, Foping (33°42'N, 107°48'E), 23 July 2006, coll. MA Li-Bin.
Paratypes 20 workers and three males, same data as holotype.

Type specimens are kept in the Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Normal University, and some of paratype specimens are also deposited in the College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, the Entomological Museum, Northwest A & F University, the College of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University and the Insect Collections of Southwest Forestry University.

Description

Worker

Holotype. TL 7.5, EL 0.2, EI 12, HL 1.6, HW 1.5, CI 94, SL 1.4, SI 93, AL 2.3, PW 1.1.

Head nearly square-shaped; mandible armed with 2-3 distal large teeth and 7-9 small teeth which continuous or discontinuous; clypeus convex and round, and its anterior margin slightly wide concave. Scapes not reached the occipital margin, its base bared, without lobes and curved as obtuse angle. Eyes large, convex and round. Alitrunk shorter than 1.5 times of head length; pronotum somewhat thick and round, which gradually contracted to propodeum; propodeal spine thick, strong, widen at base and longer than basal face of propodeum. Petiole triangular and with ventral process; postpetiole oval.

Mandible, anterior part of clypeus .and area around the scrobe with longitudinal striate; mainly part of clypeus and frontal area shiny and smooth, the remainder of head with subparallel longitudinal striations and the interspaces punctate. Alitrunk with very irregular transverse striations; between the propodeal spines shiny and smooth; meso-pleura and the sides of propodeum with longitudinal striations. Dorsum of petiole with transverse striations and the striations on postpetiole slightly longitudinal. The first gastral tergite with longitudinal striations and the remainder of gaster shiny and smooth.

Body mainly yellowish, postpetiole and gaster dark. Body armed with sparse suberect hair.

Paratype. TL 7.3- 8.2, HL 1.54-1.65, HW 1.43-l.52, CI 91-94, SL 1.32-1.40, SI 92-94, AL 2.1-2.3, PW 0. 98- 1.10.

The anterior margin of clypeus straight or slightly wide concave, but never convex.

Male

Head with three large, convex and round ocelli; eyes very large and with dark patches. The scape very short and nearly 1/2 width of the head. Clypeus round and convex, almost globular, and its anterior edge straight; mandible with seven teeth. Propodeal spines blunt convex, very short and small; petiole wide and flat in dorsum and without ventral process. Body colored dark brown and clothing sparse hair. Tile pronotum, petiole, postpetiole and gaster shiny and smooth, and the striations on the remainder are same as those of workers.

Etymology

This species is named in honor of Professor Zheng Zhe-Min for his outstanding contribution to the systematic entomology.

References

Chen, Z.L., Zhou, S.Y., Huang, J.H. 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 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.551.6005).
Ma, L.-B. and Xu, S. 2011. A new ant species of the genus Myrmica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica. 36:795-798.
Zhang, P., Abdukirim, G., Xu, S., 2012. Discovery of the queen of Myrmica zhengi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Entomotaxonomia 34, 538–540.
Zhong, Y., Huang, Y., Wu, T., Liu, Z. 2024. A new spineless Myrmica species from China, with the reinstatement of M. zhengi Ma & Xu (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 27, 102261 (doi:10.1016/j.aspen.2024.102261).