Nesomyrmex modestus

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Nesomyrmex modestus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Nesomyrmex
Species group: sikorae
Species: N. modestus
Binomial name
Nesomyrmex modestus
Csösz & Fisher, 2016

Nesomyrmex modestus casent0393175 p 1 high.jpg

Nesomyrmex modestus casent0393175 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

This species is known to occur in rainforests between elevation of 520 m and 1325 m (mean: 514 m) in the southwestern part of Madagascar.

Identification

A member of the sikorai species-group.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -12.28617° to -25.08767°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Malagasy Region: Madagascar (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

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Nesomyrmex modestus casent0120043 h 1 high.jpgNesomyrmex modestus casent0120043 p 1 high.jpgNesomyrmex modestus casent0120043 d 1 high.jpgNesomyrmex modestus casent0120043 l 1 high.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0120043. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • modestus. Nesomyrmex modestus Csösz & Fisher, 2016b: 19, figs. 3, 10A-C (w.) MADAGASCAR.

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

Description

Worker

Body color: black. Body color pattern: concolorous. Absolute cephalic size: 796 μm [743, 834]. Cephalic length vs. maximum width of head capsule (CL/ CWb): 1.216 [1.179, 1.256]. Postocular distance vs. cephalic length (PoOc/CL): 0.453 [0.438, 0.466]. Postocular sides of cranium contour, anterior view orientation: converging posteriorly. Postocular sides of cranium contour, anterior view shape: convex. Vertex contour line in anterior view shape: straight; feebly convex. Vertex sculpture: main sculpture areolate, ground sculpture smooth. Gena contour line in anterior view shape: convex. Gena contour from anterior view orientation: strongly converging. Gena sculpture: rugoso-reticulate with feeble areolate ground sculpture; rugoso-reticulate with areolate ground sculpture. Concentric carinae laterally surrounding antennal foramen: present. Eye length vs. absolute cephalic size (EL/CS): 0.234 [0.217, 0.25]. Frontal carina distance vs. absolute cephalic size (FRS/CS): 0.295 [0.287, 0.307]. Longitudinal carinae on median region of frons count: present. Smooth median region on frons count: present. Antennomere count: 12. Scape length vs. absolute cephalic size (SL/CS): 0.771 [0.74, 0.808]. Median clypeal notch: present. Median carina of clypeus count: absent. Spine length vs. absolute cephalic size (SPST/CS): 0.236 [0.22, 0.254]. Minimum spine distance vs. absolute cephalic size (SPBA/CS): 0.236 [0.225, 0.248]. Apical spine distance vs. absolute cephalic size (SPTI/CS): 0.251 [0.226, 0.269]. Propodeal spine shape: triangular, blunt. Apical distance of pronotal spines vs. absolute cephalic size (PSTI/CS): 0.657 [0.636, 0.686]. Metanotal depression count: present. Dorsal region of mesosoma sculpture: smooth ground sculpture superimposed by feeble areolate main sculpture. Lateral region of pronotum sculpture: inconspicuous areolate ground sculpture, main sculpture dispersed costate. Mesopleuron sculpture: smooth ground sculpture, superimposed by dispersed rugulae. Metapleuron sculpture: fine areolate ground sculpture, superimposed by dispersed rugulae. Petiole width vs. absolute cephalic size (PEW/CS): 0.223 [0.213, 0.238]. Dorsal region of petiole sculpture: ground sculpture smooth, main sculpture absent. Postpetiole width vs. absolute cephalic size (PPW/CS): 0.341 [0.326, 0.358]. Dorsal region of postpetiole sculpture: ground sculpture smooth, main sculpture absent.

Type Material

Holotype worker: Madagascar: Prov. Toliara, Anosy Region, Anosyenne Mts, 29.33 km NW Manantenina, Madagascar, 540 m, -24.13993 N, 47.07418 E, 21.ii.2015, collection code: BLF36218; CASENT0393175, B.L.Fisher, F.A.Esteves et al. (California Academy of Sciences, CASENT0393175); Paratypes: 13 workers with the same label.

Etymology

The name (modestus = moderate) refers to the moderately coarse surface sculpturing of this species.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Csosz S., and B. L. Fisher. 2016. Toward objective, morphology-based taxonomy: a case study on the Malagasy Nesomyrmex sikorai species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). PLoS ONE 11(4): e0152454. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0152454