Nylanderia umbella

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Nylanderia umbella
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Lasiini
Genus: Nylanderia
Species: N. umbella
Binomial name
Nylanderia umbella
LaPolla & Fisher, 2011

Nylanderia umbella casent0179583 p 1 high.jpg

Nylanderia umbella casent0179583 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of Nylanderia umbella.

Identification

LaPolla et al. (2011) - Head width less than 0.51 mm; head, mesosoma, and gaster dark brown, contrasting sharply with yellowish-brown antennae, mandibles, mesocoxae, metacoxae, and legs; very short, angular, propodeal dorsal face.

Compare with: Nylanderia boltoni and Nylanderia scintilla

This is among the darkest of the Afrotropical species, with strongly contrasting antennae, coxae, and legs. Based on overall similarities in size and shape, N. umbella appears closely related to N. boltoni and N. scintilla.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 2.25° to -3.125556°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Cameroun (type locality), Nigeria.

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

Images from AntWeb

Nylanderia umbella casent0900362 p 1 high.jpgNylanderia umbella casent0900362 h 1 high.jpgNylanderia umbella casent0900362 d 1 high.jpgNylanderia umbella casent0900362 l 1 high.jpgNylanderia umbella casent0900362 p 2 high.jpgNylanderia umbella casent0900362 p 3 high.jpg
Holotype of Nylanderia umbellaWorker. Specimen code casent0900362. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

The queen and male castes are currently unknown for this species.

Nomenclature

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

  • umbella. Nylanderia umbella LaPolla & Fisher, in LaPolla, Hawkes & Fisher, 2011: 24, figs. 58-60, 85 (w.) CAMEROUN.

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

Description

Worker

Measurements (n = 3): TL: 2.1–2.4; HW: 0.49–0.51; HL: 0.59–0.61; EL: 0.14–0.16; SL: 0.62–0.64; PW: 0.35–0.38; WL: 0.62–0.69; GL: 0.92–1.2

Indices: CI: 80–84; REL: 23–27; SI: 123–130

Overall dark brown, with lighter brown to yellow mandibles, antennae, and legs; cuticle smooth and shining; procoxae dark brown, with mesocoxae and metacoxae yellow-brown to yellow in color. Head with a dense layer of pubescence; posterior margin with rounded posterolateral corners, slightly emarginate medially; scapes surpass posterior margin by about the length of the first two funicular segments; scapes with scattered erect acrosetae and a dense layer of pubescence (SMC = 13–16). Mesosoma with erect macrosetae of varying lengths concentrated on posterior pronotum and mesonotum (PMC = 3–5; MMC = 2); layer of pubescence covers mesosomal notum; metanotal area compact; dorsal face of propodeum angular and low (lower than mesonotum) with very short dorsal face and longer declivitous face; propodeum dorsum with pubescence; declivity smooth and shining with no pubescence. Gaster with abundant erect macrosetae and a dense layer of pubescence.

Holotype Specimen Labels

Type Material

Holotype worker, CAMEROON: Mbalmayo, xi.1993 (N. Stork) (The Natural History Museum); 3 paratype workers, same label data as holotype (BMNH)

Etymology

The species epithet umbella (L. = shade or shadow) is in reference to the dark brown coloration of this species.

References

  • LaPolla, J.S., Hawkes, P.G. & Fisher, B.L. (2011) Monograph of Nylanderia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the World, Part I: Nylanderia in the Afrotropics. Zootaxa 3110: 10–36.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • LaPolla J. S.; P.G. Hawkes, and B.L. Fisher. 2011. Monograph of Nylanderia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the World, Part I: Nylanderia in the Afrotropics. Zootaxa 3110: 10-36.