Protanilla furcomandibula

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Protanilla furcomandibula
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Leptanillinae
Tribe: Leptanillini
Genus: Protanilla
Species: P. furcomandibula
Binomial name
Protanilla furcomandibula
Xu, Z. & Zhang, 2002

The species nests in the soil and forages on the ground in conifer-broadleaf mixed forest at altitudes around 2250m.

Identification

Close to Protanilla bicolor, but differs in occipital margin straight, mandible thick and with 2 teeth on lateroventral margin, metanotal groove depressed, ventral margin of postpetiole concave, anterior margin of gaster deeply concave with anterolateral corners protruding and surrounded the postpetiole.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China (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

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

  • furcomandibula. Protanilla furcomandibula Xu & Zhang, 2002: 140, figs. 1-3 (w.) CHINA.
    • Combination in Furcotanilla: Xu, 2012c: 483.
    • Combination in Protanilla: Hsu, P.-W. et al. 2017: 129.
    • Status as species: Xu, 2012c: 483; Hsu, P.-W. et al. 2017: 129 (in key).

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

Description

Xu 2012 Furcotanilla Fig 9-12.jpg

Worker

Holotype: TL 4.1, HL 0.77, HW 0.60, CI 78, SL 0.67, SI 111, PW 0.47, AL 1.17, ML 0.50, PNL 0.33, PNH 0.43, PNW 0.32, PPNL 0.40, PPNH 0.43, PPNW 0.30.

Head distinctly longer than broad, narrowed forward. In full face view, occipital margin straight, occipital corners rounded. Lateral sides of head evenly convex and with a tooth-like prominence at the antennal socket position, below the prominence with a deep notch. In dorsal view mandible long triangular, masticatory margin with 15 spine-like teeth. In lateral view mandible thick, lateroventral margin with 2 teeth, the basal one short and oblique, the apical one long and erect. Clypeus roughly triangular, anterior margin obviously concave in the center. Antenna with 12 segments, scape surpassed occipital corner by 1/5 of its length, segments 5-11 longer than broad, antennal club indistinct. In profile view, thorax distinctly constricted at mesothorax, pro no tum roundly convex, mesonotum straight. Promesonotal suture distinct, metanotal groove depressed. Dorsum of propodeum evenly convex, longer than declivity, posterodorsal corner rounded. In profile view petiolar node nearly rectangular, anterodorsal corner bluntly prominent, higher than posterodorsal corner, the latter rounded, anterior face vertical, posterior face sloped, dorsal face weakly convex. Subpetiolar process long and anteroventrally pointed, with a circular sub transparent fovea. Postpetiolar node weakly inclined forward, anterior face convex, dorsal face straight, anterodorsal corner rounded. Sternite of postpetiole deeply concave on the ventral face. In dorsal view petiolar node roughly square, width: length = 9: 8, anterior and posterior borders weakly convex, lateral borders evenly convex. Postpetiolar node trapezoid, narrowed forward and longer than broad, anterior and posterior faces roundly convex, lateral sides straight. In profile view, anterior margin of gaster with a narrow deep notch between tergite and sternite of the first segment. In dorsal view, anterior margin of gaster deeply concave, with anterolateral corners protruding and surrounded the postpetiole. Mandibles, head and the whole body smooth and shining. Head and body with sparse suberect hairs and dense decumbent pubescence. Scapes and tibiae with sparse subdecumbent hairs and dense decumbent pubescence. Body in color yellowish brown, legs brownish yellow.

Paratype: TL 4.0, HL 0.73, HW 0.57, CI 77, SL 0.67, SI 118, PW 0.43, AL 1.13, ML 0.47, PNL 0.33, PNH 0.43, PNW 0.30, PPNL 0.43, PPNH 0.43, PPNW 0.28 (1 individual measured). As holotype.

Type Material

Xu (2012) - Holotype worker and paratype worker, CHINA: Yunnan Province, Kunming, Xishan Forest Park, Huatingsi Temple, 2250m, collected in a soil sample in conifer-broadleaf mixed forest, 2001.III.31, Zheng-Hui Xu leg., No.A00250. [Holotype worker and paratype worker in SWFU examined.]

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
  • Xu Z.-H. 2012. Furcotanilla, a new genus of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae from China with descriptions of two new species of Protanilla and P. rafflesi Taylor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 59: 477-491.
  • Xu Z. and Zhang J. 2002. Two new species of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae from Yunnan, China (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 27(1): 139-144.