Rhytidoponera aciculata

Rhytidoponera aciculata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ectatomminae
Tribe:	Ectatommini
Genus:	Rhytidoponera
Species:	R. aciculata
Binomial name
Rhytidoponera aciculata (Smith, F., 1858) Specimen Labels
Synonyms
Ectatomma cristatum caro Forel, 1910

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -28.53952° to -33.11666667°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (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.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Ectatomma cristatum caro. Worker. Specimen code casent0907135. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

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

• aciculata. Ectatomma aciculata Smith, F. 1858b: 104 (w.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
  • Type-material: holotype worker.
  • Type-locality: Australia: Hunter River, “51/36” (no collector’s name).
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • Clark, 1936: 56 (m.); Imai, Crozier & Taylor, 1977: 347 (k.).
  • Combination in Ponera (Ectatomma): Roger, 1860: 307;
  • combination in Ectatomma: Roger, 1863b: 17;
  • combination in E. (Rhytidoponera): Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 23;
  • combination in Rhytidoponera: Emery, 1911d: 38.
  • Subspecies of punctata: Forel, 1907h: 268; Emery, 1911d: 38; Forel, 1913g: 174.
  • Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 409; Roger, 1860: 307; Roger, 1863b: 17; Mayr, 1886c: 358; Dalla Torre, 1893: 23; Clark, 1936: 55 (redescription); Brown, 1958g: 202, 263; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 40; Taylor, 1987a: 67; Bolton, 1995b: 378.
  • Senior synonym of caro: Clark, 1936: 55; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 40; Taylor, 1987a: 67; Bolton, 1995b: 378.
  • Material of the unavailable name laevior referred here by Brown, 1958g: 202; Bolton, 1995b: 378.
  • Distribution: Australia.
• caro. Ectatomma (Rhytidoponera) cristatum subsp. caro Forel, 1910b: 11 (w.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: Australia: New South Wales (Froggatt).
  • Type-depositories: ANIC, MHNG, NHMB.
  • Combination in Rhytidoponera: Emery, 1911d: 38.
  • Subspecies of cristata: Emery, 1911d: 38.
  • Junior synonym of aciculata: Clark, 1936: 55; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 40; Taylor, 1987a: 67; Bolton, 1995b: 378.

Type Material

• Ectatomma aciculata: Syntype, 3 workers (1 labelled as holotype), Hunter River, New South Wales, Australia, The Natural History Museum.
• Ectatomma (Rhytidoponera) cristatum caro: Syntype, 2 workers, Walcha, New South Wales, Australia, Froggatt,W.W., ANIC32-011923, Australian National Insect Collection.

The following notes on F. Smith type specimens have been provided by Barry Bolton (details):

Ectatomma aciculata

Holotype worker in The Natural History Museum. Labelled “Hunter River,” (Australia) and “51/36.” Acc. Reg.: “1851 no. 36 (April 16th). Hunter River. Purchased from Mr Ker. Bill 1851.A.26.”

Description

Karyotype

• n = 26, 2n = 52, karyotype = 18M + 34A (Australia) (Imai et al., 1977; Mariano et al., 2015).

References

• Barlow, M.M., Bicknell, R.D.C., Andrew, N.R. 2019. Cuticular microstructure of Australian ant mandibles confirms common appendage construction. Acta Zoologica 101, 260–270 (doi:10.1111/azo.12291).
• Brown, W. L., Jr. 1958g. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118: 173-362 (page 202, Senior synonym of caro, and material of the unavailable name laevior referred here)
• Clark, J. 1936. A revision of Australian species of Rhytidoponera Mayr (Formicidae). Mem. Natl. Mus. Vic. 9: 14-89 (page 55, Revived status as species)
• Clark, J. 1936. A revision of Australian species of Rhytidoponera Mayr (Formicidae). Mem. Natl. Mus. Vic. 9: 14-89 (page 56, male described)
• Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 23, Combination in E. (Rhytidoponera))
• Emery, C. 1911e. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125 (page 38, Combination in Rhytidoponera)
• Forel, A. 1907j. Formicidae. In: Michaelsen, W., Hartmeyer, R. (eds.) Die Fauna Südwest-Australiens. Band I, Lieferung 7. Jena: Gustav Fischer, pp. 263-310. (page 268, Subspecies of punctata)
• Forel, A. 1913h. Fourmis de Tasmanie et d'Australie récoltées par MM. Lae, Froggatt etc. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 49: 173-195 (page 174, Subspecies of punctata)
• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Imai, H. T.; Crozier, R. H.; Taylor, R. W. 1977. Karyotype evolution in Australian ants. Chromosoma (Berl.) 59: 341-393 (page 347, karyotype described)
• Mariano, C.S.F., Santos, I.S., Silva, J.G., Costa, M.A., Pompolo, S.G. 2015. Citogenética e evolução do cariótipo em formigas poneromorfas. In: Delabie, J.H.C., Feitosa, R.M., Serrao, J.E., Mariano, C.S.F., Majer, J.D. (eds) As formigas poneromorfas do Brasil, 1st edn. Ilhéus, Brasil, pp 102–125 (doi:10.7476/9788574554419.0010).
• Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 104, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Stitz H. 1911. Australische Ameisen. (Neu-Guinea und Salomons-Inseln, Festland, Neu-Seeland). Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1911: 351-381.