Rhytidoponera scabrior

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Rhytidoponera scabrior
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ectatomminae
Tribe: Ectatommini
Genus: Rhytidoponera
Species: R. scabrior
Binomial name
Rhytidoponera scabrior
Crawley, 1925

Rhytidoponera scabrior casent0915144 p 1 high.jpg

Rhytidoponera scabrior casent0915144 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -26.5° to -26.5°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (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

Nomenclature

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

  • scabrior. Rhytidoponera (Chalcoponera) aspera var. scabrior Crawley, 1925b: 590 (w.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Australia: New South Wales, Lismore, no. 383 (C. Deuquet).
    • Type-depositories: MCZC, MVMA, NHMB, OXUM.
    • Junior synonym of chalybaea: Brown, 1954g: 4.
    • Status as species: Ward, 1980: 493; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 48; Taylor, 1987a: 70; Bolton, 1995b: 380.
    • Distribution: Australia.

Type Material

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

Description

Worker

Length 6 mm.

Rather smaller than the type. Colour similar, but the green of the thorax and petiole has more purple mingled with it.

Differs principally in the sculpture of the postpetiole and first segment of gaster. In aspera the postpetiole is covered with arched strial interspersed with shallow punctures, the space enclosed by the narrowed arches in the centre of the apical third being filled with fine vermicular reticulation; the following segment is smooth and shining in the centre, the sides with a slightly curved longitudinal striation, finer than on the postpetiole. In the variety the dorsum of the postpetiole is coarsely reticulate-punctate, with traces of ridges around the basal border, and the vermicular patch is much more extensive. The punctures are much larger, more abundant, and more clearly defined than in the type. In both the base of the segment beneath is striate. The following segment is entirely covered with a dense fine striation, finer in the type; the lines encircle the base, form a nucleus a third of the distance beyond, and from this point they run fanwise to the apical border.

The punctuation of the postpetiole is only slightly less coarse than on the thorax.

References

  • Brown, W. L., Jr. 1954g. Systematic and other notes on some of the smaller species of the ant genus Rhytidoponera Mayr. Breviora 33: 1-11 (page 4, Junior synonym of chalybaea)
  • Crawley, W. C. 1925b. New ants from Australia. - II. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(16): 577-598. (page 590, worker, male described)
  • Ward, P. S. 1980a. A systematic revision of the Rhytidoponera impressa group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia and New Guinea. Aust. J. Zool. 28: 475-498 (page 493, Revived from synonymy, and raised to species)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.