Tanipone zona

Tanipone zona
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dorylinae
Genus:	Tanipone
Species:	V. zona
Binomial name
	Tanipone zona; Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Specimen Labels

Primarily terrestrial, material of zona has mostly been captured as ground foragers, under stones, in leaf litter samples, in rotten tree stumps and logs, and in pitfall traps. It has also been recovered from low vegetation, but much more rarely. Primarily found in tropical dry forest, spiny forest, or Uapaca woodland, but it has also been discovered in gallery forest, littoral rainforest and mangroves.

Identification

A member of the maculata species group. Very closely related to Tanipone maculata, but in the latter the tergite of AIII has a pair of pale spots that are separated by a median longitudinal dark strip, rather than the continuous transverse pale band of approximately uniform width that is characteristic of zona. In addition, the setae are usually slightly more numerous in maculata. (Bolton and Fisher 2012)

Keys including this Species

Key to Tanipone Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -24.1° to -24.1°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Malagasy Region: Madagascar (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.

Biology

Explore Overview of Tanipone biology

Little is known about the biology of Tanipone. They are predominantly terrestrial to subarboreal, being found as ground foragers in leaf litter, under stones, in rotten stumps and in rotten logs. Just as commonly workers have been captured on low vegetation, in living and dead stems above the ground and in rot pockets in tree trunks. No prey records exist for Tanipone. (Bolton and Fisher 2012)

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Castes

Images from AntWeb


Worker. Specimen code casent0001187. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.


Specimen code casent0010023. .

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Holotype of Tanipone zona. Worker. Specimen code casent0020383. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.


Worker. Specimen code casent0491199. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.


Worker. Specimen code casent0137652. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.


Worker. Specimen code casent0020379. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Male

Images from AntWeb


Male (alate). Specimen code casent0168822. 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.

zona. Tanipone zona Bolton & Fisher, 2012: 98, figs. 84, 85, 113-115 (w.m.) MADAGASCAR.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 7 paratype worker.
- Type-locality: holotype Madagascar: Prov. Toliara, P.N. Tsimanampetsotsa, 6.7 km. 130° SE Efoetse, 24°06’S, 43°46’E, 18-22.iii.2002, BLF6169(50), CASENT0020383, sifted litter, spiny forest/thicket (B.L. Fisher); paratypes with same data but coded BLF6160(10) CASENT0020374, BLF6160(29) CASENT0020377, BLF6160(31) CASENT0020378, BLF6160(33) CASENT0020379, BLF6160(37) CASENT0020380, BLF6160(46) CASENT0020382, BLF6160(LO) CASENT0020384.
- Type-depository: CASC.
- Distribution: Madagascar.

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

Description

Worker

holotype in parentheses). HL 0.68–0.81 (0.76), HW 0.53–0.63 (0.60), SL 0.30–0.40 (0.34), EL 0.23–0.29 (0.28), PW 0.39–0.50 (0.46), AIIW 0.36–0.47 (0.44), AIIL 0.36–0.44 (0.44), AIIIW 0.46–0.59 (0.55), AIIIL 0.36–0.50 (0.44), WL 0.80–1.04 (1.00), MFL 0.46–0.58 (0.54), CI 73–79 (79), SI 55–63 (57), EL/HW 0.44–0.48 (0.47), AIIW/AIIL 0.96–1.12 (1.00), AIIIW/AIIIL 1.16–1.30 (1.25) (12 measured).

Cephalic pilosity and structure of AIII glandular patches as described in definition of maculata group, above. With head in full-face view the side in front of the eye without a laterally projecting seta behind the level of the posterior clypeal margin. Posterior margin of head with 2 setae. Dorsum of pronotum with a single pair of setae, at the humeri; mesonotum and propodeum usually without setae but very rarely the mesonotum with a single short pair present. Mesofemur and metafemur in dorsal view without projecting setae on the anterior or posterior surfaces. Ventral surfaces of mesofemur and metafemur usually without projecting setae, but very rarely a short seta present just distal of the trochanter. Dorsal surface of AII (petiole) with an anterior pair of setae; usually without setae posteriorly but in one specimen a short pair present on the posterior margin. Tergite of AIII with two setae anteriorly, each of which is situated well in front of the anterior margin of the glandular patch. Tergite of AIV with 2–4 setae anteriorly; in general segments AIII and AIV without setae posteriorly, but extremely rarely a short pair present at the posterior margin of one or both sclerites. Sternites of AIII and AIV with setae present. Cephalic dorsum with scattered small punctures, their diameters obviously less than the distances between them. Spaces between punctures smooth or with vestigial ground sculpture, except behind antennal fossae, where weak ground sculpture is usually visible. Katepisternum mostly to entirely smooth. Dorsum of mesosoma with scattered small punctures, as on the head their diameters are obviously less than the distances between them. AII (petiole) in dorsal view appears slightly broader than long; in profile its tergite appears longer than high. Tergite of AIII, between the glandular patches smooth, with minute punctures and sometimes traces of vestigial superficial sculpture. The pale band at the apex of AIII tergite is always very obvious and is of approximately equal width across the sclerite; never interrupted by a longitudinal dark median strip. Tergite of AIV sparsely punctate, often with spaces between punctures smooth, but sometimes with feeble ground sculpture. Full adult colour dark brown to blackish brown (except for the distinct pale band on AIII).

Type Material

Holotype worker, Madagascar: Prov. Toliara, P.N. Tsimanampetsotsa, 6.7 km 130° SE Efoetse, 24°06’S, 43°46’E, 18-22.iii.2002, BLF6169(50), CASENT0020383, sifted litter, spiny forest/thicket (B.L. Fisher) (California Academy of Sciences). Paratypes. 7 workers with same data as holotype but coded 6160(10), CASENT0020374; 6160(29), CASENT0020377; 6160(31), CASENT0020378; 6160(33), CASENT0020379; 6160(37), CASENT0020380; 6160(46), CASENT0020382 (specimen fragmented); 6160(L0), CASENT0020384 (CASC).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Blaimer B. B., S. G. Brady, T. R. Schultz, and B. L. Fisher. 2015. Fucntional and phylogenetic approaches reveal the evolution of diversity in a hyper diverse biota. Ecography 38: 001-012.
Bolton B., and B. L. Fisher. 2012. Taxonomy of the cerapachyine ant genera Simopone Forel, Vicinopone gen. n. and Tanipone gen. n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3283: 1-101.
Borowiec M. L. 2016. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 608: 1–280.