Tapinoma indicum

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Tapinoma indicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Genus: Tapinoma
Species: T. indicum
Binomial name
Tapinoma indicum
Forel, 1895

Tapinoma indicum casent0249761 p 1 high.jpg

Tapinoma indicum casent0249761 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Subspecies

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 29.566° to 6.333055556°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore.
Oriental Region: India (type locality), Laos, Sri Lanka, Vietnam.
Palaearctic Region: China.

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

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Aphis gossypii (a trophobiont) (Lokeshwari et al., 2015; Saddiqui et al., 2019).

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • indicum. Tapinoma indicum Forel, 1895e: 472 (w.) INDIA. Viehmeyer, 1916a: 142 (q.m.); Imai, Baroni Urbani, et al. 1984: 8 (k.). Combination in T. (Micromyrma): Santschi, 1928e: 473. Subspecies of melanocephalum: Forel, 1909d: 228. Revived status as species: Emery, 1913a: 41; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 100; Karavaiev, 1926d: 441; Santschi, 1928e: 473. Current subspecies: nominal plus timidum.

Description

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from (Bingham 1903)

Worker

Resembles T. melanocephalum, Fabr. : differs in being sub- opaque, not shilling, of a reddish or brownish yellow all over; the mandibles, antennae and legs pale yellow; pilosity apparently entirely wanting : pubescence thin, silky white, visible only in certain lights. Head broader posteriorly and shorter than in T. melanocephalum. Mandibles and clypeus similar, the posterior margin of the latter, however, clearly defined; antennae shorter, joints 3-8 of the flagellum not longer than broad. Thorax proportionately much broader in front, and posteriorly laterally compressed; seen in profile not emarginate, but the sutures as distinct as in T. melanocephalum. Pedicel and abdomen as in that species; the latter, however, proportionately slightly shorter.

Length- 1.5 mm.

Karyotype

  • 2n = 10, karyotype = 8M+2A (India) (Imai et al., 1984).
  • n = 7 (Crozier, 1975).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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