Technomyrmex antennus

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Technomyrmex antennus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Genus: Technomyrmex
Species: T. antennus
Binomial name
Technomyrmex antennus
Zhou, 2001

This species has been found in a range of forested areas, from rainforest to rubber plantations. It has most often been collected in litter samples.

Identification

Zhou (2001) - Similar to Technomyrmex horni, but differs from the latter in whole body distinctly finely reticulate; 1/3 length of antennal scapes extending beyond occipital border of head; head, alitrunk without erect hairs.

Bolton (2007) - A member of the Technomyrmex bicolor group. Closely resembling Technomyrmex obscurior but with a shorter propodeum that has a weakly convex dorsum, and with middle and hind coxae that are about the same colour as the femora.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 25.66666667° to 25.66666667°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

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

Nomenclature

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

  • antennus. Technomyrmex antennus Zhou, 2001b: 159, 241, figs. 317, 318 (w.) CHINA. See also: Bolton, 2007a: 72.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype: TL 4.1, HL 0.88, HW 0.77, CI 87, SL 1.06, SI 137, PW 0.57, AL 1.32, ED 0.25.

Head including mandibles heart-shaped, narrower anteriorly than behind, sides slightly convex, occipital broadly shallowly concave, vertex with distinct groove-liked impression. Masticatory of mandible with 11 teeth, reducing towards the base. Middle of anterior clypeal border with deep U-shaped concave, posterior border distinct. Frontal carinae short, revolving the antennal sockets and diverging backward. Antennal scapes stout and long, 1/3 of their length extending beyond occipital border. Eyes large, slightly convex, situated at anterior of the sides of head, near sockets. Promesonotum flat, posterior part of mesonotum oblique backward; promesonotal suture distinct, mesopropodeal suture deeply impressed; basal face of propodeum 2 X as long as declivity, oblique forward, the latter oblique backward, conjunction of them almost right angle in profile view. Petiolar node low and inclined forward. Anterior of gaster very convex, hanging over the petiole; gastral pore opened at the apex. Legs long.

Mandibles smooth and shining; head, alitrunk and gaster distinctly finely reticulate, subopaque; reticulation on metapleuron feeble.

Erect hairs sparse. Clypeus with 2 erect hairs, dorsum of gaster scattered, absent on head and alitrunk. Anterior clypeal border with 4 setae, mandibles with decumbent long hairs. Pubescence abundant, distinct on head, antennal scapes, legs and gaster; Pubescence feeble on alitrunk.

Color reddish brown. Gaster contaminated dark brown, antennae and legs yellowish brown, coxes of median and hind legs yellowish white.

Paratypes 21: TL 3.0~4.2, HL 0.70~0.90, HW 0.66~0.78, CI 86~94, SL 0.75~1.10, SI 113~138, PW 0.46~0.58, AL 0.94~1.35, ED 0.19~0.25.

Bolton (2007) - TL 3.7 - 3.9, HL 0.79 - 0.85, HW 0.70 - 0.74, SL 0.92 -0.96, PW 0.51 - 0.53, WL 1.20 - 1.26 (7 measured). Indices: CI 85 - 89, SI 130 - 135, OI 28 - 30, EPI 69 - 82 DTI 157 - 163.

Head behind clypeus, dorsum of mesosoma, declivity of propodeum and first gastral tergite all entirely lack setae. Gastral tergites 2 - 4 with long stout setae present that are sli~htly longer than the maximum diameter of the eye: second gastral tergite with 2 – 3 pairs, third and fourth tergites each with 3 - 4 pairs. Anterior clypeal margin with an approximately semicircular median notch. The margins of the notch meet the lateral portions of the anterior margin through rounded curves, not sharp angles. Posterior margin of head evenly shallowly concave. With head in full-face view the outer margins of the eyes fail to touch the outline of the convex sides of the head. Scape index 130 or more. In dorsal view the metathoracic spiracles are separated from the metanotal groove by a distance slightly more than one spiracle diameter. Mesosoma relatively long, DTI 157 - 163. In profile the propodeal dorsum shallowly convex, its straight-line length less than the depth of the declivity to the spiracle. In profile the head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster all the same shade of brown, or very nearly so. Anterior coxa brown; middle and hind coxae dull yellow and lighter than the mesosoma. All trochanters yellow. Middle and hind femora and tibiae the same dull yellow colour as their coxae or very nearly so (femora may be slightly infuscated medially). Tarsi somewhat lighter than the femora and tibiae.

Type Material

Holotype worker, Huaping Natural·Reserve, Guangxi, 9.VII.1995, Shanyi Zhou leg. Paratypes: 1 worker, Rongan County, Guangxi, 21.IX.1995; 20 worker, Lingui County, Guangxi, 7.VII.1996, Shanyi Zhou leg.

Bolton (2007) - Holotype worker, China: Guangxi, Huaping Natural Reserve, 25°40'N, 109°W, 9.vii.1995 (s. Zhou); paratype workers, Guangxi, Rongan County, 21.ix.1995 (S .Zhou), Guangxi, Lingui County, 7.vii.\996 (S. Zhou) (GNUC) [not seen].

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bolton B. 2007. Taxonomy of the dolichoderine ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 35(1): 1-150.
  • Cheng D., Z. Chen, and S. Zhou. 2015. An analysis on the ant fauna of Jinzhongshan Nature Reserve in Gunagxi, China. Journal of Guangxi Normal University: Natural Science Edition 33(3): 129.137.
  • Fontanilla A. M., A. Nakamura, Z. Xu, M. Cao, R. L. Kitching, Y. Tang, and C. J. Burwell. 2019. Taxonomic and functional ant diversity along tropical, subtropical, and subalpine elevational transects in southwest China. Insects 10, 128; doi:10.3390/insects10050128
  • Guo X., Q. Lin, J. Cui, D. Gao, S. Xu, and Z. Sheng. 2014. Biodiversity and spatial distribution patterns of ant species in tea gardens of Chongqing. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1011.2014.31052
  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
  • Liu X. 2012. Taxonomy, diversity and spatial distribution characters of the ant family Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) in southeastern Tibet. PhD Thesis 139 pages
  • Liu X., Z. Xu, N. Yu, and C. Zhang. 2016. Distribution patterns of ant species ( Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Galongla Mountains and Medog Valley of Southeastern Tibet. Scientia Silvae Sinicae 52(11): 88-95.
  • Lu Z., and Y. Chen. 2016. Effects of habitat on ant functional groups: a case study of Luchun County, Yunnan Province, China. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture 24(5): 801-810.
  • Song Y., Z. Xu, C. Li, N. Zhang, L. Zhang, H. Jiang, and F. Mo. 2013. An Analysis on the Ant Fauna of the Nangun river Nature Reserve in Yunnan, China. Forest Research 26(6): 773-780.
  • Staab M., A. Schuldt, T. Assmann, H. Bruelheide, and A.M. Klein. 2014. Ant community structure during forest succession in a subtropical forest in South-East China. Acta Oecologia 61: 32-40.
  • Tian M., L. Deharveng, A. Bedos, Y. Li, Z. Xue, B. Feng, and G. Wei. 2011, Advances of cave biodiversity survey: a result based mainly on invertebrates. Proceedings of the 17th National Congress of Speleology, Yinshuidong, Hubei, 1-3 Nov 20111, p 149-163.
  • Wu B., Y. Lu, G. Liang, and L. Zeng. 2010. Influence of the red inported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the diversity of ant communities in a newly infested longan orchard and grass areas nearby. Acta Ecologica Sinica 30(8): 2075-2083.
  • Zhang R. J., L. W. Liang, and S. Y. Zhou. 2014. An analysis on the ant fauna of Nonggang Nature Reserve in Guangxi, China. Journal of Guangxi Normal university: Natural Science Edition 32(3): 86-93.
  • Zhou S.-Y. 2001. Ants of Guangxi. Guangxi Normal University Press, Guilin, China, Guilin, China. 255 pp.
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