Technomyrmex kraepelini

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Technomyrmex kraepelini
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Genus: Technomyrmex
Species: T. kraepelini
Binomial name
Technomyrmex kraepelini
Forel, 1905

Technomyrmex kraepelini casent0178471 profile 1.jpg

Technomyrmex kraepelini casent0178471 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

A relatively well collected species for this genus, it occurs in a range of forest habitats and is apparently fairly tolerant of disturbance. Most collections have been made from litter samples but there are also records from baits and sweeping samples. Heterick & Kitching (2022) collected this species in the canopy of a lowland dipterocarp forest in Brunei.

At a Glance • Limited invasive  

Identification

Bolton (2007) - A member of the Technomyrmex bicolor group. T. kraepelini is closely related to Technomyrmex sundaicus and Technomyrmex rector, the three of which are, within the Technomyrmex bicolor group, mainly darkly coloured, have relatively short scapes and a relatively shorter, broader, mesosoma. T. sundaicus is distinguished from kraepelini by its uniform drab brown colour, which includes all leg segments except for the trochanters and the middle and hind tarsi, which are dull yellow. The middle and hind coxae of sundaicus are the same colour as the mesosoma, whereas in krapelini the coxae are much lighter and contrast strongly with the mesosoma. T. rector, currently known only from a single worker from southern India, appears to have fewer gastral setae than kraepelini and has yellow middle and hind tibiae that are the same colour as the tarsi. The clypeal notch of rector is broader and more shallow than in kraepelini. Other relatives with darkly coloured heads and bodies, Technomyrmex obscurior and Technomyrmex antennus, generally have longer scapes and a narrower, more elongate mesosoma, that only overlap kraepelini at the lowest end of their scale: in obscurior and antennus SI is 122 – 143 and DTI is 156 - 168.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 18.41666667° to -7.502778°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Brunei Darussalam, Guam, Indonesia (type locality), Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Palau, Philippines, Singapore.
Oriental Region: Laos, Thailand.

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.

  • kraepelini. Technomyrmex kraepelini Forel, 1905c: 23 (w.) INDONESIA (Java). See also: Bolton, 2007a: 88.

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

Description

Worker

Bolton (2007) - TL 2.5 - 3.7, HL 0.67 - 1.04, HW 0.59 - 1.02, SL 0.68 - 0.92, PW 0.41 0.57, WL 0.88 - 1.10 (15 measured). Indices: CI 87 - 98, SI 90 - 125, OI 23 - 28, EPI 64 -73, OTI 132 - 157.

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 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 a distinct median notch the margins of which meet the lateral portions of the anterior margin through rounded curves, not sharp angles. Posterior margin of head concave medially, the extent of the indentation becomes more pronounced In larger workers and in full-face view the head becomes distinctly more cordate with increased size. With head in full-face view the outer margins of the eyes fail to touch the outline of the sides of the head; the latter convex, more stronger so in larger workers. Scape index 125 or less. Clypeal sculpture fine between posterior margin of notch and clypeal suture. In dorsal view the metathoracic spiracles close to, or even abutting, the metanotal groove; distance separating them usually less than one spiracle diameter. Mesosoma with DTI 132 - 157. In profile the straight-line length of the propodeal dorsum at most equal to the depth of the declivity to the spiracle and usually somewhat less; dorsal outline of propodeum usually weakly convex, without a conspicuous notch or indentation at about its midlength. In profile the head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster all the same shade of dark brown to blackish brown, or very nearly so. Anterior coxa brown; middle and hind coxae off-white to yellow and strongly contrasting with the mesosoma and femora. All trochanters yellow. Femora and tibiae brown, same colour as the mesosoma or slightly lighter; often the extreme apex of each segment lighter. Tarsi off-white to yellow, lighter than the femora and tibiae.

Type Material

Bolton (2007) - Syntype workers, Indonesia: Java, Tjompea, leg. 11.iii.1904, ded. 8.vi.1904 (K. Kraepelin) (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève) [examined].

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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  • 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.
  • Bolton, B. "Taxonomy of the dolichoderine ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste." Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 35, no. 1 (2007): 1-149.
  • CSIRO Collection
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  • Emery C. 1913. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Dolichoderinae. Genera Insectorum 137: 1-50.
  • Field Museum Collection, Chicago, Illinois (C. Moreau)
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  • Forel A. 1905. Ameisen aus Java. Gesammelt von Prof. Karl Kraepelin 1904. Mitt. Naturhist. Mus. Hambg. 22: 1-26.
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  • Jaitrong W., and T. Ting-Nga. 2005. Ant fauna of Peninsular Botanical Garden (Khao Chong), Trang Province, Southern Thailand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 1(2): 137-147.
  • Jaitrong W.; Nabhitabhata, J. 2005. A list of known ant species of Thailand. The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 1(1): 9-54.
  • Kishimoto-Yamata K., F. Hyodo, M. Matsuoka, Y. Hashimoto, M. Kon, T. Ochi, S. Yamane, R. Ishii, and T. Itioka. 2012. Effects of remnant primary forests on ant and dung beetle species diversity in a secondary forest in Sarawak, Malaysia. Journal of Insect Conservation DOI 10.1007/s10841-012-9544-6
  • Mezger D., and M. Pfeiffer. 2011. Partitioning the impact of abiotic factors and spatial patterns on species richness and community structure of ground ant assemblages in four Bornean rainforests. Ecography 34: 39-48.
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  • Pfeiffer M., D. Mezger, and J. Dyckmans. 2013. Trophic ecology of tropical leaf litter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a stable isotope study in four types of Bornean rain forest. Myrmecological News 19: 31-41.
  • Pfeiffer M., and D. Mezger. 2012. Biodiversity Assessment in Incomplete Inventories: Leaf Litter Ant Communities in Several Types of Bornean Rain Forest. PLoS ONE 7(7): e40729. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040944
  • Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
  • Rizali A., D. J. Lohman, D. Buchori, L. Budi Prasetyo, H. Triwidodo, M. M. Bos, S. Yamane, and C. H. Schulze. 2009. Ant communities on small tropical islands: effects of island size and isolation are obscured by habitat disturbance and tramp ant species. Journal of Biogeography 37(2): 229-236.
  • Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.
  • Tanaka H.O., S. Yamane, and T. Itioka. 2010. Within-tree distribution of nest sites and foraging areas of ants on canopy trees in a tropical rainforest in Borneo. Popul. Ecol 52: 147-157.
  • Tanaka H.O., Sk. Yamane, T. Nakashizuka, K. Momose, and T. Itioka. 2007. Effects of deforestation on mutualistic interactions of ants with plants and hemipterans in tropical rainforest of Borneo. Asian Myrmecology 1: 31-50.