Temnothorax banao

Temnothorax banao
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Temnothorax
Species group:	sallei
Species:	T. banao
Binomial name
	Temnothorax banao; (Fontenla Rizo, 1998)

The specimens were collected on limestone rocks in a forest habitat. It is assumed this species is a limestone-nesting, not only because the habitat, but also because the high resemblance to L. myersi and L. villarensis, which built the typical tubular cartoon-like entrance to the nest, located in limestone rocks crevices. Also the specimens displayed the characteristic slow movements of this kind of species.

Identification

Prebus 2017 - A member of the sallei clade.

Fontenla Rizo (1998) - Limestone-dweller species of Cuban Temnothorax, with a long and slender body and elongated scapes, legs, petiole and propodeal spines, petiolar node low and rounded, postpetiole longer than broad. Color reddish brown, gaster brown, small and shining. This species is related to Temnothorax villarensis and Temnothorax myersi. It is more similar to T. villarensis, with similar low petiolar nodes, but it differs in minor size, remarkable more slender constitution and lower petiolar node. Besides, coloration is deeper, pilosity more scarce, and longitudinal striation pattern of dorsum of mesosoma is more homogeneus. In addition, it differs from T. myersi in the low petiolar node, which is very high and almost scale shape in this last species.

Distribution

Fontenla Rizo (1998) - Sancti Spiritus Heights, Sancti Spiritus Province., Cuba. T. banao, so far it is known, lives in geographic isolation in the Sancti Spiritus Heights, separated by the Agabama basin from the distributional range of the other species, which are sympatric in the Trinidad Heights and some surrounded low lands.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Cuba (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

Castes

Nomenclature

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

banao. Leptothorax banao Fontenla Rizo, 1998: 63, fig. 2 (w.) CUBA. Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271.

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

Description

Worker

(paratypes). SL: 1.62 (1.56-1.62), HW: 0.99 (0.93-0.96), HL: 1.23 (1.20-1.23), ML: 1.83 (1.80-1.83), PL: 1.2 (l.l-L2), PH: 0.33 (0.30-0.33), PPW: 0.39 (0.36-0.39), PPL: 0.42 (0.39-0.42), FL: 1.86 (1.83-1.86). Indices. SI: 131.7 (130-131.7), CI: 80.5 (78.0-80.5), PI: 65.6 (60.1-65.6), HI: 27.5 (27.2-27.5), PPI: 92.8 (92.3-92.8), FI: 101.8 (101.6-101.8).

Mandibles five toothed. Funiculum with 11 segments. Antennal club four-segmented, but little differentiated; scapes very long and slender, surpassing cephalic length. Eyes relatively small. General constitution of the body slender, mesosoma with longitudinal profile; promesotoraxic depression pronounced; propodeal spines very long (almost 40% of mesosoma length) and sharp, divergent basally, curved outward in the middle and convergent at the tips. Petiole very long and slender (more than 60% of mesosoma length), node very low and rounded, with no defined faces; postpetiole bell-shaped, longer than broad. Gaster proportionally small, sting well developed. Femora long, surpassing mesosoma length; medial portion not abruptly swollen; tibiae normal. Tegument shining in the gaster; head surface with longitudinal narrow striae; mesosoma sides and dorsum of pronotum with longitudinal ruguae; rest of mesosoma dorsum with transverse rugae. Petiole striated; postpetiole slightly striated. Pilosity abundant, except in petiole and postpetiole, composed by long white acuminate hairs. Colour reddish; antennae and legs brown; gaster black.

Type Material

Holotype: worker, collected by Abel Perez on May, 1994, in Banao, Sancti Sprititus Heigths, Sancti Spiritus Province. Paratypes: 4 workers, same data as holotype. Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba

Etymology

Named after the type locality.

References

Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 271, Combination in Temnothorax)
Fontenla Rizo, J. L. 1998b. New species of Leptothorax (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Cuba. Avicennia 8-9: 61-68. (page 63, fig. worker described)
Prebus, M. 2017. Insights into the evolution, biogeography and natural history of the acorn ants, genus Temnothorax Mayr (hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bmc Evolutionary Biology. 17:250. doi:10.1186/s12862-017-1095-8 (The doi link to the publication's journal webpage provides access to the 24 files that accompany this article).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Fontenla J. L. 2001. Claves para las especies cubanas del taxon Macromischa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptothorax). Cocuyo (Havana) 11: 15-17.
Fontenla J. L., and J. Alfonso-Simonetti. 2018. Classification of Cuban ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) into functional groups. Poeyana Revista Cubana de Zoologia 506: 21-30.
Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1998. New species of Leptothorax (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Cuba. Avicennia 8-9: 61-68
Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1998. New species of Leptothorax (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Cuba. Avicennia 8-9: 61-68.
Fontenla Rizo J. L. 2001. Claves para las especies cubanas del taxon Macromischa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptothorax). Cocuyo 11: 15-17