Tetramorium pulchellum

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Tetramorium pulchellum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Tetramorium
Species: T. pulchellum
Binomial name
Tetramorium pulchellum
Emery, 1897

Tetramorium pulchellum casent0280894 p 1 high.jpg

Tetramorium pulchellum casent0280894 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Known from rainforest and montane forest litter-samples.

Identification

A member of the Tetramorium scabrosum-species group.

Bolton (1977) - In the scabrosum-group two of the New Guinean species, pulchellum and Tetramorium scabrosum, are conspicuous by their relatively coarse reticulate-rugulose cephalic sculpture. The two are easily separable as in scabrosum the pronotal corners are distinctly angular whilst in pulchellum they are rounded. In the remainder of the group (not New Guinean species) the sculpture of the head tends to be predominantly or entirely longitudinal to the level of the posterior margins of the eyes, any strong reticulation which is present being restricted to the occipital region.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -5.26569° to -7.734722222°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea (type locality), Singapore.

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

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Tetramorium pulchellum casent0904856 h 1 high.jpgTetramorium pulchellum casent0904856 p 1 high.jpgTetramorium pulchellum casent0904856 d 1 high.jpgTetramorium pulchellum casent0904856 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Tetramorium pulchellumWorker. Specimen code casent0904856. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

  • pulchellum. Tetramorium pulchellum Emery, 1897c: 586, pl. 15, fig. 28 (w.) NEW GUINEA. See also: Bolton, 1977: 118.

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

Description

Worker

Bolton (1977) - TL 2.8-3.0, HL 0.64-0.68, HW 0.58-0.62, CI 88-91, SL 0.48-0.54, SI 80-85, PW 0.46-0.50, AL 0.82-0.86 (6 measured).

Mandibles striate, anterior clypeal margin entire. Frontal carinae strong, extending back well beyond the level of the posterior margins of the eyes but not reaching the occiput. Antennal scrobes conspicuous. Maximum diameter of eye c. 0.14-0.16, about 0.23-0.26 x HW. In dorsal view the pronotal corners broadly rounded, not at all angular. Propodeal spines short, broad and acute, elevated and slightly upcurved. Metapleural lobes generally broad and more or less rounded or very bluntly rounded-triangular. Petiole in profile with the dorsal surface as long as or slightly longer than the height of the tergal portion of the node, in dorsal view the node slightly broader than long. Head quite coarsely and very conspicuously reticulate-rugulose dorsally, the rugular cross-meshes occurring from the level of the anterior margins of the eyes at least, and usually with some in front of this level. Ground sculpture a feeble and inconspicuous punctulation. Dorsal alitrunk strongly reticulate-rugulose, this sculpture extending onto the petiole and postpetiole though weaker on the former and yet weaker on the latter; gaster unsculptured. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with abundant fine hairs of varying length which are erect, suberect or subdecumbent. Dorsal (outer) surfaces of hind tibiae with numerous long hairs, predominantly suberect; the antennal scapes also with erect but shorter hairs. Colour uniform brown, the legs yellowish.

Type Material

Bolton (1977) - Syntype workers, New Guinea: Berlinhafen and Friedrich-Wilhelshafen (L. Biro) (probably in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Bolton B. 1977. The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions, and in Australia. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 36:67-151.
  • Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
  • Emery C. 1897. Formicidarum species novae vel minus cognitae in collectione Musaei Nationalis Hungarici quas in Nova-Guinea, colonia germanica, collegit L. Biró. Természetrajzi Füzetek 20: 571-599.
  • Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
  • Lucky A., E. Sarnat, and L. Alonso. 2011. Ants of the Muller Range, Papua New Guinea, Chapter 10. In Richards, S. J. and Gamui, B. G. (editors). 2013. Rapid Biological Assessments of the Nakanai Mountains and the upper Strickland Basin: surveying the biodiversity of Papua New Guinea’s sublime karst environments. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 60. Conservation International. Arlington, VA.
  • Lucky A., K. Sagata, and E. Sarnat. 2011. Ants of the Nakanai Mountains, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea, Chapter 1. In Richards, S. J. and Gamui, B. G. (editors). 2013. Rapid Biological Assessments of the Nakanai Mountains and the upper Strickland Basin: surveying the biodiversity of Papua New Guinea’s sublime karst environments. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 60. Conservation International. Arlington, VA.
  • Lucky A., L. E. Alonso, E. Sarnat, and J. Hulr. 2015. Ants and scolytine beetles. In: Richards, S.J. and N. Whitmore (editors) 2015. A rapid biodiversity assessment of Papua New Guinea's Hindenburg Wall region. Wildlife Conservation Society Papua New Guinea Program. Goroka, PNG.
  • Snelling R. R. 1998. Insect Part 1: The social Hymenoptera. In Mack A. L. (Ed.) A Biological Assessment of the Lakekamu Basin, Papua New Guinea, RAP 9. 189 ppages
  • Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.