Tetramorium yerburyi

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Tetramorium yerburyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Tetramorium
Species group: tortuosum
Species: T. yerburyi
Binomial name
Tetramorium yerburyi
Forel, 1902

Tetramorium yerburyi casent0280880 p 1 high.jpg

Tetramorium yerburyi casent0280880 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of Tetramorium yerburyi.

Identification

Bolton (1977) - Of the three species of this group occurring in Sri Lanka two (Tetramorium pilosum and yerburyi) are endemic, and a third, Tetramorium tortuosum, is also found in south India. (The fourth Sri Lankan species, Tetramorium smithi, is widespread in the Oriental region but does not belong to this group.) T. pilosum and yerburyi are closely related and share the character of having the postpetiole sculptured. In tortuosum this sclerite is smooth. The two endemic Sri Lankan species are quickly separable by the shape of the pedicel, and a comparison of Figs 6 and 7 conveys these differences better than a verbal description.

Distribution

Reported from Yunnan, China (Huang & Zhou, 2007; Guenard & Dunn, 2012) but this is considered to be dubious by Agavekar et al. (2017) who treat this taxon as endemic to India (although it was described from Sri Lanka).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 7.293001° to 7.293001°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Oriental Region: India, Sri Lanka (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.

  • yerburyi. Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) pilosum r. yerburyi Forel, 1902c: 238 (w.) SRI LANKA. Raised to species: Bingham, 1903: 187. See also: Bolton, 1977: 85.

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 4.2-5.0, HL 1.02-1.10, HW 0.94-1.04, CI 90-95, SL 0.94-1.02, SI 98-102, PW 0.70-0.74, AL 1.24-1.36 (11 measured).

Mandibles striate. Frontal carinae extended back almost to the occipital margin, becoming confused with the sculpture close to the margin, the latter broadly and distinctly concave. Scapes of moderate length, SI in range given above. Antennal scrobes feebly developed, merely a short, shallow impression below the anterior half of the frontal carina. Pronotal corners rounded in dorsal view. Propodeal spines long and acute, meta pleural lobes very obtusely triangular, variable in shape. Petiole shape in profile characteristic of the species, the anterior face straight and vertical, the dorsal surface flat or at most very feebly convex, the two meeting in a sharply defined right-angle. The node itself is longer than high and the post petiole is broadly rounded above in profile. In dorsal view petiole node narrowed in front. Head longitudinally rugose, finely reticulated posteriorly. Dorsal alitrunk with a rugoreticulum which is coarser than that on the head though less clearly defined. Dorsal surfaces and sides of petiole and post petiole rugose, usually reticulate on the sides; the postpetiolar dorsum with weaker sculpture than the petiole, often longitudinal. Dorsal surfaces of head and body with numerous hairs, some of which are extremely long and fine. Colour orange-brown.

Type Material

Bolton (1977) - Syntype workers, Sri Lanka (Yerbury) (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève) [examined].

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.
  • Bolton, B. "The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicinae. The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions and in Australia." Bulletin of the British Museum (National History): Entomology series 36, no. 2 (1977): 68-151.
  • 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
  • Dias R. K. S. 2006. Current taxonomic status of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. The Fauna of Sri Lanka: 43-52. Bambaradeniya, C.N.B. (Editor), 2006. Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research and Conservation. The World Conservation Union, Colombo, Sri Lanka & Government of Sri Lanka. viii + 308pp.
  • Dias R. K. S., K. R. K. A. Kosgamage, and H. A. W. S. Peiris. 2012. The Taxonomy and Conservation Status of Ants (Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. In: The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Weerakoon, D.K. & S. Wijesundara Eds., Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. p11-19.
  • Forel A. 1902. Myrmicinae nouveaux de l'Inde et de Ceylan. Rev. Suisse Zool. 10: 165-249.
  • Forel A. 1903. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part X. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 14: 679-715.
  • Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
  • Huang Jian-hua, and Zhou Shan-yi. 2007. Checklist of Family Formicidae of China - Myrmicinae (Part III). (Insecta; Hymenoptera). Journal of Guangxi normal University: Natural Science Edition 25(3): 88-96.
  • Tiwari R. N. 1999. Taxonomic studies on ants of southern India (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India 18(4): 1-96.
  • Tiwari, R.N. 1999. Taxonomic studies on ants of southern India (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India 18(4):1-96