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Axinidris stageri
| Axinidris stageri | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Genus: | Axinidris |
| Species: | A. stageri |
| Binomial name | |
| Axinidris stageri Snelling, R.R., 2007 | |
Nothing is known about the biology of Axinidris stageri.
Identification
Snelling (2007) - Apex of scape distinctly surpassing vertex margin; scape and pronotum with numerous erect hairs; medial carina profile elevated and acute at apex, continued down propodeal declivity.
This species is easily recognized by the abundance of erect pilosity on the body and appendages and by its reddish color. Morphologically it is most similar to Axinidris tridens, but the medial carina is higher than in available material of that species. Additionally, A. tridens is much less hairy, with no erect hairs on the antennal scapes and the gastral terga.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: United Republic of Tanzania.
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. |
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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
Species of Axinidris appear to nest exclusively within hollow plant stems, both living and dead, and in rotten wood. They are found in forested areas throughout the Afrotropical region, but are most abundant and diverse in the moist equatorial forests. Workers are primarily arboreal foragers, but may occasionally forage in ground litter.
Castes
Known only from the worker caste.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- stageri. Axinidris stageri Snelling, R.R. 2007: 571, figs. 10, 20, 30 (w.) TANZANIA.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
(mm) (n = 3). HL 0.81-0.89; HW 0.20-0.22; SL 0.68-0.76; EL 0.110.13; OVD 0.28-0.34; PNW 0.49-0.58; PPW 0.33-0.38; WL 0.97-1.11. Indices. CI 96-98; CNI 5-6; OI 25-26; SI 87-88.
Head shiny between dense minute punctures; gena weakly imbricate and with scattered minute punctures; malar area polished and unsculptured. Apex of antennal scape exceeding vertex by more than greatest width of scape. Numerous suberect hairs on head margins in frontal view, especially above eyes; front of head and vertex with numerous short to moderately long suberect and erect hairs; scape shaft with sparse long erect hairs and numerous short suberect hairs.
Pronotal disc shiny and weakly imbricate. Mesonotum shiny, with coarse irregular longitudinal rugae evenly sloping in profile and metanotal spiracle clearly projecting. Mesepisternum shiny, with finer longitudinal rugae. Propodeal dorsum less shiny than pronotum, coarsely imbricate; side shiny and irregularly longitudinally rugose; spiracular tubercle prominent in dorsal view, anterior edge of spiracle moderately elevated so that opening is directed obliquely distad; medial carina sharp, strongly elevated behind and acute in profile, continued ventrad on posterior face; propodeal spines reduced to minute teeth, distance between their apices much less than propodeal width at spiracles. Pronotum (Fig. 20) with 20+ erect hairs; mesonotum and propodeum each with 10+ similar hairs.
Gastral terga subpolished and weakly imbricate; all terga with scattered erect and suberect hairs in addition to sparse appressed pubescence.
Head and body uniformly yellowish red, appendages paler.
Type Material
Holotype and two paratype workers, TANZANIA, Bunduki, Uluguru Mts., 6-15 January 1964 (K.E. Stager), all in Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
Etymology
This species is dedicated to Dr. Kenneth E. Stager, former Curator of Ornithology at the LACM, in appreciation for the many samples of ants that he collected for me in various parts of the world.