Echinopla brevisetosa

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Echinopla brevisetosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Echinopla
Species group: serrata
Species: E. brevisetosa
Binomial name
Echinopla brevisetosa
Zettel & Laciny, 2015

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Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of Echinopla brevisetosa.

Identification

Zettel and Laciny (2015) - A member of the Echinopla serrata group. Worker: Predominantly black, small, stout species, TL = 4.0. Surface polyporous, dorsal margins of mesosoma with sharp tubercles. Head wider than long (CI = 106–109). Mesosoma roughly 1.3 times as long as pronotal width, with sharp and deep incision in front of propodeum. Pronotal width subequal to head width, if eyes excluded. Propodeum slightly shorter than promesonotum. Petiole dentate, with one long tooth and two small denticles laterally below lateral tooth. Gaster tergite 1 anteriorly with relatively fine pores and very narrow interspaces. Setae on dorsal surface, legs and scape relatively short. Short setae on tibia not reaching base of distally following setae.

Echinopla brevisetosa is similar to Echinopla wardi from West Malaysia, but has a more slender mesosoma, a relatively longer propodeum and a differently structured petiole that bears one slender tooth and two small denticles below the lateral spine whereas the petiole of E. wardi has three relatively strong teeth. Echinopla brevisetosa differs distinctly from E. wardi and Echinopla madli by the very short tibial setae.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Philippines (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

Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

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

  • brevisetosa. Echinopla brevisetosa Zettel & Laciny, 2015: 106, figs. 9-12 (w.) PHILIPPINES.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype: TL 4.0; HW1 1.09; HW2 0.99; HL 1.02; EL 0.23; SL 0.87; SW 0.11; HaL 0.08; PML 0.67; PMW 0.97; PpL 0.61; PpW 0.88; PH 0.50; PL 0.37; PW 0.98; GL 1.20; GW 1.17. Indices: CI 106; SI 80; MI 133.

Paratype: TL 3.9; HW1 1.11; HW2 0.98; HL 1.02; EL 0.22; SL 0.91; SW 0.12; HaL 0.09; PML 0.65; PMW 1.02; PpL 0.63; PpW 0.91; PH 0.46; PL 0.36; PW 0.98; GL 1.22; GW 1.20. Indices: CI 109; SI 82; MI 126.

Structures: Head wider than long, subtrapezoidal, with slightly convex sides; dorsally and laterally polyporous, with closely set pores, posterolaterally with a few minute tubercles, matt; ventral surface smooth and shiny. Compound eye relatively small, moderately protruding, positioned almost at mid-length of head (very slightly behind). Frons with prominent median carina; frontal lobes chiefly horizontally oriented, in dorsal aspect covering antennal fossae only in part, maximum distance of margins clearly behind mid-length, slightly greater than half of HW2. Clypeus with distinct median carina, anterior margin almost straight. Mandibles striate, masticatory margin with five teeth. Antennal scape moderately long, almost straight, steadily widened from base to apex; antennomeres 8–10 approximately as wide as long.

Mesosoma stout, length roughly 1.3 times pronotum width; propodeum slightly shorter than promesonotum. Surface polyporous, with closely set pores, dorsal margins with sharp tubercles. Pronotum with distinct lateral angles, approximately as wide as head excluding eyes. Promesono-tal suture very weak, indicated by a few deeper pits. Mesometanotal suture sharp, narrow and deep. In dorsal aspect mesosoma with waist-like incision in front of propodeum. Legs moderately long; femora not much widened.

Petiole wide and stout, subtriangular in lateral, strongly transverse in dorsal aspect; surface structure as on mesosoma; sharp dorsal crest bearing six sharp teeth of slightly varying length; lateral tooth strongly developed; below lateral tooth with one long tooth and two small denticles. Gaster tergite 1 slightly longer than wide, completely covering the following tergites; hind margin convex, finely serrate; surface polyporous, interspaces smooth and shiny; distances of pores everywhere clearly smaller than their diameters.

Pilosity: Entire trunk dorsally and laterally with dense, appressed white pilosity and moderately long white standing setae; standing setae on anterior part of gaster tergite 1 slightly longer. White standing setae on scape about as long as the setae on head. Legs with fine appressed pilosity. Femora with only 0–3 standing setae on flexor side. Tibiae and first tarsomeres of middle and hind leg with relatively few oblique white setae; on tibiae their length smaller than their distance.

Colour: Trunk black, without metallic shimmer, appearing grey by whitish pilosity. Antenna with black scape; funiculus reddish dark brown, paler towards apex. Mandible basally black, distally pale brown; other mouthparts yellowish. Legs: forecoxa black; middle and hind coxa and all trochanters pale testaceous; femora and hind tibia blackish brown; other tibiae and tarsi brown, paler towards apical tarsomeres.

Type Material

Holotype (worker, National Museum of the Philippines) and paratype (worker, Herbert and S.V. Zettel) from the Philippines, Mindanao Island, Bukidnon Province, Malaybalay City, Kaamulan site, 650 m a.s.l., 15–20.III.2000, leg. H. Zettel.

Etymology

From Latin adjectives brevis meaning short and setosus meaning bristly, and referring to the short pilosity of trunk, scape and legs.

References