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Heteroponera rhodopygea
| Heteroponera rhodopygea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Ectatomminae |
| Tribe: | Heteroponerini |
| Genus: | Heteroponera |
| Species group: | relicta |
| Species complex: | relicta |
| Species: | H. rhodopygea |
| Binomial name | |
| Heteroponera rhodopygea Taylor, 2015 | |
Specimens have been collected from rainforest with many found as a single worker collected by Berlese funnel from leafmould or litter. Sympatric variously with Heteroponera trachypyx, Heteroponera viviennae and Heteroponera wilsoni.
Identification
Closely similar to the allopatric Heteroponera relicta but with the head, mesosoma and node medium-brown and the gaster more brightly orange brown, matching the antennae and legs. Sculpturing of scrobes, propodeal declivity and node posteriorly, and of borders of propodeal declivity as described for H. relicta.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -15.48° to -16.34°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia (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. |
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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.
- rhodopygea. Heteroponera rhodopygea Taylor, 2015b: 161, figs. 10-13 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
- Type-material: holotype worker, 20 paratype workers (“from 4 separately collected colony series”).
- Type-locality: holotype Australia: Queensland, Thornton Range (16°14’S, 145°26’E), 150-180 m., 23.vi.1971, ANIC vials 12/27, 32, 35, 36, ANIC berlesate 327 (R.W. Taylor & J.D. Feehan); paratypes with same data.
- [Note: there is no separate indication of the vial/berlesate number of the holotype.]
- Type-depositories: ANIC (holotype); ANIC, QMBA (paratypes).
- Distribution: Australia.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
(holotype (Thornton Range); smallest paratype (Thornton Range), largest paratype (Mt Finnigan summit)): (ca): 5.4, 5.0, 6.0; HW: 1.27, 1.18, 1.39; HL: 1.22, 1.11, 1.30; CI: 104, 106, 106; EL: 0.25, 0.20, 0.26; SL: 0.76, 0.67, 0.77; SI: 59, 57, 55; PW: 0.91, 0.82, 0.96; WL: 1.55, 1.42, 1.66; petW: 0.52, 0.51, 0.60; GW 1.02, 0.92, 1.13.
Type Material
Australia: Queensland: Thornton Range (16°14'S, 145°26'E). Holotype and 20 worker paratypes from 4 separately collected colony series. Holotype worker Australian National Insect Collection. Paratypes in ANIC (including gyne) and Queensland Museum.
Etymology
The name (a noun in apposition) refers to the reddish gaster.
Determination Clarification
Heteroponera rhodopygea was included in Feitosa’s (2011) phylogenetic analysis as “Heteroponera sp A”, sister to H. relicta.
References
- Taylor, R.W. 2015. Australasian ants of the subfamily Heteroponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): (2) the species-group of Heteroponera relicta (Wheeler) with descriptions of nine new species and observations on morphology, biogeography and phylogeny of the genus. Zootaxa. 3947:151-180. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3947.2.1