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Myrmica petita
| Myrmica petita | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Myrmicini |
| Genus: | Myrmica |
| Species: | M. petita |
| Binomial name | |
| Myrmica petita Radchenko & Elmes, 1999
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Nothing is known about the biology of Myrmica petita (Bharti et al., 2016).
Identification
M. petita is known only from a single holotype queen and has an uncertain taxonomic position, we can not satisfactorily place it in any species group. It most resembles the workers of Myrmica wittmeri (queen unknown) differing only by the punctated surface of its head dorsum and relatively longer propodeal spines. However, we do not think this queen is M. wittmeri because we know of no Myrmica species where the propodeal spines of the queens are relatively longer than those of their workers. M. petita very small, smaller than all known free-living queens from the Himalayan Myrmica fauna and is one of the smallest of all known free-living Myrmica species. Small size is often associated with social parasites but we think that M. petita is unlikely to be a social parasite because it lacks any of the typical “parasitic” characters, e. g. reduced pectinate spurs, ventral lobes on the petiole and postpetiole, relatively wide postpetiole and general hairiness. (Radchenko and Elmes 2010)
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Only known from the type locality from India (Kashmir).
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India (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
Workers and males have not been collected.
Images from AntWeb
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| Holotype of Myrmica petita. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0913074. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by NHMB, Basel, Switzerland. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- petita. Myrmica petita Radchenko & Elmes, 1999a: 45, fig. 5 (11-15) (q.) INDIA.
- Status as species: Radchenko & Elmes, 2010: 215.
Type Material
- Holotype, queen, Kashmir, Yusmar, 2300-2400 m, India, 6.07.1976, W. Wittmer, Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel.
Description
Etymology
Radchenko and Elmes (2010) - from the French petite = little, small (or dainty when applied to females) to indicate its small size for a Myrmica queen.
References
- Bharti, H., Sasi, S., Radchenko, A. 2016. Biogeography and ecology of Myrmica species (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Himalayan regions. Sociobiology 63, 956-975 (DOI 10.13102/sociobiology.v63i3.1145).
- Radchenko, A. G.; Elmes, G. W. 1999a. Ten new species of Myrmica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Himalaya. Vestn. Zool. 33(3): 27-46. (page 45, fig. 5 (11-15) queen described)
- Radchenko, A.G. & Elmes, G.W. 2010. Myrmica ants of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3: 1-789.
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Radchenko A. G., and G. W. Elmes. 2010. Myrmica ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Old World. Fauna Mundi 3. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 790 pp.
- Radchenko, A. G., and G. W. Elmes. "A taxonomic revision of the ant genus Myrmica Latreille, 1804 from the Himalaya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Entomologica Basiliensia 23 (2001): 237-276.