Nylanderia obscura

Nylanderia obscura
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Lasiini
Genus:	Nylanderia
Species:	N. obscura
Binomial name
Nylanderia obscura (Mayr, 1862) Specimen Labels
Subspecies
Nylanderia obscura bismarckensis Forel, 1901 Nylanderia obscura celebensis Karavaiev, 1933 Nylanderia obscura minor Karavaiev, 1933 Nylanderia obscura papuana Forel, 1901

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -5° to -31.55°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality), Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island.
Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia.

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.

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.

Nomenclature

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

• obscura. Prenolepis obscura Mayr, 1862: 698 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Forel, 1891b: 93 (m.). Combination in Pr. (Nylanderia): Emery, 1914f: 422; in Paratrechina (Nylanderia): Emery, 1925b: 221; in Nylanderia: LaPolla, Brady & Shattuck, 2010a: 127. Current subspecies: nominal plus bismarckensis, celebensis, minor, papuana.

Type Material

• Prenolepis obscura Mayr, 1862: Syntype, worker(s), queen(s), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna.

Description

Worker

Lange: 3-3.5mm. Schwarzbraun, glanzend, Mandibeln, Fuhler und Beine braun, Ende der Geissel und Tarsen braunlich gelb. Pubescenz fein, nicht reichlich. Mandibeln langsgerunzelt. Kopf und Thorax bochst fein verworren und seicht gerunzelt. Schuppe keilformig, viereckig. Hinterleib fast glatt.

Queen

Lange: 4-5mm. Wie der Konigin gefarbt. Pubescenz reichlich, dadurch der Korper schimmernd. Kopf und Thorax fein zerstreut punctirt und etwas grober gerunzelt als beim Konigin. Hinterleib ziemlich dicht und nicht sehr fein runzlig punctirt. Flugel stark angeraucht.

Type Material

Sidney (Novara).

References

• Emery, C. 1914f. Les fourmis de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et des îles Loyalty. Nova Caled. A Zool. 1: 393-437 (page 422, Combination in Pr. (Nylanderia))
• Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 221, Combination in Paratrechina (Nylanderia))
• Forel, A. 1891c. Les Formicides. [part]. In: Grandidier, A. Histoire physique, naturelle, et politique de Madagascar. Volume XX. Histoire naturelle des Hyménoptères. Deuxième partie (28e fascicule). Paris: Hachette et Cie, v + 237 pp. (page 93, male described)
• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Mayr, G. 1862. Myrmecologische Studien. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 12: 649-776 (page 698, worker, queen described)
• Radchenko, A.G., Fisher, B.L., Esteves, F.A., Martynova, E.V., Bazhenova, T.N., Lasarenko, S.N. 2023. Ant type specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the collection of Volodymyr Opanasovych Karawajew. Communication 1. Dorylinae, Poneromorpha and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa, 5244(1), 1–32 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5244.1.1).
• Williams, J.L., Zhang, Y.M., LaPolla, J.S., Schultz, T.R., Lucky, A. 2022. Phylogenetic delimitation of morphologically cryptic species in globetrotting Nylanderia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species complexes. Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1): 10:1-15 (doi:10.1093/isd/iaxb027).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• André E. 1892. Voyage de M. Chaper à Bornéo. Catalogue des fourmis et description des espèces nouvelles. Mém. Soc. Zool. Fr. 5: 46-55.
• CSIRO Collection
• 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
• Donisthorpe, Horace. 1941. The Ants of Norfolk Island. The Entomologist Monthly Magazine. 77:90-93.
• Emery, C. 1914. Les fourmis de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et des îles Loyalty. Nova Caledonia. A. Zoologie 1:393-437.
• Forel A. 1915. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(16): 1-119
• Helms J. A., S. M. Helms, N. I. Fawzi, Tarjudin, F. Xaverius. 2017. Ant community of an Acacia mangium forest in Indonesian Borneo. Serangga 22(1): 147-159.
• Heterick B. E., J. Casella, and J. D. Majer. 2000. Influence of Argentine and coastal brown ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) invasions on ant communities in Perth gardens, Western Australia. Urban Ecosystems 4: 277-292.
• Jennings J. T., L. Krogmann, and C. Burwell. 2013. Review of the hymenopteran fauna of New Caledonia with a checklist of species. Zootaxa 3736(1): 1-53.
• Mann William. 1916. The Ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 63(7): 273-391
• Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
• Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.
• Viehmeyer H. 1914. Papuanische Ameisen. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1914: 515-535.
• Wheeler W.M. 1935. Check list of the ants of Oceania. Occasional Papers of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum 11(11):1-56.
• Wheeler WM. 1927. Ants of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 62.4: 120-153.
• Wheeler, W. M. 1927. The ants of Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Proc. Am. Acad. Arts Sci. 62: 121-153
• Wheeler, William Morton. 1927. The Ants of Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 62(4): 121-153
• Wheeler, William Morton. 1934. Formicidae of the Templeton Crocker Expedition, 1933. California Academy of Sciences. 21(14):173-181.
• Wheeler, William Morton.1935.Checklist of the Ants of Oceania.Occasional Papers 11(11): 3-56