Pachycondyla lenis

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Pachycondyla lenis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Tribe: Ponerini
Genus: Pachycondyla
Species: P. lenis
Binomial name
Pachycondyla lenis
Kempf, 1961

Nothing is known about the biology of this species.

Identification

Mackay and Mackay (2010): Kempf (1961) compares P. lenis to Pachycondyla harpax, based on its relatively small size and the general configuration of the body. The two species are easily confused. Pachycondyla lenis can be distinguished by the presence of the medial longitudinal carina on the clypeus, by the absence of sharp margins in the form of carina on the shoulders of the pronotum, by the sculpture of the head, by the dorsum of the mesosoma, which nearly lacks the longitudinal striae and rugae and by the configuration of the petiole, which has the dorsal face less marginate and less separated from the lateral face. This species occurs in the same sites with P. harpax, which supports them being separate species.

Distribution

BRASIL (Mackay and Mackay 2010)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -1.637222222° to -27.644°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Brazil (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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Habitat

All of the specimens have been collected between 700 - 1,000 m. (Mackay and Mackay 2010)

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • lenis. Pachycondyla lenis Kempf, 1961c: 197, figs. 4, 6 (w.q.) BRAZIL (Rio de Janeiro).
    • Type-material: holotype worker, 8 paratype workers, 3 paratype queens.
    • Type-locality: holotype Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis, 1944 (W.W. Kempf); paratypes: 1 worker, 3 queens Petrópolis, 1918 (T. Borgmeier), Petrópolis, 1944 (W.W. Kempf), 1 worker São Paulo, Caminho do Mar, Alto da Serra, 26.v.1957 (W.W. Kempf & V. dos Santos), 4 workers São Paulo, Guapiara, 6.iii.1958 (K. Lenko), 2 workers Paraná, Rio Azul, x.1959 (F. Plaumann).
    • Type-depository: MZSP.
    • Combination in Pachycondyla: Schmidt, C.A. & Shattuck, 2014: 155.
    • Status as species: Kempf, 1964e: 52 (in key); Kempf, 1972a: 174; Bolton, 1995b: 306; Mackay & Mackay, 2010: 428 (redescription); Feitosa, 2015c: 99.
    • Distribution: Brazil.

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

Description

Worker

Mackay and Mackay (2010): (Based on Kempf, 1961): The worker is a medium sized (total length 8.7 - 10.3 mm) black ant with dark brown mandibles, antennae and legs. The mandibles have 9 teeth. The anterior border of the clypeus is uniformly convex with a medial longitudinal carina that is well developed and sharp. The sides of the head are slightly convex. The posterior lateral areas of the head are rounded and the posterior border of the head is slightly concave. The eyes are moderate in size and located approximately one diameter from the anterior margin of the head (side view). The pronotal shoulder forms a weak carina; the metanotal suture is obsolete and not depressed. The petiole is rectangular shaped when viewed in profile; the dorsal face is emarginate anteriorly and laterally. The dorsal face of the pygidium is not impressed medially, but it is smooth and shining.

The pilosity is similar to that of Pachycondyla harpax.

The mandibles are smooth and shining with sparse piligerous punctures. The frontal lobes are smooth and brilliant. The integument is subopaque punctate and reticulo-rugose with distinct longitudinal rugae or striae confined to the space between the clypeus, antennal fossa and from the compound eye to the dorsum and completely lacking on the sides of the head. The dorsum of the mesosoma is smooth and shining with more coarse and sparse punctures; and reticulated rugae are vestigial. The posterior face of the propodeum has fine transverse rugae. The sides of the mesosoma are subopaque with fine horizontal rugae. The dorsal face of the petiole is practically smooth but with sparse and fine piligerous punctures. The sides have horizontal rugae. The posterior face has fine and superficial reticulated rugae and is moderately smooth. The gaster is nearly completely smooth and shiny with very fine piligerous punctures, which become coarser on the posterior terga.

Queen

Mackay and Mackay (2010): The female is similar to the worker, but with a total length ranging from 11.4 - 11.6 mm.

Male

Males are not known for this species.

Type Material

Brasil: Rio de Janeiro: Petrópolis (Mackay and Mackay 2010)

Etymology

This species is named the Latin word lenis, meaning soft, referring to the lack of a hard integument. (Mackay and Mackay 2010)

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Kempf W. W. 1961. As formigas do gênero Pachycondyla Fr. Smith no Brasil (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 10: 189-204.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Mackay, W.P. and E.E. MacKay. 2010. The systematics and biology of the New World ants of the genus Pachycondyla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Edwin Mellen Press Lewiston, NY
  • Pires de Prado L., R. M. Feitosa, S. Pinzon Triana, J. A. Munoz Gutierrez, G. X. Rousseau, R. Alves Silva, G. M. Siqueira, C. L. Caldas dos Santos, F. Veras Silva, T. Sanches Ranzani da Silva, A. Casadei-Ferreira, R. Rosa da Silva, and J. Andrade-Silva. 2019. An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59: e20195938.
  • Scott-Santos, C.P., F.A. Esteves, C.R.F. Brandao. 2008. Catalogue of "Poneromorph" ant type specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia 48(11):75-88.
  • Silva R.R., and C. R. F. Brandao. 2014. Ecosystem-Wide Morphological Structure of Leaf-Litter Ant Communities along a Tropical Latitudinal Gradient. PLoSONE 9(3): e93049. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0093049
  • Sobrinho T., J. H. Schoereder, C. F. Sperber, and M. S. Madureira. 2003. Does fragmentation alter species composition in ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)? Sociobiology 42(2): 329-342.
  • Suguituru S. S., M. Santina de Castro Morini, R. M. Feitosa, and R. Rosa da Silva. 2015. Formigas do Alto Tiete. Canal 6 Editora 458 pages
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