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Plectroctena subterranea
This slow moving and bright red species can be found searching within leaf litter.
| Plectroctena subterranea | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Ponerinae |
| Tribe: | Ponerini |
| Genus: | Plectroctena |
| Species: | P. subterranea |
| Binomial name | |
| Plectroctena subterranea Arnold, 1915
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| Synonyms | |
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Photo Gallery
Identification
This distinctively punctate bright red species is easy to distinguish within the genus.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -0.317° to -24.61667°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe (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
Forages slowly in leaf litter, colony size is moderate to small.
Castes
   
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| . | Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology. |
Images from AntWeb
   
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| Syntype of Plectroctena subterranea. Worker. Specimen code casent0102946. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by NHMUK, London, UK. |
   
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0178265. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by LACM, Los Angeles, CA, USA. |
  
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0178266. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by LACM, Los Angeles, CA, USA. |
   
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| Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code sam-hym-c000908. Photographer Hamish Robertson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by SAMC, Cape Town, South Africa. |
    
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| Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code sam-hym-c002429. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by SAMC, Cape Town, South Africa. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- subterranea. Plectroctena subterranea Arnold, 1915: 84, pl. 3, fig. 23 (w.q.) ZIMBABWE. Combination in Myopias: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 785; in Plectroctena: Santschi, 1924a: 171. Senior synonym of punctatus: Bolton, 1974c: 333.
- punctatus. Plectroctena punctatus Santschi, 1924a: 170 (m.) KENYA. Junior synonym of subterranea: Bolton, 1974c: 333.
Description
References
- Arnold, G. 1915. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part I. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 14: 1-159 (page 84, pl. 3, fig. 23 worker, queen described)
- Bolton, B. 1974c. A revision of the ponerine ant genus Plectroctena F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Entomol. 30: 309-338 (page 333, Senior synonym of punctatus)
- Gomez, K., Hawkes, P.G., Fisher, B.L. 2023. Ant endemicity in the highlands and escarpments of Angola and Namibia (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Monograph on Endemism in the Highlands and Escarpments of Angola and Namibia. Namibian Journal of Environment 8, 197-203.
- Santschi, F. 1924a. Revue du genre Plectroctena F. Smith. Rev. Suisse Zool. 31: 155-173 (page 171, Combination in Plectroctena)
- Troya, A., Marcineiro, F., Lattke, J.E. & Longino, J. 2022. Igaponera curiosa, a new ponerine genus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Amazon. European Journal of Taxonomy 823: 82–101 (doi:10.5852/ejt.2022.823.1817).
- Wheeler, W. M. 1922j. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 711-1004 (page 785, Combination in Myopias)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Bolton B. 1974. A revision of the ponerine ant genus Plectroctena F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Entomol. 30: 309-338.
- Bolton B., and W. L. Brown Jr. 2002. Loboponera gen. n. and a review of the Afrotropical Plectroctena genus group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Natural History Museum. Entomology Series 71: 1-18.
- Garcia F.H., Wiesel E. and Fischer G. 2013.The Ants of Kenya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)Faunal Overview, First Species Checklist, Bibliography, Accounts for All Genera, and Discussion on Taxonomy and Zoogeography. Journal of East African Natural History, 101(2): 127-222
- IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
- Lévieux J. 1972. Les fourmis de la savane de Lamto (Côte d'Ivoire): éléments de taxonomie. Bulletin de l'Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire. Série A. Sciences Naturelles 34: 611-654.
- Robertson H. G. 2000. Formicidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea). Cimbebasia Memoir 9: 371-382.
- Ross S. R. P. J., F. Hita Garcia, G. Fischer, and M. K. Peters. 2018. Selective logging intensity in an East African rain forest predicts reductions in ant diversity. Biotropica 1-11.
- Santschi F. 1924. Revue du genre Plectroctena F. Smith. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 31: 155-173.