Procryptocerus nalini

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Procryptocerus nalini
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Procryptocerus
Species: P. nalini
Binomial name
Procryptocerus nalini
Longino & Snelling, 2002

Procryptocerus nalini inbiocri001238558 p 1 high.jpg

Procryptocerus nalini inbiocri001238558 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

This species is an inhabitant of wet forest canopy. It is moderately abundant at La Selva Biological Station, where it has been collected in Malaise traps, canopy fogging samples, and from several fresh treefalls. One nest has been observed: it was in a thin dead stem in the crown of a recently felled Carapa guianensis tree, and contained brood, several workers, a dealate queen, and several adult males. A P.J. Stern collection was "ex Triplaris." (Longino and Snelling 2002)

Identification

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.43919° to -12.83333333°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality), Ecuador, Peru.

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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Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • nalini. Procryptocerus nalini Longino & Snelling, 2002: 22, fig. 1H (w.q.) COSTA RICA.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype: HW 0.996, HL 0.962, SL 0.583, EL 0.272, MeL 1.211, MeW 0.698, PrW 0.475, PrL 0.334, PrS 0.186, PrT 0.520, MTL 0.678, PtL 0.412, PtW 0.299, PpW 0.429, PtH 0.298, AL 1.271, AW 1.029. non-types: HW (range 0.98–1.05, mean 1.02, n = 15); MFL 0.725, MFW 0.258 (n = 1).

Head roughly circular in outline; face to vertex margin with evenly dispersed discrete foveae, distance between foveae subequal to fovea diameter; interspaces subopaque with fine areolate etchings; posterior margin of clypeus impressed, clypeus weakly bent ventrad, anterior margin with a semicircular impression from which a median tuft of small setae emerges; clypeus weakly longitudinally striate; genae sparsely foveate; genal bridge longitudinally striate; mandible with weak longitudinal striae; scape flattened as in Procryptocerus attenuatus, as wide at base as at apex; vertex margin angulate but smooth, not carinate or crenate; vertex varying from coarsely striate to nearly smooth and shining, often with only a few short striae radiating from the occiput medially and far-laterally.

In dorsal view, anterior margin of pronotum evenly rounded, sides weakly convex; mesonotum with short, blunt lateral teeth, ending well before deep propodeal suture; propodeum with subparallel-sided lateral lobes which extend approximately half the length of the dorsal face; propodeal spines slightly over half the length of the dorsal face of propodeum; pronotum and anterior half of mesonotum alveolate-foveate, grading to longitudinal rugae on posterior half of mesonotum and dorsal face of propodeum, approximately 13 rugae across propodeum at level of lateral lobes; posterior face of propodeum perpendicular to dorsal face, slightly concave, completely smooth and shining except for a few longitudinal rugae extending a short distance between the propodeal spines; entire lateral surface of mesosoma and all coxae with coarse longitudinal striae similar in density to those on dorsal face of propodeum; hind femur strongly swollen medially, spindle-shaped; outer surfaces of tibiae very faintly sculptured, subopaque; posterior surface of forefemur obliquely striate; rest of legs smooth and shining.

Petiole subcylindrical, longer than high, with a weakly convex posterodorsal face; ventral margin flat with a small anterior tooth; postpetiole with a long, gently sloping anterior face, a broad, rounded summit near the posterior margin, and a steeply sloping posterior face; ventral margin short, with a prominent, acute anterior tooth; anterior face of petiole small, faintly sculptured, subopaque; dorsum of petiole and postpetiole largely covered with coarse, piligerous foveae, posterior half of petiole and anterior half of postpetiole with longitudinal rugae; Costa Rican specimens with first gastral tergite very smooth and shining with widely dispersed small puncta; in certain lighting conditions, the faintest undulations can be observed on the anterior third of the tergum, as though striae similar to those observed on P. attenuatus and Procryptocerus coriarius had become obsolete; Peruvian specimens like coriarius, with anterior third to half of first gastral tergite with feeble irregular longitudinal rugae with interspersed puncta, this sculpture fading to nearly smooth and shiny posteriorly; first gastral sternites with a few distinct striae confined to the anterolateral margins, remainder smooth and shining with uniformly distributed sparse puncta.

Setae long, erect, very fine and flexuous; setae are present on legs, scapes, mandibles, margins of head, very sparse but a few present on frons, moderately abundant and evenly dispersed on mesosomal dorsum, abundant on petiole and postpetiole, clustered on anterior, posterior, and lateral margins of first gastral tergite, very sparse on dorsal disc, there underlain with very sparse, short, appressed setae; first gastral sternite covered with a moderately dense, suberect pubescence; color entirely shining black.

Queen

(barcode INBIOCRI001238577): HW 1.065, HL 1.059, SL 0.627, EL 0.316, MeL 1.436, MeW 0.883, MTL 0.729, MFL 0.819, MFW 0.274, PtL 0.486, PtW 0.328, PpW 0.471, PtH 0.312, AL 1.489, AW 1.120.

Similar to worker except for traits typical of caste. Pronotum, mesoscutum, axillae, and scutellum coarsely and continuously foveate, dorsal face of propodeum longitudinally striate. Wings smoky brown.

Type Material

Holotype. Costa Rica, Prov. Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva, 108269N, 848009W, 50–150 m, Apr 1993 (INBio-OET) Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad. Barcode: INBIOCRI001238551.

Paratypes. One dealate queen, same data as holotype, barcode INBIOCRI001238577 [INBC]; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238558 The Natural History Museum; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238550 Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238549 Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238544 Museum of Comparative Zoology; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238546 Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238545 Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238582 Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238578 Philip S. Ward Collection; one worker, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238559 National Museum of Natural History; one worker, same locality data, 15–21 July 1986 (J. Longino #1398-s), barcode LACM ENT 141721 John T. Longino Collection; one dealate and one alate queen, same locality data, 15–21 July 1986 (J. Longino #1422-s), barcode LACM ENT 141722 [LACM]; one worker, same locality data, 21–23 April 1989 (H. A. Hespenheide), barcode LACM ENT 141723 [CHAH]; one worker and one male, same locality data, April 1993 (J. Longino #3456), barcode INBIOCRI001238599 [INBC]; one worker and one male, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238600 [LACM]; one worker and one dealate queen, same data, barcode INBIOCRI001238598 [JTLC].

Etymology

The senior author names this species in honor of his lovely wife Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, who has contributed to knowledge of the rainforest canopy. It is used here as a noun in apposition.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • INBio Collection (via Gbif)
  • Longino J. T. and Snelling R. R. 2002. A taxonomic revision of the Procryptocerus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Central America. Contributions in Science (Los Angeles) 495: 1-30
  • Prado L. P., and C. R. F. Brandao. 2013. A Catalogue of Cephalotini ant types (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia 53(20): 285-293.