Recurvidris lekakuli

Recurvidris lekakuli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Recurvidris
Species:	R. lekakuli
Binomial name
	Recurvidris lekakuli; Jaitrong, Tokeeree, Pitaktunsakul & Wiwatwitaya, 2019

The type series was collected from leaf litter on the forest floor in a dry evergreen forest near a stream. Heterick & Kitching (2022) collected this species in a pitfall trap within a lowland dipterocarp forest in Brunei.

Identification

Jaitrong et al. (2019) - Head in full-face view round, almost as long as broad; masticatory margin of mandible with four sharp teeth, fourth (basal) tooth almost as large as third tooth; basal margin with a small tooth; propodeal declivity lacking infradental lamella or ridge linking propodeal spine to metapleural lobe; head, promesonotum, propodeum, petiolar node, postpetiole and gaster entirely smooth and shiny; mesopleuron and peduncle of petiole superficially reticulate with slightly smooth and shiny interspaces; propodeal dorsum with a pair of very short appressed hairs in front of spiracles.

Recurvidris lekakuli is closely related to Recurvidris chanapaithooni, Recurvidris kemneri and Recurvidris proles in having the following characteristics: masticatory margin of mandible with a series of four sharp teeth (acute basal tooth), basal margin of mandible with a small tooth; propodeum without infradental lamella or ridge linking the propodeal spine to metapleural lobe; head smooth and shining. Among them Recurvidris lekakuli is more similar in general appearance to Recurvidris chanapaithooni and Recurvidris kemneri than to Recurvidris nigrans and Recurvidris proles, the former two sharing the clear yellow body that is unicolorous (black to dark brown in Recurvidris nigrans and Recurvidris proles). Recurvidris lekakuli is easily separated from Recurvidris chanapaithooni by the following characteristics: clearly larger body (TL 2.28– 2.34 mm, HW 0.50–0.56 mm in Recurvidris lekakuli; TL 2.00–2.10 mm, HW 0.38–0.41 mm in Recurvidris chanapaithooni); mesopleuron largely smooth and shiny, only partly superficially reticulate (strongly reticulate in Recurvidris chanapaithooni); petiole relatively longer (DPI 30–35 in Recurvidris lekakuli; 42–43 in Recurvidris chanapaithooni); petiolar node clearly smooth and shiny (petiole entirely reticulate in Recurvidris chanapaithooni); propodeal dorsum with a pair of very short appressed hairs (with 2 pairs of standing hairs in Recurvidris chanapaithooni). Recurvidris lekakuli differs from Recurvidris kemneri by the clypeus clearly smooth and shiny (median portion of clypeus weakly bicarinate in Recurvidris kemneri) and having a pair of very short appressed hairs on propodeal dorsum (without hairs in Recurvidris kemneri). The new species is also similar to Recurvidris glabriceps from China, but the latter lacks a small tooth on basal margin of mandible.

Keys including this Species

Key to Asian Recurvidris

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 14.76255° to 14.76255°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Brunei Darussalam.
Oriental Region: Thailand (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.

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.

Biology

Jaitrong et al. (2019) - Type locality of Recurivdris lekakuli at Ban Sahakhon Nikhom, Kanchanaburi Province, Thong Phaphum District, West Thailand, dry evergreen forest.

Castes

Worker


.

Nomenclature

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

lekakuli. Recurvidris lekakuli Jaitrong, Tokeeree, et al. 2019: 55, figs. 1-5 (w.) THAILAND.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 10 paratype workers.
- Type-locality: holotype Thailand: Kanchanaburi Prov., Thong Phaphum Dist., Ban Sahakhon Nikhom, 14.76255°N, 98.80966°E, 13.vii.2018, WJT130718-07, dry evergreen forest (W. Jaitrong); paratypes: 3 workers with same data, 1 worker with same data but 26.vii.2018 (C. Sathiandee), 5 workers with same data but 6.xi.2018 (W. Jaitrong), 1 worker with same data but 6.xi.2018 (C. Sathiandee).
- Type-depositories: TNHM (holotype); MHNG, SKYC, TNHM (paratypes).
- Distribution: Thailand.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype and four paratype workers (n = 5): DPW 0.10–0.12, ED 0.12–0.13, HL 0.50–0.56, HW 0.50–0.56, PW 0.23–0.26, ML 0.69– 0.73, SL 0.53–0.56, TL 2.28–2.34, CI 97–100, DPI 30–35, OI 22–27, SI 100–107. (Holotype and paratypes). Head in full-face view round and almost as long as broad, with posterior margin convex. Eye with seven ommatidia along longest axis. Antennal scape extending posteriorly slightly beyond posterolateral corner of head. Masticatory margin of mandible with four sharp teeth, fourth (basal) tooth as large as third tooth; basal margin with a small tooth. Clypeus without paired carinae, its anterior margin almost straight. Promesonotum in profile strongly convex dorsally and sloping gradually to metanotal groove. Propodeum in profile with almost straight dorsal outline; propodeal spines very slender, divergent, and in posterior view very narrow. Propodeal declivity lacking infradental lamella or ridge linking propodeal spine to metapleural lobe. Peduncle of petiole in profile relatively long, with its dorsal outline concave and ending posteriorly in right angle; its ventral outline convex with long acute subpetiolar process. Head entirely smooth and shiny, lacking sculpture except some short longitudinal rugulae near mandiblular base. Antennal scape smooth and shiny. Promesonotum smooth and shiny; mesopleuron superficially reticulate with smooth and shiny interspaces; entire propodeum including propodeal spine smooth and shiny. Peduncle of petiole superficially reticulate with smooth and shiny interspaces; petiolar node entirely smooth and shiny; postpetiole entirely smooth and shiny; legs smooth and shiny. Gaster smooth and shiny. Head with relatively dense short hairs; promesonotum with sparse longer hairs (8–10 hairs); longest pronotal hairs 0.13–0.15 mm long; propodeum dorsally with a pair of very short decumbent or appressed hairs (these hairs missing in two paratypes). Petiole with two dorsal pairs of long hairs. Postpetiole with two dorsal pairs of long hairs. Body colour yellow.

Type Material

Holotype: worker (THNHM-I-01219, Natural History Museum of the National Science Museum), West Thailand, Kanchanaburi Province, Thong Phaphum District, Ban Sahakhon Nikhom, dry evergreen forest (DEF), 14.76255N, 98.80966E, 13.VII.2018, W. Jaitrong leg., WJT130718-07. Paratypes: three workers (THNHM-I-01220 to THNHM-I-01222, THNHM), same data as holotype; one worker (THNHM-I-01249, THNHM), West Thailand, Kanchanaburi Province, Thong Phaphum District, Ban Sahakhon Nikhom, dry evergreen forest (DEF), 14.76255N, 98.80966E, 26.VIII.2018, C. Sathiandee leg.; five workers (THNHM-I-02617, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, SKY Collection, THNHM), West Thailand, Kanchanaburi Province, Thong Phaphum District, Ban Sahakhon Nikhom, dry evergreen forest (DEF), 14.76255N, 98.80966E, 6.XI.2018, W. Jaitrong leg., WJT061118-12; one worker (THNHM-I-02618, THNHM), West Thailand, Kanchanaburi Province, Thong Phaphum District, Ban Sahakhon Nikhom, dry evergreen forest (DEF), 14.76255N, 98.80966E, 6.XI.2018, C. Sathiandee leg., WJT1/5.

Etymology

The specific name is dedicated to the late Dr. Boonsong Lekakul, who was the most excellent specialist in zoological sciences in Thailand and helped and inspired many young biologists.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Jaitrong W., Y. Tokeeree, and P. Pitaktunsakul. 2019. A new species of the ant genus Recurvidris Bolton, 1992 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from Thailand. ZooKeys 830: 53–61.