Thaumatomyrmex nageli

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Thaumatomyrmex nageli
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Tribe: Ponerini
Genus: Thaumatomyrmex
Species: T. nageli
Binomial name
Thaumatomyrmex nageli
Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2003

Known from type material collected from litter sampling.

Identification

Baroni Urbani and de Andrade (2003) - T. nageli belongs to the cochlearis group as defined by Kempf (1975).

Resembling Thaumatomyrmex cochlearis but differing from it, in the worker, by the broader head width behind the eyes, by the sides of the mesosoma minutely punctate-reticulate instead of largely and sparsely punctuated, by the sides of the petiole and of the gaster with dense anastomosing canaliculation and rare piligerous foveae instead of piligerous punctures denser and anastomosing canaliculation rare, and by the hairs shorter and sparser.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Cuba (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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.
pChart

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.
pChart

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • nageli. Thaumatomyrmex nageli Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2003a: 265, fig. 1 (w.) CUBA.
    • Type-material: holotype worker, 1 paratype worker.
    • Type-locality: holotype Cuba: El Moncada, ca 17 km. from Viñales, 12.xii.2000, leaf litter (Winkler sieving) (C. Baroni Urbani & M.L. de Andrade); paratype Cuba: road between Viñales and Pinar del Rio, 11.xii.2000, leaf litter (Winkler sieving) (C. Baroni Urbani & M.L. de Andrade).
    • Type-depository: LACM.
    • Status as species: Jahyny, et al. 2008: 332.
    • Distribution: Cuba.

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

Description

Worker

TL 4.12-4.28; HL 0.76-0.77; HW1 0.86- 0.88; HW2 0.80-0.83; EL 0.23-0.24; SL 0.59-0.61; ML 0.79-0.82; WL 1.22-1.24; PeL 0.47-0.49; PeW 0.60; HFeL 0.78-0.80; HTiL 0.68-0.70; HBaL 0.54-0.55; CII 113.1-114.3; CI2 105.3-107.9; SI 77.6-79.2; MI 103.9-106.5.

Head subquadrate, broader anteriorly and with the sides gently converging posteriorly. Vertexal margin poorly concave medially and with a narrow carina. Frontal lobes developed, largely surpassing the median clypeal border and slightly shorter than the antero-lateral head sides. Median clypeal border anteriorly straight. Eyes large, slightly less than 1/3 of the head length (mandibles excluded) and placed almost entirely on the anterior half of the head. Scapes not reaching the vertexal margin. First funicular joint slightly longer than broad. Joints 2-7 much broader than long, joints 8-10 slightly broader than long and last joint about as long as joints 6-10. Mandibles with 3 long spiniform teeth. Basal teeth absent, only a subround swelling is present before the proximal teeth. Proximal teeth crossing each other on the clypeus. Intermediate teeth slightly hidden by the frontal lobes. Apical teeth reaching or slightly surpassing the maximum antero-lateral head width.

Mesosoma about 1/3 longer than the maximum head length (mandibles included). Mesonotum very short and only superficially differentiated from the propodeum in dorsal view. Propodeum gently convex in profile. Area between basal and declivous propodeal faces superficially marginated laterally, with the margins diverging posteriorly. Petiole thick, 1/5 or l/6 broader than long. Petiole in profile with convex dorsum and truncate anterior and posterior faces. Petiole in dorsal view with gently concave anterior face, with the sides subround and diverging posteriorly. Ventral process of petiole anteriorly with a round tooth and posteriorly straight and minutely crenulated. First gastral tergite in dorsal view with perpendicular anterior face and with strongly convex sides.

Legs elongate. Hind tibiae about 1/8 or 1/9 shorter than the hind femora. Hind basitarsi about 1/5 shorter than the hind tibiae. Fore and hind tibiae with a pectinate spur each. Spur of fore legs with a basal spine each. Mid tibiae with a small, simple spur.

Sculpture. Head dorsum covered with minute, dense punctures, thin, longitudinal rugosities and sparse piligerous foveae, the rugosities thinner posteriorly. Ventral face of the head smooth with very sparse, large piligerous punctures on the genae. Mesosoma minutely punctate-reticulate and with sparse piligerous foveae, these sculptures missing on the center of pronotum, of the propodeum and on the mesopleurae. Declivous face of the propodeum with thin, transversal rugosities. Anterior half of the metapleurae with additional, thin, longitudinal rugosities. Petiole with dense, very superficial anastomosing canaliculation, very sparse on the dorsum of the node. Sides of the gastral tergites with canaliculation similar to the one of the petiole, but sparser, rare on their upper part. In addition the petiole and gaster with very few piligerous foveae. Legs minutely punctate.

Pilosity. Head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole with sparse subdecumbent or decumbent, truncate long hairs. Antennae and legs with appressed short hairs. Funicular joints, neck and antenna! fossae with very short, appressed hairs. Clypeus dorsally with two pairs of hairs close to the frontal lobes, the lower external pair longer.

Colour. Head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster black. Antennae, frontal lobes, mandibles and legs ferruginous-brown.

Type Material

CUBA: El Moncada, ca. 17 km from Vinales, 12.XII. 2000. leaf litter (Winkler sieving), 1 worker (holotype), C. Baroni Urbani & M. L. de Andrade Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History; Road between Vinales and Pinar del Rio, 11.XII.2000, leaf litter (Winkler sieving), 1 worker (paratype), C. Baroni Urbani & M. L. de Andrade [LACM].

Etymology

This species is named after Prof. Dr. Peter Nagel who inspired and supported our trip to Cuba.

References

  • Baroni Urbani, C.; De Andrade, M. L. 2003b. The ant genus Thaumatomyrmex in Cuba (Hymentoptera: Formicidae) with description of two new species. Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 76: 263-277 (page 265, fig. 1 worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Baroni Urbani C., and M. L. De Andrade. 2003. The ant genus Thaumatomyrmex in Cuba (Hymentoptera: Formicidae) with description of two new species. Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 76: 263-277.
  • Baroni Urbani, C. and M. L. De Andrade. 2003. The ant genus Thaumatomyrmex in Cuba (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with description of two new species. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 76: 263-277.
  • Fontenla J. L., and J. Alfonso-Simonetti. 2018. Classification of Cuban ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) into functional groups. Poeyana Revista Cubana de Zoologia 506: 21-30.