Anillomyrma tridens Bolton

Eguchi, K., Bui, T. V. & Alpert, G. D., 2009, Revision of the ant genus Anillomyrma Emery, 1913 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Solenopsidini)., Myrmecological News 13, pp. 31-36 : 33-35

Anillomyrma tridens Bolton , 1987 (Figs. 11 - 15)

Anillomyrma tridens Bolton , 1987: 274-275, 440. Holotype worker: East Malaysia: Sarawak , 4th Division , Gunong Mulu Nat. Park , RGS Exped., Long Pala , lowland rain forest in sandy soil, leg. B. Bolton, 11.X.1977 ( BMNH) ; paratypes: workers with same data as holotype ( BMNH, MCZ, MHN, NMB). Fifteen paratypes (personally donated to ACEG by B. Bolton) and 9 paratypes ( MCZC) examined .

Worker diagnosis. Body sculpture absent except for hair-pits, which are most conspicuous on head and promesonotum; dorsum of head, promesonotum and gaster relatively densely covered with short suberect to decumbent hairs. Head in full-face view roughly rectangular, longer than broad; mandible with three large sharp teeth. Apical and preapical teeth close together, separated by a diastema from 3rd tooth; 3rd much larger than 2nd; antennal scape short, reaching only 7 / 10 - 3 / 4 of distance from anterior margin of clypeus to posterior margin of head; apical antennal segment more than 3 times as long as preapical segment. Dorsum of mesosoma in lateral view flat. Dorsum and posterior slope of propodeum in lateral view forming rounded outline. Petiolar peduncle in lateral view relatively slender (as in Fig. 11).

Worker measurements and indices. Holotype and 10 paratype workers (cited from Bolton 1987): CI 88 - 90, HL 0.37 - 0.39, HW 0.33 - 0.36, PW 0.24 - 0.25, SI 57 - 60, SL 0.21 - 0.23, WL 0.35 - 0.39.

Distribution. Malaysia: Sarawak.

Remarks. Anillomyrma tridens is morphologically very similar to A. decamera . The only conspicuous morphological characters separating the two species are as follows: head slightly longer than broad, masticatory margin of mandible of A. tridens having 3 distinct teeth as mentioned by Bolton (1987) (but very small 4th tooth rarely present) (Fig. 13); the 3rd tooth of A. tridens much larger than 2nd (Fig. 13); posterior slope of propodeum in lateral view expanding posterodorsad more strongly in A. tridens (Fig. 11) than in A. decamera (Fig. 1); petiolar peduncle in lateral view more slender in A. tridens (Fig. 11) than in A. decamera (Fig. 1).