Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi Terayama 1999

Seifert, Bernhard, Okita, Ichiro & Heinze, Jürgen, 2017, A taxonomic revision of the Cardiocondyla nuda group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 4290 (2), pp. 324-356 : 344-345

Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi Terayama 1999

Tab. 1

Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi Terayama 1999: 100 . Holotype worker; worker, queen and male paratypes: Japan, Ishigaki Island, Omoto-dake [ MNHAH] (holotype not examined). Six worker paratypes labelled " Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi Terayama, 1999 / Paratype / Omoto-dake , Ishigaki-jima , Okinawa Pref. / VII 1988, K. Yamauchi leg." [ SMNG] (examined).

All material examined. A total of 29 nest samples with 97 workers was subject to NUMOBAT investigation.

Indonesia: Java: Bogor , 1999.12.18, No I1, (GenBank DQ 023087 ), [-6.59, 106.79] ; Java: Bogor, 1999.12.25, No I8, [-6.59, 106.79]. Japan: Ishigaki: Omoto dake, 1988.06.xx, No 1, [24.200, 124.40]; Ishigaki : Omoto dake, 1988.xx.xx, type Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi , [24.20, 124.40]; Ishigaki , 2013.09.19, No 204 (GenBank LC199395 ), [24.366, 124.112]; Ishigaki, 2013.06.0 3, No 134 (GenBank LC199396 ), No 135 (GenBank LC199397 ), [24.408, 124.173] . Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, 2002.12.18, No m16 (3Pr.), [3.159, 101.702] : Kuala Lumpur, University, 2002.12.17, No m13, No M 13 (GenBank DQ 023083 ), No M 16 (GenBank DQ 023086 ), [3.131, 101.658] ; Sabah: Poring, 1996.09.17, [5.98, 116.23] ; Sarawak: Long Pala, 1977.10.20, [1.53, 110.35]; Ulu Gombak, 1999.08.28, No M 2, [3.30, 101.78]; Ulu Gombak , 2000.05.0 7, No M 1, [3.30, 101.78]; Ulu Gombak , 2000.06.0 5, No M 6 (GenBank DQ 023081 ), [3.30, 101.78]; Ulu Gombak, 2002.12.24, No M 14 (GenBank DQ 023084 ), No M 15 (GenBank DQ 023085 ), No M 18, No M 53, No M 54, No M 55, [3.30, 101.78] . Mariana Islands: Guam: Ylig Bay , 1958.xx.xx, [13.42, 144.68] . Philippines: Bayagnan Island, 2000.02.0 7, No 10, [8.117, 122.444]; Luzon: Chico River , 1999.02.21, No 18, [17.404, 121.250]; Paloc, Prison Settlement, 1995.02.xx, [14.58, 120.55] . Thailand: Khao Lak, 1995.01.19, No 339, [8.66, 98.25]; Mae Sariang- 20 km E, 1995.01.0 1, No 0 65, [18.15, 98.12]; Mae Sariang- 35 km S, 1995.01.0 2, No 0 74, [17.90, 97.95].

Geographic range. The species is certainly of Indo-Malayan origin and, according to the close morphological proximity and mtDNA phylogeny, its closest relative is C. strigifrons . The distributional areas of C. kagutsuchi and C. strigifrons overlap considerably and no large differences in distribution are apparent.

Diagnosis. The basic morphology is similar to the condition described for C. itsukii sp. nov. from which it differs by a more elongated head. The morphological similarity to C. strigifrons is extreme in basically any character ( Tab.1) and there is no other option for reliable species separation than multivariate analyses using nearly all NUMOBAT characters (section 4.3). Reducing the number of considered characters to four as performed in the simplified key results in an error of 4.4% on the sample level. We omit a lengthy verbal description, which would not provide any help in species delimitation.

Biology. In contrast to its sister species C. strigifrons , nest populations of C. kagutsuchi show both winged and ergatoid males (Yamauchi et al. 2005). Clonal production of both male and female sexuals and sexual production of workers is very likely for one mtDNA lineage of C. kagutsuchi in Japan ( Okita et. al. 2016).