Anochetus graeffei

Brown, WL Jr.,, 1978, Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. Part VI. Ponerinae, tribe Ponerini, subtribe Odontomachiti. Section B. Genus Anochetus and bibliography., Studia Entomologica 20, pp. 549-638 : 586-588

[14] Anochetus graeffei

A. graeffei is a widespread species showing variation surpassing that of the African species africanus , bequaerti , and even traegaordhi . The samples reviewed by Wilson (1959) and Wilson and Taylor (1967) from Melanesia and Polynesia have been restudied along with other series from Queensland (Brisbane, Kirrama Range near Cardwell, Cape Pallarenda near Townsville, Kuranda, Herberton, Silver Plains and Bamaga on Cape York); Howard Springs near Darwin, Northern Territory of Australia; Timor, Flores, N. Celebes, Kalimantan, Sumba and "K1. Kombuis, Java-see" in Indonesia; and various localities in Malaya, Burma, Indochina and India. Included were types of A. rudis ( «Mandalay») and A. punctiventris taylori (Coonoor, now in Madras State). All of these seem to represent one variable species. It should be noted that Forel, in his original description oí taylori (1900: 60, 63), considered oceanicus , rudis and taylori all to be races of punctiventris , and said of taylori that it was intergradient between punctiventris on the one hand, and races oceanicus and rudis on the other.

I have recently reviewed the 4 specimens in the type series of A. graeffei (courtesy of Dr. Max Fischer, NHM-Vienna), and have indicated my choice of lectotype by a yellow label. This is the light-colored (brownish-yellow) variant of the species, though somewhat faded. The gastric dorsum has the coarse punctures smaller than in Indian samples.

The type of Anochetus mginotus ( «Luzon») in Berlin is just the lightly-sculptured variant of graeffei ; the pronotal sculpture is looser than usual, and has some shining interspaces. This variant is found sporadically through Queensland and elsewhere within the range of the species, and intergrades to more opaquely-sculptured forms are common. Karawajew’s A. minutus ("Segamat, Johore, Malaya") was provisionally synonymized with graeffei by Wilson (1959), and

I am able to confirm this synonymy after examining minutus syntypes in the Santschi Collection.

Terminalia of a male of graeffei , accompanied by workers, from the southern Philippines are shown in fig. 77; the specimen is somewhat shrivelled and otherwise slightly damaged, hut the main features of the paramere and hypopygium are preserved in the undissected terminal portion of the gaster preserved in MCZ. The «dog-leg» paramere, with the narrowed terminal digitus rooted partly in a membranous area of the broad, convex parameral base, is distinctive, and is seen elsewhere in Oriental samples of the genus [15], in more or less modified form.

The bounds of graeffei variation, and whether or not the species divides into sibling species, are ripe subjects for future gamma-ta- xonomic studies. These studies are certainly warranted, considering the outstanding success the species has had as a colonist through the Indo-Australian area.

One particular problem concerns some populations of inland north Queensland in Australia. Samples of workers from 42 km SW of Mt. Garnet, 650 m, and Conjuboy, 500 m (E. S. Ross and D. Cavagnaro) differ from most coastal samples in their light yellowish color and smooth, shining pronotal discs with coarse punctures, the most extreme reduction of pronotal sculpture I have seen in this species. The possibility exists that this form is a sibling species of graeffei , but on the present information, I am still referring it to graeffei .

Larger specimens (N = 4) from Prinsen Island, off the SW tip of Java, and from Jakarta, Java (Dammerman) have HL 1.15- 1.32, HW 1.03-1.22, ML 0.60-0.69, eye L 0.17-0.22 mm; Cl 88-93, MI 52-54, eye L/HW = 0.17-0.19, so are transitional to a syntype of A. yerburyi from «Ceylon», which has HL 1.11, HW 1.02, ML 0.57, (eye L 0.23 mm; Cl 92, eye L/HW = 0.23. A worker from "Sikkim, 4000 ft., Bingham" (about 1220 m), determined by Forel as "A yerburyi , var.", has HL 1.15, HW 1.09, ML 0.64, eye L 0.20 mm; Cl 95, MI 56, eye L/HW = 0.18, and is thus more like the "large graeffei " from Java. A dealate queen [MCZ] from Ta Hian, Hainan Island, China, 15-18 June 1935, J. L. Gressitt, also fits the pattern of "large graeffei ".

The Javanese samples have the vertex finely striate in the middle right to the nuchal carina, while the Sikkim and Hainan specimens have coarse frontal striation, replaced over the last 0.10 mm or so before the nuchal carina by a strip of smooth, shining surface. The syntypes of yerburyi , on the other hand, have only about the anterior quarter or third of the vertex behind the eyes striate, while the rest of the vertex (about 0.3 mm) is smooth and shining. Thus the differences between Sri Lankan yerburyi and "large graeffei " are still apparent, though not very dramatic. The lack of graeffei collections from Sri Lanka may be significant in this regard. Perhaps yerburyi is a geographical form representing graeffei on this island, but I choose to consider it provisionally as a separate but closely related species.

The real problem is where to place the Sikkimese and Hainanese samples, and also the "large graeffei " from Java. In view of the extraordinary variation shown in the rest of its range by graeffei , I think it would be best to consider all of these specimens as belonging to graeffei for the time being, until we can get more material from the critical areas, especially workers accompanied by males.