Aenictus gutianshanensis Staab

Staab, Michael, 2014, A new species of the Aenictus wroughtonii group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from South-East China, ZooKeys 391, pp. 65-73 : 67-70

Aenictus gutianshanensis Staab sp. n. Figs 1-5

Holotype.

Worker from China, Zhejiang Province, Gutianshan National Nature Reserve, ca. 30 km NW of Kaihua, 29°12'54"N, 118°7'18"E, ca. 250 m above sea level, 28.VI.2009, leg. Andreas Schuldt, label: “CSP26/SW7(2009)”, deposited in IZAS.

Paratypes.

Five workers, same data as holotype. Three deposited in IZAS; one each deposited in ZMBH and CASC. All type specimens were collected in a single pitfall trap in a secondary mixed evergreen broad-leaved forest.

Measurements and indices.

Holotype: TL 3.30, HL 0.68, HW 0.63, SL 0.70, ML 1.17, MTL 0.75, PL 0.30, CI 93, SI 112.

Paratypes (n=5): TL 3.10-3.30, HL 0.69-0.75, HW 0.60-0.65, SL 0.65-0.70, ML 1.17-1.25, MTL 0.69-0.83, PL 0.29-0.31, CI 87-91, SI 104-113.

Worker description.

Head in full-face view elliptical, slightly longer than broad, with convex sides and almost straight posterior margin of head. Antennal scape long, reaching posterior corner of head; antennal segments II-X each longer than broad; II as long as III, but longer than each of IV-VII; terminal segment (X) longer than each of II-IX; the last four segments forming an indistinct club. Frontal carina long, extending slightly beyond the posterior margin of antennal torulus. Clypeus short with its anterior margin slightly convex, bearing 7-8 bluntly rounded denticles. Mandible subtriangular, masticatory margin straight, with a large curved apical tooth which is followed by 9-10 minutes teeth on masticatory margin. With mesosoma in profile, pronotum dorsally convex, not distinctly separated from mesonotum by a promesonotal suture. Propodeum slightly lower than promesonotum, its dorsal outline gently sloping posteriorly; propodeal junction angulate; declivity of propodeum straight in the dorsal part, concave in the ventral part when viewed in profile, encircled by a thin rim. Petiole in profile as long as high, its node convex dorsally. Subpetiolar process present, its ventral margin almost straight, bearing a thin rim below, anteroventral corner angulate. Postpetiole slightly longer than petiole, its node convex dorsally in profile; ventral postpetiolar process developed, angulate, bearing a thin rim below, slightly projecting over the posterior part of the petiole.

Head including mandible smooth and shiny; antennal scape punctate. Entire mesosoma finely reticulate, dorsal face of pronotum finely reticulate but shiny, reticulation on mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum finer than on pronotum, appearing almost punctate in magnification lower 64 ×. Entire petiole finely reticulate. Postpetiole finely reticulate, except the dorsum smooth and shiny. Gaster smooth and shiny. Coxae finely reticulate, femora densely punctate, tibiae sparsely punctate.

Body except anterior part of mesonotum with abundant standing hairs and interdispersed short hairs; length of longest hairs on dorsa of head and pronotum 0.20-0.30 mm. Antennal scape and legs with abundant standing hairs. Head, mandible, gaster and legs yellowish brown. Mesosoma, antennal scape, petiole and postpetiole reddish brown.

Male and female are unknown.

Etymology.

The scientific name is after the type locality, the Gutianshan National Nature Reserve (Fig. 6) in South-East China.

Distribution.

South-East China; only known from the type series.

Ecology.

No direct biological information is available. The type series was collected in a single pitfall trap in a secondary mixed evergreen broad-leaved forest. Thus, the species probably lives and forages on and in the leaf-litter preying on small ants of the subfamily Formicinae , as it has been previously reported for species in the Aenictus wroughtonii group ( Rościszewski and Maschwitz 1994, Jaitrong et al. 2010). Possible prey species of the genera Prenolepis and Nylanderia are common at the type locality (M. Staab, unpublished data).