Lepisiota pulchella ( Forel, 1892 )

Harshana, Anand & Dey, Debjani, 2022, Taxonomic studies on the ant genus <i> Lepisiota </ i> Santschi 1926 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) in India, with description of four new species, Oriental Insects 57 (3), pp. 785-818 : 29-31

Lepisiota pulchella ( Forel, 1892) ( Fig. 8D–F )

Acantholepis opaca r. pulchella Forel 1892: 43 . Syntype workers, Pune [Poona], Maharashtra, India.

Acantholepis pulchella Forel ; Dalla Torre 1893: 172; Bingham 1903: 318; Wu & Wang 1995: 129; Zhou 2001: 168; status as species.

Acantholepis opaca subsp. pulchella Forel ; Emery 1893b: 172; Forel 1894: 414; Forel 1895: 458; Emery 1925: 27; Chapman & Capco 1951: 210; Bolton 1995: 228; Guénard & Dunn 2012: 34; Bharti et al. 2016: 28; Bharti et al. 2017: 42; subspecies of opaca .

Lepisiota opaca subsp. pulchella (Forel) ; Bolton 1995: 228; combination in Lepisiota .

Lepisiota pulchella (Forel) , Wachkoo et al. 2021: 238; status as species.

Material examined

INDIA: Madhya Pradesh: Pachmarhi, 22°28 ʹ 20”N 78°25 ʹ 00”E, 1004 m, 11 workers, 06.IX.2020, Coll. A. Harshana ; Jabalpur ( JNKVV ), 23°12 ʹ 46”N 79° 57 ʹ 33”E, 394 m, 7 workers, 12.IX.2020, Coll. A. Harshana .

Measurements and indices

Workers (N = 6). EL: 0.17–0.19; HL: 0.58–0.64; HW: 0.52–0.59; MML: 0.27– 0.29; PH: 0.31–0.36; PRW: 0.39–0.43; SL: 0.62–0.67; TL: 2.60–2.80; WL: 0.83–0.91; CI: 89–92; OI: 31–33; REL: 27–30; SI: 114–118.

Description (Workers): Head

Head slightly longer than broad, subquadrate, sides of head weakly convex, posterior margin straight with posterolateral corners rounded ( Fig. 8F ) and head covered with appressed pubescence; posterior margin of head with 4–5 erect setae (including a pair of erect setae between lateral ocelli), three pairs of setae at middle of head; palp formula 6,4 and third maxillary segment from base longest of all segments, sixth maxillary segment distinctly longer than fifth segment; mandible with five teeth on masticatory margin, third tooth from apex smaller than fourth tooth; antennae 11 segmented with scape extending to posterior margin of head not more than 1/3 rd of its length; antennal insertions touching posterior clypeal margin; antennae covered with appressed to decumbent pubescence; clypeus dorsally convex, subcarinate at middle, having decumbent pubescence, posterior margin having a pair of long yellowish erect setae while anterior margin with two pairs of long yellowish erect setae with a downwardly directed long median seta; anterior clypeal margin convex; compound eyes broadly oval and positioned at about mid-length of head; three ocelli present.

Mesosoma

Promesonotum convex in profile view, metanotum little lower than promesonotum ( Fig. 8D ); propodeal spine broad at the base and blunt at apex, propodeal declivity steep; fore tibiae with a pectinate spur at the distal end and basitarsus with a notch at the proximal end; dorsum of pronotum with more than 10 erect yellowish setae, mesonotum with two pairs of erect yellowish setae, metanotum with a pair of erect yellowish setae and propodeum with three pairs of erect yellowish setae; mesosoma with very sparse appressed to decumbent pubescence.

Metasoma

Petiole upright, dorsally bispinose, and deeply emarginate ( Fig. 8D ), lateral sides of petiole weakly convex in frontal view with a pair of long setae little above petiolar spiracles; gastral segments sparsely covered with yellowish erect setae mostly on posterior half except first gastral segment which is almost completely covered with erect setae; gaster with sparse decumbent pubescence; acidopore well-developed and fringed with hairs.

Sculpture and colour

Dorsum of head and mesosoma reticulate-punctate ( Fig. 8E–F ); mesopleuron rugose; mandible, clypeus smooth and shiny; gaster microreticulate and subopaque. Body bicoloured; head brown to dark brown; antennal scape yellowish-brown while antennal funicles brown; mesosoma, and petiole golden brown to dark brown, first gastral segment golden brown to brown while remaining gaster black in most studied specimens. The first gastral segment was golden brown in the Pachmarhi population with the remaining segments being black while from the Jabalpur population four specimens had complete black gaster.

Comments

Lepisiota pulchella differs from L. opaca in the sculpture of gaster, which is microreticulate and subopaque in the former while smooth and shiny in the latter.

Distribution in India: Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh*, Maharashtra.

Figures

Figure 8A–F. Syntype worker (AntWeb: CASENT0909893, photographed by Zach Lieberman) of Lepisiota opaca (A–C), worker of Lepisiota pulchella (D–F). A, D, body in profile view; B, E, body in dorsal view; C, F, head in full-face view.