Tetramorium insolens (F. Smith)

Bolton, B., 1979, The ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The genus Tetramorium Mayr in the Malagasy region and in the New World., Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 38, pp. 129-181 : 165-168

publication ID

6435

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6282968

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/91D018FE-6733-8551-9488-4420EAD8523E

treatment provided by

Christiana

scientific name

Tetramorium insolens (F. Smith)
status

 

Tetramorium insolens (F. Smith) View in CoL View at ENA   HNS

(Figs 40, 45)

Myrmica insolens F. Smith, 1861: 47   HNS . Holotype female, Sulawesi: Menado (A. R. Wallace) (UM, Oxford) [examined]. Tetramorium insolens (F. Smith)   HNS ; Donisthorpe, 1932: 468. [For a full statement of current synonymy of insolens   HNS see Bolton, 1977: 99 with the exception of melanogyna Mann   HNS , for which see p. 173, this paper.]

Worker. TL 3.3 - 4.0, HL 0.78 - 0.94, HW 0.68 - 0.84, CI 84 - 88, SL 0.56 - 0.68, SI 78 - 86, PW 0.50 - 0.62, AL 0.92 - 1.08 (40 measured).

Mandibles smooth and shining, unsculptured except for scattered pits. Anterior clypeal margin with a median notch or impression; median portion of clypeus with three strong longitudinal carinae. Frontal carinae long and strong, extending back almost to occiput. Eyes of moderate size, maximum diameter c. 0.18 - 0.20, about 0.23 - 0.26 x HW. Pronotal corners in dorsal view angular. Propodeal spines long and stout, generally somewhat upcurved along their length, more rarely with the extreme apex of each spine suddenly upcurved. Metapleural lobes triangular, acute, somewhat upcurved. Petiole node in profile with anterior and posterior faces approximately parallel, the dorsum convex and rising slightly posteriorly so that the anterodorsal angle is on a slightly lower level than the posterodorsal, the latter angle usually sharper than the former, which has a tendency to be rounded. Dorsum of head to level of eyes with sparse longitudinal rugulae with a few cross-meshes and a fine but fairly conspicuous groundsculpture. Behind the level of the eyes the head is reticulate-rugose. Dorsal alitrunk with an irregular rugoreticulum which is usually strongest on the pronotum. Petiole and postpetiole reticulate-rugose both laterally and dorsally. Gaster unsculptured. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with abundant long erect or suberect hairs, those situated in a row on the upper surfaces of the frontal carinae between antennal insertion and occiput very long, distinctly longer than the maximum diameter of the eye. Colour varying from clear pale yellow to light orange-brown, usually with the gaster distinctly lighter in shade than the head and alitrunk. More rarely the ant is uniformly coloured.

The differences between this species and the closely related bicarinatum   HNS were tabulated in part 2 (Bolton, 1977) of this study. Basically, insolens   HNS differs from bicarinatum   HNS in having smooth mandibles, relatively long hairs on the frontal carinae (longer than maximum diameter of eye), gaster not darker in colour than alitrunk and the petiole a slightly different shape (compare Figs 43 and 45).

As a tramp-species insolens   HNS is by no means as successful as bicarinatum   HNS . It has a very wide range in the Pacific island-systems and is known from Indonesia, Philippines and the Solomon Islands. It was collected by E. O. Wilson in Sri Lanka, where it may be an introduction, and in England (in orchid house), Germany (zoological garden) and in the U. S. A. (near Los Angeles) where it is most certainly introduced. The Los Angeles specimens are deposited in USNM, Washington; for other localities see Bolton (1977).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

Genus

Tetramorium

Loc

Tetramorium insolens (F. Smith)

Bolton, B. 1979
1979
Loc

Myrmica insolens

F. Smith 1861: 47
1861
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