Echinopla cf. vermiculata Emery, 1898

Zettel, Herbert & Laciny, Alice, 2015, Contributions to the taxonomy of the ant genus Echinopla Smith, 1857 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 62 (1), pp. 101-121 : 118-119

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Formicidae

Echinopla cf. vermiculata Emery, 1898

Material examined

(all from the Philippines). 1 worker (CAS, CASENT0267357) from Luzon, Mt. Banahaw de Lucban, 747 m a.s.l., 14°05.859'N; 121°31.071'E, 14-22.V.2011, forest, PH0009, leg. H Wood et al.; 1 worker (NHMW) from Luzon, Nueva Viscaya Province, Santa Fe, Imugan, 1100-1200 m a.s.l., 10.XI.2002, leg. H. Zettel; 1 worker (ZCW) from Luzon, Quezon Province, Atimonan, near Old Zigzag Road, 24-30.III.1998, leg. Zettel (165); 1 worker (ZCW) from Luzon, Laguna Province, Los Baños, Mt. Makiling, 400-800 m, 27.XI.1999, leg. H. Zettel (211); 1 worker (ZCW) from Luzon, Camarines Norte Province, south of Daet, Basud, Nalisan, 13.III.2006, leg. H. Zettel, R. Gille & L. S. Vichozo (446); 1 worker (ZCW) from Luzon, Pampanga, Arayat, Mt. Arayat, 19-20.IV.2014, leg. C. V. Pangantihon (P506); 1 worker (ZCW) from Mindoro, Mindoro Oriental Province, Roxas, San Vicente, Taugad Diit, Taugad Daka Forest, 27.IX.2014, leg. C. V. Pangantihon (P513); 2 workers (ZCW) from Cebu Province, Cebu Island, Dalaguete, Mantalungon, 29-30.VIII.2010 and 19.II.2012, leg. C. V. Pangantihon (P361, CP406).

Notes.

The identity of this species is presently unclear. Emery (1898) described a queen from Sulawesi and later he ( Emery 1900) described workers from two localities on Sipora, an island of the Mentawai group. The type and one worker specimen from Sipora were imaged by Antweb (2015), but their conspecificity needs confirmation. General and Alpert (2012) report Echinopla vermiculata from the Philippines (Luzon) for the first time; one specimen was illustrated on the Discover Life (2015) website. Examined specimens from the islands of Luzon, Mindoro and Cebu perfectly agree with this illustration in structural details. However, all Philippine workers considerably differ from Indonesian specimens by a very coarse, irregularly vermiculate rugosity on mesonotum and propodeum and may in fact represent an undescribed species. The worker specimen in the California Academy of Sciences was listed by Antweb (2015) as Echinopla ph01 and sent for barcoding (Guelph CCDB-14532).