Aphaenogaster pythia Forel

Shattuck, S. O., 2008, Australian ants of the genus Aphaenogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., Zootaxa 1677, pp. 25-45 : 41-43

publication ID

21723

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6234151

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/ED7CD2E3-E4C7-2626-8641-7D7706A77067

treatment provided by

Christiana

scientific name

Aphaenogaster pythia Forel
status

 

Aphaenogaster pythia Forel View in CoL   HNS

(Figs 15, 16, 23, 30)

Aphaenogaster (Deromyrma)pythia Forel   HNS , 1915: 76.

Aphaenogaster longiceps   HNS : Mayr, 1876: 96 (misidentification recognised by M. R. Smith, 1961: 229).

Aphaenogaster (Deromyrma) longiceps   HNS : Forel, 1915: 75 (as A. ruginota   HNS , misidentification recognised by M. R. Smith, 1961: 229).

Aphaenogaster (Nystalomyrma) pythia Forel   HNS : Wheeler, 1916: 219.

Types. Neotype worker, Australia, Queensland, Millstream National Park, near Ravenshoe, 6 August, 1975, B. B. Lowery, dry sclerophyll ( ANIC) ( ANIC 32-031018) (additional non-type material from this nest series includes 40 workers, two queens (one dealate) and one male) ( ANIC 32-000767) ( ANIC, MCZC, QMBA).

Diagnosis. Hairs on venter of head randomly distributed and not forming a distinct psammophore (Fig. 16); posterior margin of head nearly flat in full face view, extending laterally of the occipital collar before passing through a distinct posterolateral corner into the lateral margin of the head (Fig. 15); propodeal spines short (Fig. 16); scape relatively short (SI less than 125, Fig. 23). This species is most similar to A. reichelae   HNS , and can be separated from it by the relatively shorter scapes and in having distinct dorsal and posterior petiolar node faces.

Description. Posterior margin of head nearly flat in full face view, extending laterally of the occipital collar before passing through a distinct posterolateral corner into the lateral margin of the head. Hairs on venter of head randomly distributed and not forming a distinct psammophore. Mandibular sculpture composed of irregularly sized striations. Erect hairs on mesosomal dorsum tapering to sharp points. Propodeal spines short. Dorsal surfaces of propodeum and propodeal spines connected through a gentle concavity (so that the base of each spine is at approximately the same level as the dorsal surface of the propodeum). Petiolar node (in dorsal view) wider than long.

Measurements. Worker (n = 12). CI 83-93; EI 15-22; EL 0.16-0.22; HL 0.97-1.39; HW 0.85-1.23; ML 1.34-1.94; MTL 0.75-1.13; SI 107-122; SL 1.02-1.40.

Material examined (in ANIC unless otherwise noted). New South Wales: Glenugie SF., 15mi.S Grafton (Lowery,B.B.); Macksville (Lowery,B.B.); Macksville, Warrell Ck. area (Lowery,B.B.); Murwillumbah (Lowery,B.B.); Port Macquarie (Pullen,R.); Round Mountain, Kingscliff (Lowery,B.B.); Terranora Lakes Golf course (Seymour,G.J.). Queensland: 10km W Herberton (Lowery,B.B.); 10mi. S Atherton; 12km W Paluma (Lowery,B.B.); 15km SbyE Byfield (Taylor,R.W. & Weir,T.A.); 18km S Banana (Lowery,B.B.); 20km N Cairns (Lowery,B.B.); 20km S Eton (Lowery,B.B.); 6km SSE Eungella (Taylor,R.W. & Weir,T.A.); 6mi. SW Karara (Greaves,T.); 8km W Tully, nr. Rocky Ck. Bridge (Lowery,B.B.); Atherton (A.H.W.); Bauple, State Forest 958 (Vanderwoude,C.); Brookfield (Greenslade,P.J.M.); Bruce Hwy, 5km N Aphis Ck., 54km N Marlborough (Lowery,B.B.); c. 8km W Paluma (Taylor,R.W. & Feehan,J.E.); Cedar Creek, Tamborine Mt. (Brown,W.L.); Clohesy River (Greaves,T.); Como Scarp (Greenslade,P.J.M.); Cooloola, Chalamban [Chalambar] (Greenslade,P.J.M.); Cooloola, Como Scarp (Greenslade,P.J.M.); Cooloola, Noosa R. (Greenslade,P.J.M.); Egger Farm Paddock, Yungaburra (Cutter,A.D.); Gore (Lowery,B.B.); Herberton (Lowery,B.B.); Highvale (Marks) (Barrett,J.H.); Kirrama Forest (Greenslade,P.J.M.); Koah (Wheeler,W.M.); L. Eacham NP (Taylor,R.W.); Mackay (Turner,G.); Mareeba (Lowery,B.B.); Millstream NP nr. Ravenshoe (Lowery,B.B.); Mt. Mort, Grandchester (Greaves,T.); Noosa River, Cooloola Natl Pk (Greenslade,P.J.M.); Obi Obi Ck., Blackall Ra. (Taylor,R.W.); Scraggy Pt., Hinchinbrook Is. (Ward,P.S.) ( ANIC, PSWC); St. Lawrence (Cudmore,F.A.); Thurling Farm, Malanda (Cutter,A.D.); Tully (Lowery,B.B.); Wallaman Falls (Lowery,B.B.); West Coorey [Cooroy West]. Papua New Guinea: Bulolo (Lowery,B.B.); Wau, goldfields (Lowery,B.B.).

Comments. This is a fairly wide ranging species and the only species to occur outside Australia (in Papua New Guinea). Its main range is coastal northern New South Wales north through Queensland, with a smaller disjunct population in southern PNG (Fig. 30). Given this wide distribution and the broad range of habitats in which it is found (see below), it is curious that in Australia this species occurs in three fairly narrow regions separated by areas where it is apparently absent. There is no morphological evidence to indicate that more than one species is involved, yet this distribution pattern might suggest otherwise. Additional investigation into this pattern may be well rewarded.

Aphaenogaster pythia   HNS occurs in a wide range of habitats including coastal scrub, dry sclerophyll, suburban parks and pastures, wet sclerophyll and rainforests. Nests are either in the open with large funnel-shaped entrances or under rocks or logs on the ground. The biology of this species was discussed by Hitchcock (1958) and its control by Hitchcock (1962).

The nomenclatural history of this species is rather complex. Forel (1915) stated that there were two species of Australian Aphaenogaster   HNS , longiceps   HNS and ruginota   HNS , and listed differences between them. He then said "Sollte der Typus von Smith irgendwo zum Vorschein kommen und sich gegen meine Annahme als mit ruginota   HNS und nicht mit Mayr's Typen identisch erweisen, schlage ich fur letztere den Namen pythia   HNS n. sp. vor." ["Should the type of Smith appear somewhere and turn out identical, against my assumption, with ruginota   HNS and not with Mayr's [1862] types, I suggest for the latter the name pythia   HNS n. sp. "] (Mayr (1862) had described queens and males under the name longiceps   HNS from four localities, Gayndah, Peak Downs, Rockhampton and Sydney.) To resolve the identity of longiceps Wheeler   HNS (1916) sent samples to H. Donisthorpe (British Museum (Natural History), London) for direct comparison with the Smith type of longiceps   HNS . Wheeler (1916) reports that "[Donisthorpe] writes me that [Smith's] type is undoubtedly what Forel calls ruginota   HNS , and not what he calls longiceps   HNS . Hence ruginota   HNS becomes a synonym of longiceps, Smith   HNS , and the rarer Queensland form, Forel's longiceps   HNS , which was unknown to Smith, must take the name pythia, Forel   HNS ." A few lines later Wheeler states that "Mayr probably confused both species" and that "... as [Mayr] introduced no new names his interpretation is now a matter of little moment." Finally, Wheeler lists the type locality for pythia   HNS as Herberton, one of the localities mentioned by Forel (1915) for specimens he examined under the name longiceps   HNS . It seems clear that Wheeler (1916) interpreted Forel's name pythia   HNS as applying to material examined by Forel (1915) under the name longiceps   HNS , and not to material examined by Mayr (1862) (although the comment "... and the rarer Queensland form" is puzzling as it seems to apply to pythia   HNS rather than longiceps   HNS ).

Smith (1961) next examined pythia   HNS during a study of Papua New Guinean species of Aphaenogaster   HNS . He states that "Forel 1915 assigned the provisional name pythia   HNS to the specimens studied by Mayr [1862] should they prove to be not longiceps   HNS or any previous described species" and "Wheeler errored however in designating Herberton, Queensland, as the type locality of pythia   HNS as none of the specimens studied by Mayr came from there." Thus Smith (1961) interpreted Forel (1915) as establishing a new available name by indication for material referred to by Mayr (1862) and not for material identified as longiceps   HNS by Forel (1915), as Wheeler (1916) had.

Of these two interpretations, Smith's (1961) is here accepted as the correct one. Given this, the type material for the name pythia   HNS becomes that examined by Mayr (1862). Unfortunately this material was destroyed during World War I (Smith 1961), leaving the name without extant type material. Thus it is currently impossible to know to what species the name pythia   HNS should be applied. Even without type material, essentially all authors since Wheeler (1916) have followed the concept developed by Wheeler (1916) for the species to which this name has been applied. This situation is certainly less than ideal and has the potential to cause considerable disruption to the nomenclature of this group. To resolve this confusion a neotype is here designated for Forel's A. pythia   HNS .

ANIC

Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra City, CSIRO, Australian National Insect Collection

MCZC

USA, Massachusetts, Cambridge, Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology

QMBA

Australia, Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland Museum

PSWC

PSWC

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

Genus

Aphaenogaster

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