Vollenhovia escherichi Forel, 1911

Akbar, Shahid Ali, Bharti, Himender, Schifani, Enrico & Wachkoo, Aijaz Ahmad, 2023, Overview of the ant genus Vollenhovia (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in India and Sri Lanka, with an illustrated key and the description of a new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 908, pp. 77-107 : 81

Vollenhovia escherichi Forel, 1911

Fig. 2

Vollenhovia escherichi Forel, 1911: 198 .

Type locality: Sri Lanka [ Ceylon], Peradeniya [Syntype MHNG; worker examined].

Remarks

Long known as an endemic Sri Lankan species, V. escherichi is very easily distinguished from the other taxa treated in this study due to its light yellowish-brown coloration as well as its small size. Recently, it was also recorded by Wang et al. (2022) from Pulau Ubin, an island off Singapore. Further investigation on the relationships between the Sri Lankan and Singaporean populations seems to be needed to better establish the biogeography of this species.

Distribution

Sri Lanka, Singapore ( Dias et al. 2020; Wang et al. 2022).

Figures

Fig. 2. Vollenhovia escherichi Forel, 1911, syntype worker from Sri Lanka (CASENT0908656, photographer: Will Ericson). A. Head, full face view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Habitus, dorsal view. D. Typical forest habitat of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.