Biodiversity Literature Repository
Published January 6, 2017 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Nesomyrmex denticulatus

Creators

  • 1. Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan. & urn: lsid: zoobank. org: author: B 7 ADF 56 F- 935 D- 4 BD 8 - ADB 3 - 50 E 96 F 8 BB 463 & Corresponding author: fhitagarcia @ gmail. com
  • 2. Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa. & Email: nmbanyana @ iziko. org. za & urn: lsid: zoobank. org: author: 157 A 51 ED- 7 C 85 - 4 CA 3 - 84 E 4 - B 7 BD 1 E 2 A 7 E 8 F
  • 3. Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan. & Email: tracy @ troglophile. com & urn: lsid: zoobank. org: author: C 821 F 482 - 744 F- 467 A-A 480 - 1 E 353001 A 51 F
  • 4. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U. S. A. & Email: garydalpert @ gmail. com & urn: lsid: zoobank. org: author: 5 BD 71 BB 5 - 1 EDA- 4 E 05 - 84 E 1 - FE 71 EA 366767

Description

Nesomyrmex denticulatus (Mayr, 1901)

Figs 10B, 11 C–D, 12A, 15

Leptothorax denticulatus Mayr, 1901: 5 (w.q.), South Africa.

Leptothorax (Goniothorax) denticulatus – W.M. Wheeler 1922: 891.

Nesomyrmex denticulatus – Bolton 2003: 272 (see also Bolton 1982: 328; Mbanyana & Robertson 2008: 38).

Diagnosis

The following character combination separates N. denticulatus from the remainder of the group: eyes with 10–12 ommatidia in longest row; in profile mesosomal dorsum with conspicuously impressed metanotal groove; in dorsal view petiolar node laterally denticulate; subpetiolar process with a conspicuous tooth anteriorly followed by a long cuticular flange which runs back to the postpetiolar junction; dorsum of propodeum with standing hairs; first gastral tergite with standing hairs evenly distributed throughout.

Diagnostic comments

The three species, N. denticulatus, N. innocens and N. stramineus, are morphologically very similar and can be well separated from the other species by the laterally denticulate petiolar node. The separation of these three can be challenging though. Nesomyrmex denticulatus is larger in general body size, has larger eyes with more ommatidia, and a subpetiolar process with a conspicuous tooth anteriorly, followed by a long cuticular flange which runs back to the postpetiolar junction, and slightly denser pilosity.

Biology

This species usually nests in cavities of branches on trees and bushes previously excavated by woodboring beetles, lepidopteran larvae or termites (Mbanyana & Robertson 2008). It is found in a variety

of more arid habitats, such as late succession Fynbos, Succulent Karoo with large bushes, along edges of Southern Afrotemperate Forest, and possibly also Albany Thicket (Mbanyana & Robertson 2008).

Distribution

Nesomyrmex denticulatus is only known from South Africa, where it seems to be relatively common in the Western and Eastern Cape regions.

Notes

Published as part of Garcia, Francisco Hita, Mbanyana, Nokuthula, Audisio, Tracy Lynn & Alpert, Gary D., 2017, Taxonomy of the ant genus Nesomyrmex Wheeler (Formicidae, Myrmicinae) in the Afrotropical region, with a review of current species groups and description of a new species of the N. angulatus group from Mozambique, pp. 1-31 in European Journal of Taxonomy 258 on pages 17-19, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2017.258, http://zenodo.org/record/3776244

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Linked records

Additional details

Identifiers

URL
http://treatment.plazi.org/id/543E8C277C79FA63FD96FBBDFD631BCE

Cites
Figure: 10.5281/zenodo.3776264 (DOI)
Figure: 10.5281/zenodo.3776266 (DOI)
Taxonomic treatment: 10.5281/zenodo.6230176 (DOI)
Taxonomic treatment: http://treatment.plazi.org/id/38AFDA44F1B23C635ACF71FD5BF5ED03 (URL)
Is part of
Journal article: 10.5852/ejt.2017.258 (DOI)
Journal article: http://zenodo.org/record/3776244 (URL)
Journal article: http://publication.plazi.org/id/A807F45F7C69FA71FFBAFFA7FFE21A12 (URL)
Is source of
https://sibils.text-analytics.ch/search/collections/plazi/543E8C277C79FA63FD96FBBDFD631BCE (URL)
https://www.gbif.org/species/163876683 (URL)
https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/22478/taxon/543E8C277C79FA63FD96FBBDFD631BCE.taxon (URL)

Biodiversity

Family
Formicidae
Genus
Nesomyrmex
Kingdom
Animalia
Order
Hymenoptera
Phylum
Arthropoda
Scientific name authorship
Mayr
Species
denticulatus
Taxon rank
species
Taxonomic concept label
Nesomyrmex denticulatus (Mayr, 1901) sec. Garcia, Mbanyana, Audisio & Alpert, 2017

References

  • Mayr G. 1901. Sudafrikanische Formiciden, gesammelt von Dr. Hans Brauns. Annalen des Kaiserlich- Koniglichen Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 16: 1 - 30.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 1 - 1055.
  • Bolton B. 2003. Synopsis and classification of Formicidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 71: 1 - 370.
  • Bolton B. 1982. A revision of six minor genera of Myrmicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Ethiopian zoogeographical region. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology 43: 245 - 307.
  • Mbanyana N. & Robertson H. G. 2008. Review of the ant genus Nesomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in southern Africa. African Natural History 4: 35 - 55.