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ISSN 0375-1511 Rec. zool. Surv. India: 113(Part-1): 169-182,2013 ON SOME ANTS (INSECTA: HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) FROM NAG ALAND, INDIA NEENA T AK AND SARFRAZUL ISLAM KAZMI Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata-700053, West Bengal, India INTRODUCTION organized and integrated units the societies or Nagaland is the hilly state of northeastern colonies. India having an area of 16,579 km2 lies between Bingham's (1903) fauna is the main source of 25°6/ and 274/ latitude, north of equator and knowledge of ants in India. Chapman and Capco between the longitudinal lines 93°20/Eand 95°15/E (1951) published a checklist of the ants of Asia. latitude, bounded by Tirap district of Arunachal Bolton (1995) has dealt with taxonomic and Pradesh in north-east, Assam in the west and Zoogeographical census of the extant ant taxa northwest, Manipur in the south while the (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bolton has eastern limits are continuous with the published a Catalogue of Ants of the World CD international boundary between India and ROM 2007(1758-2005). Datta & Raychaudhuri Myanmar. This is predominantly a hilly state (1985) has reported a new species of ant with valleys, streams and mountains. Nagaland (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) from Nagaland, includes the former Naga hill district of Assam north-east India in Science and Culture. In the (established in 1881) and the Tuensang division of State Fauna Series (Fauna of Nagaland, 2005) 5 North East Frontier Agency (NEFA, now Orders namely Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Arunachal Pradesh). The administrative "unit" Odonata, Diptera and Coleoptera of Class Insecta known as the "Naga hills" and tuensang Area" has been worked out, but Order Hymenoptera (NHTA) was established on r t December 1957. has not been worked out. th NHTA was renamed as Nagaland on 18 The present studies are based on the material February 1961. The State of Nagaland was collected by Dr. P. H. Roy, Scientist (Retd.), formally inaugurated on December 1 et, 1963, as the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. We are th 16 State of the Indian Union. The state consists of thankful to him. seven administrative districts which are Kohima, Mokokchung, Mon, Phek, Tuensang, Wokha, SYSTEMATICS Zunheboto and Dimapur.The climate of Order HYMENOPTERA Nagaland is pleasant.Heavy rainfall occurs in the Family FORMICIDAE Latreille, 1809 period of June to September with high humidity (i) Subfamily MYRMICINAE Emery, 1877 (67-88%). 1. Solenopsis geminata geminata (Fabricius, Ants have the most highly organized social 1804) life among all the insects. The major factor 2. Meranoplus bicolor (Guerin, Meneville, responsible for their ecological success is 1844) division of labour, performing different 3. Lophomyrmex quadrispinosus (Jerdon, biological functions. Ants live in highly 1851) 170 Rec. zool. Surv. India 4. Pheidologeton affinis affinis (Jerdon, 1851) IDENTIFICATION KEY IS BASED ON THE 5. Aphaenogaster beccarii (Emery, 1887) WORKER CASTE OF ANTS 6. Aphaenogaster smythiesii smythiesii Key to the sub-families of family FORMICIDAE (Forel, 1902) (Modified from Bolton, 1994) 7. Monomorium indicum indicum (Forel, 1902) 1. Body with a single reduced segment ie. petiole betweenalitrunkandabdomen ..................... 2 8. Monomorium latinode (Mayr, 1872) Body with a two reduced segment ie. 9. Pheidole smythiesii (Forel, 1902) petiole and post petiole between 10. Tetramorium christiei (Forel, 1902) ali trunk and abdomen ................Myrmicinae 11. Tetramorium tortuosum (Roger, 1863) 2. Apex of gaster with a semicircular or circular acidopore, usually guarded (ii) Subfamily FORMICINAE by setae, sting absent .................... Formicinae Lepeletier, 1809 Apex of gaster without a semicircular or circular acidopore, sting present ................ 3 12. Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith, F., 1857) Anoplolepis longipes (Jerdon, 1851) 3. Either pygidium or hypopygidium armed with peg like teeth or short (Junior synonym of gracilipes) spines ............................................ Ponerinae 13. Plagiolepis dichroa (Forel, 1902) Pygidium or hypopygidium unarmed 14. Oecophylla smaragdina smaragdina .............................................. Dolichoderinae (Fabricius, 1775) Subfamily MYRMICINAE Emery, 1877 15. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) invidus (Forel, 1892) Key to the genera of subfamily MYRMICINAE 16. Camponotus (Orthonotomyrmex) sericeus 1. Antennae with less than 12 joints ................... 2 Antennae 12 jointed ............................. ..... 5 sericeus (Fabricius, 1798) 2. Antennae90r10jointed .............................3 17. Paratrechina longicornis longicornis Antennae 11 jointed ................................ .4 (Latreille, 1802) 3. Antenna 10 jointed. Pronotum and metanotum unarmed ...................... Solenopsis 18. Paratrechina taylori taylori (Forel, 1894) Antenna 9 jointed. Pronotum and metanotum 19. Paratrechina aseta (Forel,1902) armed with two teeth ................... Meranoplus 20. Formica rufibarbis rufibarbis (Fabricius, 4. Pronotum armed with two spines. .. ............................................ Lophomyrmex 1793) Pronotum not armed ........... ...... Pheidologeton 5. Flagellum of antennae scarcely thickened (iii) Subfamily PONERINAE towards apex without a distinct club Lepeletier, 1835 .................................................. Aphaenogaster Flagellum of antennae with a distinct club 21. Pachycondyla rufipes rufipes (Jerdon, 1851) .................................................................. 6 22. Pachycondyla melanaria melanaria (Emery, 6. Clypeus bicarinate .................... Monomorium 1893) Clypeus not bicarinate, occassionaly with one 23. Pachycondyla sulcata sulcata (Mayr, 1867) carina ............................................................ .7 7. Neuters or workers strongly dimorphous ...................................................... .. Pheidole (iv) Subfamily DOLICHODERINAE Forel, 1878 Neuters or workers monomorphous 24. Tapinoma melanocephalum melanocephalum ............. ......................................... Tetramorium (Fabricius, 1793) Genus Solenopsis Westwood, 1840 Ants are polymorphic social insects having Solenopsis geminata geminata (Fabricius, 1804) three distinct forms- the perfect and fertile female, Original Combination - Atta geminata the male and workers (major or minor). The Fabricius, 1804 largest forms are soldiers. Identification of ants is mainly based on the worker caste. 1804. Solenopsis geminata, Fabricius, Syst. Piez., : 423, (Atta). TAK AND KAZMI: On some ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Nagaland, India 171 1862. Solenopsis geminata, Roger, Ber/. Ent. Zeitschr., 6: Diagnostic Characters: Worker: Length 4-5 289, Male, Female, Worker. mm. Head, alitrunk, leg and petiole of the 1903. Solenopsis geminata, Bingham, Fauna Brit. India, abdomen bright ferruginous red in color and Hym., 2: 158-159. Male, Female, Worker, Soldier. abdomen black, pilosity very long soft, abundant Material examined: Worker - 2exs, and of grey colourd. Head, a little bit longer than Mokokchung (Munkong), 27.9.1994, P.H. Roy broader and broader posteriorly than in front. Mandibles narrow, armed with 4 teeth. Clypeus ColI. (Regd. No. 12858jH3). convex in middle, inclined downwards. The pro Diagnostic Characters: Worker: Length 2.2- 2.5 mesonotal shield of the alitrunk about as broad as mm. Pale yellow, smooth and shining. Mandibles long, with the anterior angles prominent and narrow with four acute teeth. Antennae 12 acute, the sides posteriorly with a small incision, jointed, scape extending beyond the top of the and beyond that produced backwards into a long head, flagellum with a distinct club. Alitrunk laminate spine on each side overhanging the convex above not sub-margined, alitrunk seen in metanotum, the latter, vertical, slightly convex profile deeply emerginate at the meso- metanotal with a carina on each side ending above in an t suture. The r node of petiole squamiform, acute spine. The r t node of petiole smooth, nd anteriorly petiolate, 2 node smoothly rounded triangular 2nd node globose. Abdomen cordate. and little broader in front than posterior. Distribution: India: Gujarat, Karnataka, Abdomen more than twice as long as broad. Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Orissa, Rajasthan, Distribution: India: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Nadu, Punjab, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Delhi. Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal(Kolkata), Orissa, Elsewhere: China, Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Elsewhere: Spread Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, over both the hemispheres, Oceania, Philippines, Thailand. Sri Lanka, Central America. Remarks: Reported for the first time from Remarks: Reported for the first time from Nagaland state. Nagaland state. Genus Lophomynnex Emery, 1892 Genus Meranoplus Smith F., 1853 Lophomyrmex quadrispinosus (Jerdon, 1851) Meranoplus bicolor (Guerin, Meneville, 1844) Original Combination - Oecodoma Original Combination - Cryptocerus bicolor, quadrispinosus Jerdon, 1851 Guerin, 1844 1851. Lophomyrmex oecodoma quadrispinosus Jerdon, 1844. Meranoplus bicolor, Guerin (Cryptocerus) Cuv. Madras Jour. Lit. Sc., 17: 111, (Worker) (Oecodoma). Inconogr. Regm. Anim. Insect, iii, p. 425. 1903. Lophomyrmex quadrispinosus, Bingham, Fauna 1875. Meranoplus bicolor, Smith, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., p. Brit. India, Hym., 2: 195-196. 34, pI 1, fig. 1-3. 1995. Lophomyrmex quadrispinosus Bolton, B., A New 1903. Meranoplus bicolor, Bingham, Fauna Brit. India, General