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New Records of Ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Haryana, India

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New Records of Ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Haryana, India TAK and KUMAR: New records of ants......from Haryana, India ISSN 0375-1511529 Rec. zool. Surv. India : 114(Part-4) : 529-538, 2014 NEW RECORDS OF ANTS (INSECTA: HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) FROM HARYANA, INDIA NEENA TAK1 AND SEEMA KUMAR2 1Desert Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Jodhpur-342005 2Arid Forest Research Institute, Jodhpur-342005 INTRODUCTION 2009) has studied the ants of Indian Institute of Ants have the most highly organized social life Science campus, Bangalore; reported a new record among all the insects. The major factor responsible from Bangalore, 2 new species and published a for their ecological success is division of labour, Review of Extant Subfamilies, Tribes and Ant performing different biological functions. Ants Genera in India. live in highly organized and integrated units the The present studies are based on the material societies or colonies. Bingham’s (1903) fauna is collected by the second author from Pinjore, the main source of knowledge of ants in India. Haryana. Pinjore, a town in Panchkula district Chapman and Capco (1951) published a checklist of Haryana state is located close to Chandigarh of the ants of Asia. Bharti (2001, 2002, 2003, set over 1,800 feet above the sea level in a valley, 2004 & 2012) has published a checklist of ants of overlooking the Sivalik Hills. Panchkula district North-West India which includes the works from has a sub tropical continental monsoon climate Haryana, also reported 4 new species and Indian with hot summer, cool winter, good monsoon ants on ant website. Bolton (1995) has published A rainfall and great variation in temperature (0 °C New General Catalogue of the Ants of the World to 43 °C). The average rainfall of the district is and Catalogue of the Ants of the World CD-ROM about 1283 mm. Morni hills constitute the highest 2007. Karmaly (2004) has also reported 1 new point of the district as well as of Haryana. The Ghaggar River is the only perennial river. The species and a key to species of Polyrhachis. Sheela other important rivers/streams of the district are & Narendran (1997 & 1998) has reported 7 new Sirsa and Kaushalya. Pinjore has a total geographic species of ants. Sheela et al. (2000) has redescribed area of about 288 sq. km. and lies between latitudes a new myrmicine ant. Sheela (2008) has published 30°47´50´´N and76°55´02´´ East longitudes. It is a handbook on Formicidae. Distributional record known for the Asia’s best 17th Century Pinjore of one species of ant from Haryana is also known Garden. Thorny, dry, deciduous forest and thorny from works of Tiwari et al. (2003). Tiwari (1994) shrubs can be found all over the state. Due to has reported 2 new species of ants from Kerala. good rainfall and elevation Pinjore has rich, Tiwari (1998) has worked on ants of Southern abundant and diverse fl ora and fauna. Tree species India; Tiwari & Jonathan (1986) has reported 2 generally found are Eucalyptus camaldulensis, new species of ants of Andaman and Nicobar Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia nilotica, Acacia tortilis, Islands; Tiwari & Tiwari (2002) has studied the Acacia catechu, Mangifera indica and Prosopis ants of Orissa. Tiwari et al. (1998, 2003 & 2004) julifl ora. The major species grown under Agro- has worked on the ants of West Bengal, Sikkim forestry are Eucalyptus camaldulensis and and Manipur. Varghese (2003, 2004, 2006 & Populus deltoides. The present paper describes 530 Rec. zool. Surv. India eight species distributed under eight genera of IDENTIFICATION KEY IS BASED ON the family Formicidae comprising fi ve subfamilies THE WORKER CASTE OF ANTS namely Formicinae with one genera and one (Modifi ed from Bolton, 1994) species, Ponerinae with two genera and two species, Dolichoderinae with one genera and Key to the sub-families of family Formicidae one species, Pseudomyrmecinae with one genera 1. Body with a single reduced segment i.e. petiole and one species, Myrmicinae with three genera between alitrunk and abdomen ……………2 and three species along with a checklist of ant Body with two reduced segment i.e. petiole and species from Haryana. Out of eight species seven post petiole between alitrunk and abdomen . species are new records from Haryana state. All the eight species of ants (Formicidae) from Haryana ...................................................................... 4 state has been deposited and registered in the 2. Apex of gaster with a semicircular or circular Identifi ed Register of Invertebrate collection of acidopore, usually guarded by setae, sting Desert Regional Centre, ZSI, Jodhpur. absent ............................................Formicinae SYSTEMATICS Apex of gaster without a semicircular or Order HYMENOPTERA circular acidopore, sting present ..................3 Family FORMICIDAE LATREILLE, 1809 3. Either pygidium or hypopygidium armed with peg like teeth or short spines ........Ponerinae (i) Subfamily FORMICINAE LEPELETIER, 1809 Pygidium or hypopygidium unarmed ............ 1. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) invidus Forel, ............................................... Dolichoderinae 1892 4. Posterior margin of clypeus not projecting in (ii) Subfamily PONERINAE LEPELETIER, between antennal sockets, promesonotal suture 1835 present, hind tibia with a conspicuous pectinate 2. Odontoponera transversa transversa (Smith, spur .................................. Pseudomyrmecinae F. 1857) Posterior margin of clypeus projecting in 3. Pachycondyla rufi pes rufi pes (Jerdon, 1851) between antennal sockets, promesonotal suture (iii) Subfamily DOLICHODERINAE absent, hind tibia with only a simple spur ... FOREL, 1878 ....................................................Myrmiciinae 4. Tapinoma melanocephalum melanocephalum (i) Subfamily FORMICINAE LEPELETIER, (Fabricius, 1793) 1809 (iv) Subfamily PSEUDOMYRMECINAE Genus Camponotus Mayr, 1861 SMITH, 1952 1. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) invidus 5. Tetraponera nigra (Jerdon, 1851) Forel, 1892 (v) Subfamily MYRMICINAE EMERY, 1877 Original Combination – Camponotus invidus 6. Monomorium mayri Forel, 1902 Forel, 1892 7. Myrmicaria brunnea brunnea Saunders, 1842 1892. Camponotus (Tanacmyrmex) invidus Forel, J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 7: 225 & 234, fi g. 2, Worker, 8. Pheidologeton affi nis affi nis (Jerdon, 1851) Soldier. Ants are polymorphic social insects having 1903. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) invidus (Forel), three distinct forms- the perfect and fertile female, Bingham, Fauna Brit. India, Hym., 2: 367. the male, and workers (major or minor). The 1995. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) invidus (Forel), Bolton, largest forms are soldiers. Identifi cation of ants B., A New General Catalogue of the Ants of the World. is mainly based on the worker caste. : 105. TAK and KUMAR: New records of ants......from Haryana, India 531 Material examined: Workers-2 exs., Pinjore, 1903. Odontoponera transversa (Smith, F.,) Bingham, 26.ii.2013, Seema Kumar Coll. (Reg. No. Fauna Brit. India, Hym., 2: 73. 9077/A). Material examined: Workers- 4 exs., Pinjore, Diagnostic Characters: Length worker (minor) 26.ii.2013, Seema Kumar Coll. (Reg. No. -5-6 m.m. 9078/A). Worker: Head, alitrunk and abdomen entirely Diagnostic Characters: Length worker-9-12 pale yellow with sparse erect yellowish pubescens. m.m. Head more or less elongate, sides of the head Worker: Black, mandibles, antennae and legs straight, not convex. Mandibles with 6 teeth; dark castaneous, the mandibles and clypeus clypeus comparatively broad. Antennae 12 longitudinally striate, the anterior margin of the segmented, comparatively long and thick. Alitrunk latter denticulate, the striae on the thorax and node convex anteriorly, strongly laterally compressed of the petiole transverse, abdomen smooth but posteriorly, with the pro-meso and metanotum dull, with piligerous points in the smaller form more strongly curved. Legs stout, tibia cylindrical. or variety. Head quadrate, the occiput slightly Petiole one jointed, node low, convex in front, emarginated, the posterior lateral angles rounded, fl at posteriorly, abdomen comparatively long and mandibles powerful, subtriangular, strongly massive. dentate. Antennal carinae widened anteriorly, Distribution: India: Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, more or less covering base of antennae, antennae Orissa, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, 12 jointed, stout, the scape passing by very little Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar beyond the top of the head, the second joint of Islands. the fl agellum very little longer than 1st or 3rd Remarks: Reported for the fi rst time from joint of the fl agellum. Alitrunk massive, pronotum Haryana state. convex, anteriorly narrowed into a short collar, the anterior lateral angles with teeth or spines; (ii) Subfamily PONERINAE LEPELETIER, pro-meso and meso–metanotal sutures distinct 1835 above, mesonotum transversely oval, slightly Key to the genera of sub-family Ponerinae convex, metanotum slightly compressed, the basal 1. Pronotum with teeth or spines ...................... portion passing into the apical portion by a gradual ...................................... Odontoponera Mayr slope, the latter boad, fl at, with a denticulate ridge Pronotum without teeth or spines ................. on each side dividing it from the sides of the ...................................... Pachycondyla Smith metanotum. Claws not pectinate. Petiole free, with a fl exible joint between it and abdomen. Petiole Genus Odontoponera Mayr, 1862 one jointed, node moderately raised, fl attened 2. Odontoponera transversa transversa anterioly and posteriorly, its border emarginated. (Smith, F., 1857) Abdomen short, constriction between the
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