Adetomyrma bressleri, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Yoshimura, Masashi
name: Fisher, Brian L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Adetomyrma
Adetomyrma bressleri

description: Adetomyrma bressleri sp. nov.
(Figs 7, 9, 13, 30, 39, 48, 57, 65, 73, 74, 81)
Holotype. Worker: CASENT0205995, BLF26111: MADAGASCAR, Antsiranana, Parc National Montagne d'Ambre, 12° 30.83´S, 49° 10.67´E, 984 m alt., montane rainforest, ground nest, 2.iii.2011, B.L.Fisher et al. leg. [CASC]
Paratypes. 4 workers: CASENT0205996 [BMNH], CASENT0205997 [MHNG], CASENT0205998 [MCZC], CASENT0205999 [NHMB], with same data as holotype; 1 male, CASENT0205990, BLF26044: MADAGASCAR, Antsiranana, Parc National Montagne d'Ambre, 12° 30.83´S, 49° 10.67´E, 984 m alt., montane rainforest, Malaise trap, 23–24.ii.2011, B.L. Fisher et al. leg. [CASC]
Worker. Description. Measurements: holotype. HL 0.85, HW 0.8, SL 0.45, HD 0.5, WL 1.03, PnW 0.46, MnW 0.25, PpW 0.41, PtW 0.38, CI 93.6, SI 56.9, MnI 31.8, PpI 159.8, PtI 94.1.
HL 0.84–0.9, HW 0.73–0.8, SL 0.46–0.48, HD 0.48–0.55, WL 0.98–1.08, PnW 0.45–0.48, MnW 0.24–0.27, PpW 0.38–0.43, PtW 0.37–0.41, CI 86.7–89.5, SI 59.7–63.2, MnI 30.7–34, PpI 152.8–168.8, PtI 93.1–97.7 (4 paratypes measured).
Head subquadrate in full-face view: longer than wide, sides slightly convex, wider around midlength of head capsule, weakly converging anteriorly and posteriorly, posterior margin concave (Fig 81). Clypeal principal surface deflected ventrally. Anterior margin of clypeus broadly convex, furnished with row of about 26 small, specialized, conical setae. Frontal carinae in full-face view short and low, expanded laterally as small frontal lobes about 1.5× wider than length of antennal insertions. Mandible subfalcate, without distinct basal and masticatory margins, inner margin with two apical teeth and five basal denticles (Fig 7): one small denticle on base of subapical tooth (second tooth from apex) (Fig 7); out of five denticles, second and fifth denticles from apical-most one larger than others; second denticle largest (longest); third denticle small and adjacent with second one, and division between them unclear on its base; basal-most denticle sometimes divided into two adjacent small, low denticles (observed in CASENT0205999). Palpal formula 3,3 (three maxillary and three labial). Antennal scape shorter than head length. Pedicel (second antennal segment) shorter than combined length of next three (third to fifth) antennal segments. Antenna gradually broadened from third segment and not forming distinct club. Dorsal outline of mesosoma in lateral view somewhat arched, mesonotum raised from pronotal and propodeal dorsum, metanotal groove often clearly impressed. Pronotum in dorsal view longer than broad, with convex sides. Mesonotum in dorsal view short, slightly wider than long. Metapleuron fully fused with propodeum, but divided by shallow furrow. Dorsal face of propodeum almost as wide as pronotum, less than 1.5× longer than wide, sides strongly converging toward mesonotum (Fig 74). Propodeal dorsal margin in lateral view less than 2× the length of the declivitous margin, rounding gently into the latter. Propodeal spiracle large, located close to propodeal dorsal margin in lateral view, fully visible in dorsal view. Subpetiolar process distinctly developed, shaped like an irregular axe blade. Shallow and sparse punctures covering head, mesosoma, and abdomen. Clypeus with two groups of hairs; mid clypeal hairs directed dorsally, and anterior clypeal hairs deflected anteriorly. Mid clypeal hairs consisting of one long hair and one or two shorter hairs around the long one. With clypeus in full-face view, anterior clypeal hairs consisting of one pair of long hairs and a single shorter hair laterally (Fig 7).
Queen unknown.
Male. Description. Measurements: HL 0.82–0.86, HW 1.18–1.26, SL 0.27–0.3, EL 0.44–0.51, WL 2.22–2.35, MnW 1.55–1.69, CI 140.4–147.2, SI 22.9–24.4, EI 54.1–59.3, MnI 129.3–140.6 (5 individuals measured).
Eye well-developed and prominent, posterior margin not exceeding posterior margin of mid ocellus in fullface view. Distance between lateral ocellus and eye long, 3× longer than diameter of lateral ocellus. Palpal formula 3,3 (three maxillary and three labial). Notaulus absent on mesoscutum (Fig 39). Parapsidal line clearly impressed. Anterior margin of petiole longer than dorsal margin in lateral view. Subpetiolar process well-developed, with dense hairs ventrally.
Left and right parameres broadly overlapping along almost entire length of basimere (Fig 13). Distinct, flattened, and needle-like projection present on each posterodorsal portion of paramere (Fig 13). Basal ring reduced to about 0.33× of parameral maximum height in lateral view. Basal projection on cuspis extraordinarily well developed, as large as digitus, and replacing the usual position of cuspis; cuspis also well developed and elongate, and surrounding digitus. Aedeagus in lateral view as in Figure 57; mid portion distinctly widened and distal portion extremely narrowed; ventral projection vestigial and inconspicuous; its apical portion narrowed but hard, and curved as a hook.
Hair on compound eyes long, almost as long as diameter of mid ocellus (Fig 48). Mesofemur in dorsal view with anterior face covered in dense subdecumbent hairs. Ventral margin of eye edged with darker pigment but without minute punctures on the area. Body yellow with bicolored head, brown on its dorsal face and yellow on its ventral face (Fig 30).
Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronymic referring to Dr. Barry Lee Bressler, retired physicist, former adjunct professor of physics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and amateur naturalist, in recognition of his interest in myrmecology and his support for research on ants. The species epithet is treated as a noun in apposition, and thus invariant.
Distribution. MADAGASCAR: as in Figure 65.
Additional material examined: in addition to the type material, specimens from the following localities were examined in this study: MADAGASCAR. Sakalava Beach, vegetated beach dunes, 12° 15.77´S, 49° 23.85´E, 10 m alt., across sandy trail in dwarf littoral forest; 7 km N Joffreville, camp 2 of Fisher, 12° 20´S, 49° 15´E, 360 m alt., in dry forest; Parc National Montagne d'Ambre, 12° 30.83´S, 49° 10.67´E, 984 m alt., montane rainforest; Parc National Montagne d'Ambre, first campsite, 12° 30.87´S, 49° 10.88´E, 960 m alt., rainforest; Parc National Montagne d'Ambre, lemur trail, 12° 31´S, 49° 11´E, 975 m alt., rainforest; Parc National Montagne d'Ambre, Petit Lac road, 12° 31.22´S, 49° 10.75´E, 1125 m alt., rainforest; Parc National Montagne d'Ambre, 12.2 km 211° SSW Joffreville, 12° 35.78´S, 49° 9.57´E, 1300 m alt., montane rainforest; Andasibe National Park, botanic garden near entrance, west of ANGAP office, 18° 55.58´S, 48° 24.47´E, 1025 m alt., tropical forest.
Remarks. Workers of Adetomyrma bressleri are clearly distinguished from other genus members by a combination of a single shorter hair lateral to the longest one on the anterior clypeal margin in full-face view, the presence of a small denticle on the basal portion of the mandibular subapical tooth, and a large propodeal spiracle that is located posterodorsally and fully visible in dorsal view. A. bressleri is easily distinguished from other Adetomyrma males by its giant yellow body, parameres overlapping broadly on almost the whole length of the basimere, and a flattened, needle-like projection on the posterodorsal portion of the paramere (Fig 13).
The males of A. bressleri (= mg03: Yoshimura & Fisher 2012) have been collected numerous times by Malaise traps at the higher elevations of Montagne d'Ambre (900–1300m). The first collection date from Malaise traps was in 2001. Since then, three expeditions to Montagne d'Ambre have been organized to find the female castes, but not until 2011 was the worker caste finally found. To find the worker caste, Malaise traps were set up and monitored for the collection of males. Once males were collected, logs and branches on the ground around the trap were inspected. On the last day of the trip in 2011, workers were found in a log near a trap that had collected males. As the log was pulled apart for worker ants (BLF26111), the nearby Malaise trap (BLF26044), which was moved directly above the log, captured males leaving the log. These collections did not yield a visible queen but included 291 workers and 814 larvae.
Although the males of A. goblin (Fig 71) and A. aureocuprea (Fig 64) were collected from either the same location or localities close to where A. bressleri was found (Fig 65), we differentiate the workers of the former two species from the latter with confidence. The association between males and workers in A. goblin has been clarified by colony series material. The morphological similarities of the males of A. aureocuprea and A. venatrix strongly suggest that the workers of A. aureocuprea share several important characters with that of A. venatrix, including the lack of a basal denticle on the base of the subapical mandible tooth (as in Fig 8), and two shorter hairs lateral to the longest hair on the anterior margin of the clypeus in full-face view (Fig 8). In contrast, the worker of A. bressleri has a basal denticle (Fig 7), and only a single hair lateral to the longest anterior clypeal hair in full-face view (Fig 7).
This new species corresponds to the following species code below used in previous studies:
mg03: Yoshimura & Fisher 2012.
description: Published as part of Yoshimura, Masashi & Fisher, Brian L., 2012, A revision of the Malagasy endemic genus Adetomyrma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Amblyoponinae), pp. 1-31 in Zootaxa 3341 (1) on pages 12-15, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3341.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/213817