Adetomyrma venatrix Ward 1994
Creators: name: Yoshimura, Masashi
name: Fisher, Brian L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Adetomyrma
Adetomyrma venatrix

description: Adetomyrma venatrix Ward, 1994
(Figs 12, 16, 18, 22, 24, 37, 46, 55, 63, 72, 79, 80, 84)
Adetomyrma venatrix Ward, 1994. Holotype: worker, MCZ34786, PSW#11932, MADAGASCAR, Zombitse Forest, along Route Nationale 7, 15 km E Sakaraha, 22°54'S, 44°41'E, 15, 760 m alt., tropical dry forest, ex rotten log, ii.1993, P. S. Ward leg. [MCZC]; two paratype workers [CASENT0172771: CASC, CASENT0249634: MCZC] with same data as the holotype were examined.
Worker. Description. Measurements: holotype. HL 0.54, HW 0.46, SL 0.32, HD 0.32, WL 0.73, PnW 0.32, MnW 0.2, PpW 0.25, PtW 0.24, CI 84.8, SI 70.2, MnI 43.9, PpI 127, PtI 94.5.
HL 0.47–0.55, HW 0.42–0.48, SL 0.28–0.33, HD 0.29–0.34, WL 0.63–0.73, PnW 0.28–0.31, MnW 0.18–0.21, PpW 0.23–0.26, PtW 0.22–0.27, CI 83.5–92.9, SI 63.7–69.7, MnI 39.4–45.1, PpI 123.2–134.9, PtI 91–103.5 (2 paratypes and 9 individuals measured).
The following updated worker description is based largely on that in Ward (1994). Head subquadrate in fullface view, longer than wide; sides slightly convex, widening near the mandibular insertions, converging posteriorly, posterior margin concave (Fig 84). Clypeus short, principal surface deflected ventrally. Anterior margin of clypeus broadly convex, and furnished with a row of about 20 small, specialized, conical setae. Frontal carinae in full-face view short and low, expanded laterally as small frontal lobes covering more than about 0.33× of length of antennal insertions. Mandible subfalcate, without distinct basal and masticatory margins (Fig 84); inner margin with two apical teeth and four basal denticles; no denticle on base of subapical tooth (second tooth from apex); out of four denticles, apical two denticles larger (longer) than other two; apical two sometimes fused into one blunt, low denticle (observed in CASENT0129948). Palpal formula 3,3 (three maxillary and three labial). Antennal scape shorter than head length. Pedicel (second antennal segment) approximately equal to combined length of next three (third to fifth) antennal segments. Antenna gradually broadened from its third segment and not forming a distinct club. Dorsal outline of mesosoma in lateral view somewhat rounded, continuous; mesonotum not strongly raised from pronotal and propodeal dorsum. Pronotum in dorsal view longer than broad, with convex sides. Mesonotum in dorsal view short, 2× as wide as long. Metapleuron fully fused with propodeum, division of two plates not distinguishable in lateral view. Dorsal face of propodeum narrower than pronotum, about 1.5× longer than wide, with subparallel sides converging slightly toward mesonotum (Fig 80). Propodeum in lateral view, dorsal margin 2.5× length of declivitous margin, rounding gently into latter. Propodeal spiracle large, located distantly from propodeal dorsal margin in lateral view, partially visible in dorsal view. Subpetiolar process distinctly developed, variably shaped like an irregular axe blade. Shallow, sparse punctures covering dorsal head, mesosoma, abdomen, and ventral head; those on head dorsum denser than on other parts. 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 long one. With head in full-face view, anterior clypeal hairs consisting of one pair of long hairs and two shorter hairs laterally (Fig 84).
Male. Description. Measurements: HL 0.56–0.63, HW 0.77–0.87, SL 0.15–0.17, EL 0.37–0.4, WL 1.32–1.58, MnW 0.89–1.02, CI 132.3–140.9, SI 19.1–20.1, EI 63.3–65.8, MnI 113.4–125 (5 individuals measured).
Eye well developed and prominent (Fig 55), posterior margin not exceeding posterior margin of mid ocellus in full-face view. Distance between lateral ocellus and eye slightly longer than diameter of lateral ocellus (Fig 22). Palpal formula 3,3 (three maxillary and three labial). Notaulus absent on mesoscutum. Parapsidal line clearly impressed with darker pigment. Anterior margin of petiole longer than dorsal margin in lateral view. Subpetiolar process poorly developed, without hairs ventrally.
Left and right parameres not overlapping or narrowly overlapping on dorsal small part of basimere (Fig 14). No distinct projection or lobe present on posterodorsal portion of paramere. Basal ring not reduced, covering whole anterior margin of paramere in lateral view. Basal projection on cuspis clear but not extraordinarily well developed. Aedeagus in lateral view as in Figure 63: distal portion narrowed after ventral projection; apical margin relatively wide and dull; dorsal and ventral margins after basal projection almost symmetric; posteroventral portion without a broadly triangular projection; posteroventral margin of ventral projection convex in basal half and concave in distal half.
Hair on compound eyes short, about 0.25× diameter of mid ocellus (Fig 55). Mesofemur in dorsal view, anterior face covered with dense and short subdecumbent hairs, lacking hairs. Ventral margin of eye not edged with darker pigment or punctures. Body color uniform dark brown to brown (Fig 37).
Distribution. MADAGASCAR: as in Figure 72.
Additional material examined: in addition to the type material, specimens from the following localities were examined in this study: MADAGASCAR. Amoron'i Mania Region, district of Ambositra, Italaviana Uapaca forest, 135 km SE of Antsirabe, 20° 10.4´S, 47° 5.16´E, 1359 m alt., Uapaca forest; Makay Mts., 21° 12.59´S, 45° 20.51´E, 525 m alt.; 21° 13.37´S, 45° 19.49´E, 490 m alt., gallery forest on sandy soil; radio tower, Ranomafana National Park, Fianarantsoa Prov., 21° 15.05´S, 47° 24.43´E, 1130 m alt., forest edge, mixed tropical forest, open area; Parc National d'Isalo, 9.1 km 354° N Ranohira, 22° 28.9´S, 45° 27.7´E, 725 m alt., gallery forest; Forêt d'Analalava, 29.6 km 280° W Ranohira, 22° 35.5´S, 45° 7.7´E, 700 m alt., tropical dry forest near road, Zombitse National Park, Tulear Prov., 22° 50.43´S, 44° 43.87´E, 825 m alt., spiny deciduous forest; near ANGAP office, Zombitse National Park, Tulear Prov., 22° 53.19´S, 44° 41.53´E, 840 m alt., deciduous spiny forest; Anosy Region, district of Fort-Dauphin, Andohaela National Park Parcelle II, Tsimela, 42 km W of Fort-Dauphin, 24° 56.21´S, 46° 37.6´E, 177 m alt., transition forest; Grand Lavasoa, 25.9 km W of Tolagnaro, 25° 5.26´S, 46° 44.94´E, 450 m alt., rainforest.
Remarks. The worker of Adetomyrma venatrix is easily distinguished from the other Adetomyrma species by the combination of two shorter hairs lateral to the longest hair on anterior margin of the clypeus, the lack of a small denticle on the basal portion of the mandibular subapical tooth, and the concave posterior margin of the head in full-face view. Males of A. venatrix are distinguished easily from other Adetomyrma males by their brown body color (Fig 37), the mesoscutum without notaulus (Fig 18), the relative closeness of the lateral ocellus to the eye (Fig 22), a clear parapsidal line, and a petiole with an anterior margin longer than its dorsal margin (Fig 37).
The male of Adetomyrma venatrix is relatively similar to that of A. aureocuprea, although the former species can be separated from the latter by its brown body color and the clearly impressed parapsidal line. Morphological differences between these two species are relatively small, and A. aureocuprea shows large morphological variation. However, these two species have a sympatric distribution (Figs 64 and 72) and the morphological differences in each sympatric site are consistent.
Although male specimens have not been collected with conspecific workers, males were determined to be conspecific by a comparison to the other Adetomyrma species known from the type locality of venatrix and through CO1 sequencing (Fisher unpublished data). A. goblin, which has a known worker-male association, is the only other species known from the type locality of venatrix and their males are quite distinct.
Adetomyrma venatrix corresponds to the following species code used in previous studies:
mgm01: 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 27-30, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3341.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/213817