Aenictus minutulus
Creators: name: Wong, Mark K. L.
name: Benoit Guénard
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Aenictus
Aenictus minutulus

description: <i>Aenictus minutulus</i> species group <i>Diagnosis</i>. The <i>A. minutulus</i> species group was established by Jaitrong and Hashimoto (2012) from their redefinition and renaming of the <i>Aenictus piercei</i> species group (Jaitrong and Yamane 2011). From the <i>A. piercei</i> species group, Jaitrong and Hashimoto removed two species (<i>Aenictus piercei</i> Wheeler et Chapman, 1930; <i>Aenictus lifuiae</i> Terayama, 1984) and added two new species and one undescribed morphospecies (see synoptic species list of <i>A. minutulus</i> species group below). Jaitrong and Hashimoto (2012) define the <i>A. minutulus</i> species group as follows: “Head in full-face view with occipital corner convex, and posterior margin almost straight to shallowly and broadly concave; occipital margin lacking collar. Antenna 10 -segmented; antennal scape short, reaching only midlength of head. Anterior clypeal margin roundly convex, lacking denticles. Mandible subtriangular; its masticatory margin with a large apical tooth, medium-sized subapical and basal teeth, and 2–6 denticles between them; basal margin of mandible with conspicuous denticles. Frontal carina short; parafrontal ridge absent. With mesosoma in profile promesonotum convex dorsally and sloping gradually to the propodeum; metapleural groove present or absent (mesonotum and propodeum fused); propodeal junction angular. Subpetiolar process well developed, triangular or subrectangular. Head and first gastral segment entirely smooth and shiny. Body yellowish brown to reddish brown; typhlatta spot absent. Size variation occurs among individuals from single colonies.” Synoptic species list of <i>A. minutulus</i> species group from Southeast Asia <i>Aenictus changmaianus</i> Terayama et Kubota, 1993 (Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia); <i>Aenictus minimus</i> Jaitrong et Hashimoto, 2012 (North Vietnam); <i>Aenictus minutulus</i> Terayama et Yamane, 1989 (Thailand, Sumatra, Java); <i>Aenictus peguensis</i> Emery, 1895 (Vietnam, Myanmar); <i>Aenictus seletarius</i> sp. nov. (Singapore); <i>Aenictus</i> sp. 56 of WJT Jaitrong et Hashimoto, 2012 (Borneo, Java); <i>Aenictus subterraneus</i> Jaitrong et Hashimoto, 2012 (Borneo). Updated key to <i>A. minutulus</i> species group from Southeast Asia The key to <i>A. minutulus</i> group species from South- east Asia (Jaitrong and Hashimoto 2012) is updated below with the inclusion of <i>A. seletarius</i> in key couplet 5 and transfer of the species <i>A. changmaianus</i> and <i>A. minutulus</i> to an additional key couplet. 1. Promesonotum in profile with clearly convex dorsal outline; propodeum dorsally distinctly lower than promesonotum.............................. <b>2</b> –. Mesosoma dorsally almost flat or feebly convex... <b>4</b> 2. Declivity of propodeum shallowly concave, encircled with a distinct rim (Borneo and Java)...................... <b> <i>A.</i> sp. 56 of WJT</b> Jaitrong et Hashimoto –. Declivity of propodeum with lateral carinae, but not demarcated basally by a transverse carina...... <b>3</b> 3. In full-face view posterior margin of head convex; propodeal junction angulated, right-angled; larger species (TL 2.95–3.15 mm; HW 0.52–0.58 mm) (Vietnam and Myanmar)......... <i>A. peguensis</i> Emery –. In full-face view posterior margin of head almost straight or feebly concave; propodeal junction roundly angulated; smaller species (TL 2.10–2.15 mm; HW 0.48–0.50 mm) (Borneo).......................... <i>A. subterraneus</i> Jaitrong et Hashimoto 4. Basal margin of mandible with 1–2 small denticles next to large basal tooth and followed by a larger denticle (North Vietnam).................................... <i>A. minimus</i> Jaitrong et Hashimoto –. Basal margin of mandible with 3–5 denticles that gradually reduce in size toward base of mandible....................................... <b>5</b> 5. Head square-shaped and almost as wide as long (CI 91–96); antennal scape relatively short (SI 61–64); polymorphic worker caste with largest individuals exceeding 3.10 mm in TL (Singapore)........................................ <i>A. seletarrius</i> sp. n. –. Head longer than wide (CI &lt;90); antennal scape relatively long (SI 67–72); relatively smaller species (TL &lt;2.60 mm)............................. <b>6</b> 6. Metapleural gland bulla relatively large; distance between propodeal spiracle and metapleural gland bulla shorter than or almost as long as spiracular diameter (Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia)............... <i>A. changmaianus</i> Terayama et Kubota –. Metapleural gland bulla relatively small; distance between propodeal spiracle and metapleural gland bulla clearly longer than spiracular diameter (Thailand, Java and Sumatra).................................... <i>A. minutulus</i> Terayama et Yamane
description: Published as part of <i>Mark K. L. Wong &amp; Benoit Guénard, 2016, Aenictus seletarius, a New Species of Hypogaeic Army Ant from Singapore, with an Updated Key to the Aenictus minutulus Species Group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae) from Southeast Asia, pp. 35-42 in Annales Zoologici 66 (1)</i> on pages 36-37, DOI: 10.3161/00034541Anz2016.66.1.002, http://zenodo.org/record/269444
description: {"references": ["Jaitrong, W. and Y. Hashimoto. 2012. Revision of the Aenictus minutulus species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae) from Southeast Asia. Zootaxa, 3426: 29 - 44.", "Jaitrong, W. and S. Yamane. 2011. Synopsis of Aenictus species groups and revision of the A. currax and A. laeviceps groups in the eastern Oriental, Indo-Australian, and Australasian regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae). Zootaxa, 3128: 1 - 46.", "Wheeler, W. M. and J. W. Chapman. 1930. Aenictus (Aenictus) piercei Wheeler and Chapman, sp. nov. Pp. 209 - 210 in: Wheeler, W. M. 1930. Philippine ants of the genus Aenictus with descriptions of the females of two spec ies. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 38: 193 - 212.", "Terayama, M. 1984. A new species of the army ant genus Aenictus from Taiwan (Insecta; Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan, 39: 13 - 16.", "Terayama, M. and S. Kubota. 1993. The army ant genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Thailand and Vietnam, with descriptions of three new species. Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan, 48: 68 - 72.", "Terayama, M. and S. Yamane. 1989. The army ant genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Sumatra, with descriptions of three new species. Japanese Journal of Entomology, 57: 597 - 603.", "Emery, C. 1895. Viaggio di Leonardo Fea in Birmania e regioni vicine. LXIII. Formiche di Birmania del Tenasserim e dei Monti Carin raccolte da L. Fea. Parte II. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, (2) 14 (34): 450 - 483."]}