Pachycondyla sikorae
Creators: name: Rakotonirina, Jean Claude
name: Fisher, Brian L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Pachycondyla
Pachycondyla sikorae

description: Synopsis of the taxonomic history of the P. sikorae species-group
Pachycondyla sikorae was first described as a subgenus (Euponera) of Ponera by Forel 1891: 127. The new subgenus Euponera was later raised to genus (Emery, 1901:46) and by 1911, included a heterogenous group of species placed in four subgenera: Euponera, Mesoponera, Brachyponera, and Trachymesopus (Emery 1911: 79– 86). Brown in Bolton (1994) synonymized the genus as a junior synonym of Pachycondyla, which is where it remains today though molecular results suggest that Pachycondyla is paraphyletic (Ward 2011; Schmidt 2013).
Detailed taxonomic history of Euponera modified from AntCat.org 2013:
Euponera Forel, 1891: 126 [as subgenus of Ponera] Type-species: Ponera sikorae, by monotypy.
Euponera in Ponerinae, Ponerini: Emery, 1895: 767; Emery, 1911: 79 [subtribe Pachycondylini]; Wheeler, 1915: 37; Arnold, 1915: 63; Forel, 1917: 237; Wheeler, 1922: 648; all subsequent authors.
Euponera as subgenus of Ponera: Forel, 1891: 126; Emery, 1895: 767.
Euponera as genus: Emery, 1901: 46; Emery, 1909: 364; Wheeler, 1910: 135; Emery, 1911: 79; Arnold, 1915: 63; Forel, 1917: 237; Gallardo, 1918: 64; Wheeler, 1922: 648; Borgmeier, 1923: 70; Clark, 1934: 30; Creighton, 1950: 44; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 63; Bernard, 1953: 189; Wheeler & Wheeler, 1985: 256; Dlussky & Fedoseeva, 1988: 78; Hölldobler & Wilson, 1990: 11.
Euponera as junior synonym of Pachycondyla: Brown, in Bolton, 1994: 164; Bolton, 2003: 166.
Checklist of the Malagasy P. s i k o r a e species-group
sikorae complex:
gorogota Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
haratsingy Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
ivolo Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
maeva Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
mialy Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
nosy Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
sikorae Forel 1891
vohitravo complex:
agnivo Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
antsiraka Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
daraina Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
rovana Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
tahary Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
vohitravo Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
zoro Rakotonirina and Fisher, sp. n.
Key to species of Malagasy P. sikorae species-group
The function of the key is primarily to identify workers, but can also identify ergatoid and winged queens to species as long as the shape of the mesosoma is not considered.
1. With head in full-face view, anterior margin of clypeus widely transverse and more or less straight, with weak median notch (Fig. 2) (sikorae complex)............................................................................... 2
- With head in full-face view, anterior margin of clypeus generally convex or medially bluntly angulate; slight median notch may be present (Fig. 3) (vohitravo complex)................................................................ 8
2. Posterior surface of petiole node covered with numerous slender hairs and abundant pubescence; anterior surface of third abdominal segment concave, forming a shallow cavity to lodge the posterior surface of the petiole (Fig. 4)............... 3
- Posterior surface of petiole node convex and not covered with numerous slender hairs and abundant pubescence; anterior surface of the third abdominal segment straight, without shallow cavity to lodge the posterior surface of the petiole (Fig. 5).... 4
3. Lateral surface of head and petiole node smooth and shiny, with scattered piligerous punctures (Fig. 6) [known from queen specimen]........................................................................................ ivolo
- Lateral portion of head densely and finely reticulate-rugulose, sides of petiolar node densely and finely punctate (Fig. 7)................................................................................................. haratsingy
4. With mesosoma in dorsal view, metanotal groove deeply impressed (Fig. 8); in lateral view the dorsal outline of mesosoma complex, at least with distinct convex mesonotum (Figs 37, 46)................................................. 5
- With mesosoma in dorsal view, metanotal groove not impressed or absent (Fig. 9); in lateral view, the dorsal outline of mesosoma almost straight or slightly evenly convex, without breaks (Figs 49, 51)....................................... 7
5. Petiole node anteroposteriorly flattened in profile (Fig. 10), in dorsal view its posterior margin medially notched; posterior margin of head slightly concave; antennal scape not surpassing the concave posterior cephalic margin (Figs 38, 47); mandible smooth between small punctures; tegument densely and finely reticulate-punctate (Figs 37, 46)........................ 6
- Petiole node thick in profile (Fig. 11); in dorsal view, the posterior margin broadly convex; antennal scape surpassing the broadly convex posterior cephalic margin (Fig. 59); mandible striate-punctate; black species with mostly smooth and shiny tegument (Fig. 58)................................................................................ sikorae
6. Posterolateral margin of propodeum bordered with broad lamellae which project as tubercles at about the level of propodeal spiracle; antennal scape and outer surface of each tibia covered with erect, slender hairs (Fig. 12); dorsum of head near the posterior margin and rest of body covered with numerous slender long hairs; posterior cephalic margin more or less straight................................................................................................... gorogota
- Posterolateral margin of propodeum bordered with narrow lamellae which form an obtuse angle at about the level of propodeal spiracle; antennal scape and outer surface of each tibia lacking erect, slender hairs (Fig. 13); dorsum of head and rest of body covered with few erect, slender hairs; posterior cephalic margin concave...................................... maeva
7. Smaller species (HW: 1.15, HL<1.5, WL: 1.78); eyes smaller, with seven to eight ommatidia; metanotal groove absent (Fig. 14); mesopleural suture lacking...................................................................... mialy
- Larger species (HW: 1.44, HL: 1.62, WL: 2.34); eyes larger, with 13 ommatidia; metanotal groove present as a dotted line (Fig. 15); mesopleural suture present........................................................................ nosy
8. Anterior surface of the third abdominal segment concave (Fig. 16), forming a shallow cavity to lodge the median portion of the posterior surface of petiole node..................................................................... agnivo
- Anterior surface of the third abdominal segment straight, not forming a shallow cavity to lodge the posterior surface of petiole node (Fig. 17)........................................................................................ 9
9. Posterolateral margins of petiole node without a series of sharp teeth or tubercles (Fig. 18); dorsum of node not tubercuate.... 10
- Posterolateral margins of petiole node armed with a series of sharp teeth or tubercles (Fig. 19); dorsum of node tuberculate... 12
10. In dorsal view, petiole node almost twice as broad as long (Fig. 20); in lateral view, subpetiolar process simple with only an anterior triangular lobe (Fig. 18).................................................................... daraina
- In dorsal view, petiole nodenearly as broad as long (Fig. 21); in lateral view subpetiolar process with an anterior hook-like process and a posterior subtriangular process separated by a concavity (Fig. 55)...................................... 11
11. Larger ant (HW: 1.22–1.32, WL: 1.85–2.05); mesopleuron and lower half of the side of propodeum mostly smooth and shiny with scattered small punctures in the center and fine rugulae at the junction of anepisternum and katepisternum and the lower portion of the metapleuron near the opening of the metapleural gland (Fig. 22).................................. zoro
- Smaller species (HW: 1.01–1.14, WL: 1.58–1.77); mesopleuron and lower half of the side of propodeum densely rugulose and superimposed with punctures or foveolae (Fig. 23)...................................................... rovana
12. Second gastral (fourth abdominal) tergite punctate to sparsely punctuate; pubescence absent or reduced in abundance on first and second gastral segments, distance between two adjacent pubescences generally equal to or greater than the length of the pubescence itself (Fig. 24)............................................................................. 13
- Second gastral (fourth abdominal) tergite densely punctate, with small punctures between larger ones; first and second gastral segments with abundant pubescence, distance between two adjacent pubescences always less than the length of the pubescence itself (Fig. 25)................................................................................. vohitravo
13. Mesopleural suture distinctly continuous and narrowly impressed (Fig. 26); head densely and finely reticulate-rugulose or reticulate-punctate behind the level of eye; with head in full-face view, the lateral borders at the level of anterior margin of eye not strongly curving towards the base of mandibles (Fig. 32); in profile, distance between eyes and base of mandibles roughly three times or more than the maximum diameter of eye................................................. antsiraka
- Mesopleural suture indistinct, with broad and discontinuous concavities or impressions in this region, but no obvious suture (Fig. 27); head mostly smooth and shiny with faintly effaced reticulate-punctate sculpture behind the level of eyes; with head in full-face view, the lateral margins from the level of anterior margin of eye abruptly curving toward the base of mandibles (Fig. 62); in lateral view, distance between eye and base of mandible slightly less than twice the maximum diameter of eye................................................................................................... tahary
description: Published as part of Rakotonirina, Jean Claude & Fisher, Brian L., 2013, Revision of the Pachycondyla sikorae species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Madagascar, pp. 447-485 in Zootaxa 3683 (4) on pages 451-457, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3683.4.8, http://zenodo.org/record/247516