Leptogenys maxillosa ( Smith, 1858 )

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Wetterer, James K., Mohamed, Amr A. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2022, Faunal composition, diversity, and distribution of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Dhofar Governorate, Oman, with updated list of the Omani species and remarks on zoogeography, European Journal of Taxonomy 838 (1), pp. 1-106 : 89

Leptogenys maxillosa ( Smith, 1858)

Fig. 55

Ponera maxillosa Smith, 1858: 93 (w, m) Mauritius. Malagasy.

Diagnosis

Body opaque dark brown to black-brown; in full-face view hypostomal teeth visible, anterior clypeal margin makes an obtuse angle medially; anterior clypeal margin with 2 long setae; mandibles falcate; median portion of clypeus projects as a lobe; tarsal claws pectinate.

Material examined

This species was not collected in the present study.

Ecological and biological notes

This species has been found associated with roadside leaf litter under shrubs ( Collingwood 1985). Leptogenys maxillosa has been reported as a specialized predator of isopods in Brazil ( Lattke 2011), and nest entrances can be detected by exoskeletons of their prey ( Freitas 1995). Leptogenys maxillosa is a pantropical tramp species adapted to inhabiting disturbed areas, and frequently found nesting in slots and cavities of buildings in urban areas ( Freitas 1995).

Geographic range

Leptogenys maxillosa was described originally from Mauritius and this ant is now recorded from the Afrotropical, the Neotropical ( Bolton 1975) and the Malagasy ( Rakotonirina & Fisher 2014) Regions. It was listed from KSA and Oman (Dhofar) by Collingwood (1985) and Collingwood & Agosti (1996).

Figures

Fig. 55. Leptogenys maxillosa (Smith, 1858), syntype, worker (CASENT0102266, AntWeb.org (April Nobile)). A. Body in profile. B. Head in full-face view. C. Distribution map.