Royidris shuckardi (Forel) Forel, 2014

Bolton, Barry & Fisher, Brian, 2014, The Madagascan endemic myrmicine ants related to Eutetramorium (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): taxonomy of the genera Eutetramorium Emery, Malagidris nom. n., Myrmisaraka gen. n., Royidris gen. n., and Vitsika gen. n .., Zootaxa 3791 (1), pp. 1-99 : 65-66

Royidris shuckardi (Forel) comb. n.

(Figs 75-77, Map 147)

Monomorium shuckardi Forel , 1895: 251. Holotype queen, MADAGASCAR: Moramanga (Sikora) (MHNG) [examined]. Comb. n.

QUEEN (gyne). Alate when virgin. Among the few known queens of the gravipuncta complex, shuckardi is isolated because with its head in full-face view the eyes are located in front of the midlength of the sides, and the sides behind the eyes appear long and shallowly convex, convergent posteriorly through long, shallow curves, and with the posterior margin short and indented medially. In the worker-associated queen of peregrina , and the two unassociated queens that are known in the complex, the eyes are at, or very close to, the midlength, and the sides behind the eyes round through narrow curves into a broad posterior margin that is shallowly concave across its width.

WORKER and MALE: unknown.

This species is known only from the holotype queen. While it certainly belongs in Royidris , and because of its 4-segmented antennal club is referable to the notorthotenes group, it can not be matched with any other queen assigned to that group. In addition, as pointed out by Heterick (2006), its type-locality, Moramanga, is in Toamasina Province, hundreds of kilometers away from the range of, and with vegetation and conditions very different from, that inhabited by other species now in Royidris .

Heterick (2006) associated the isolated shuckardi holotype queen with workers of what is now considered a complex of three worker-based species, gravipuncta , longiseta , and the more recently discovered peregrina . He grouped the first two species together with the isolated queen, and regarded them as a single species, to which he applied the name shuckardi . However, there is no evidence for this association. None of the few queens associated with, or assumed to belong to the same group as the three worker-based species, corresponds to the holotype of shuckardi . Heterick (2006) suggests that the locality given for the shuckardi queen may be in error. This could be correct, but even if true the queen can not be linked to any known species. Resolution of the identity of shuckardi will require the acquisition and comparison of more samples of worker-associated queens.