Tetramorium urbanii Bolton, 1977

Bharti, Himender & Kumar, Rakesh, 2012, Taxonomic studies on genus Tetramorium Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with report of two new species and three new records including a tramp species from India with a revised key, ZooKeys 207, pp. 11-35 : 27-29

Tetramorium urbanii Bolton, 1977 Figs 25-27

Material examined.

2(w), India, Shillong, 20 May 2003, hand picking, coll. H. Bharti.

Worker description.

Measurements (worker). HL 0.85-0.87, HW 0.74- 0.75, SL 0.70, EL 0.16, WL 1.05, PW 0.60, PSL 0.06, PTL 0.28-0.30, PPL 0.32-0.34, PTW 0.28, PPW 0.35-0.36, PTH 0.32-0.34, PPH 0.35, CI 85.06-88.24, OI 21.33-21.62, SI 93.33-94.59, PSLI 6.90-7.06, PeNI 46.67, LPeI 82.35-93.75, DPeI 93.33-100.00, PpNI 58.33-60.00, LPpI 91.43-97.14, DPpI 105.88-109.38, PPI 125.00-128.57 (2 measured).

Head longer than broad, sides almost straight, rounded posterolateral corners, posterior head margin straight, very feebly indented medially; clypeus consisting of slightly convex basal half and steep apical half, without anteromedian indentation; anterior margin of clypeus with a narrow transverse plate like fringe and having convex anterior margin; mandibles triangular, with 7 teeth, masticatory margin of mandibles with large apical and preapical tooth; third tooth slightly smaller than the preapical tooth followed by four denticles; frontal lobes weakly developed and elevated laterally; frontal area deep, forming concavity behind clypeus, broader than long; antennal scrobe distinct, strongly margined dorsally by the frontal carina; eye moderate in size, located laterally and at mid-length of head, composed of ca. 9-10 ommatidia in a series along its maximum length; antennae slender, 11-segmented; scape reaching to posterolateral corners of head; mesosoma longer than head, broader anteriorly than posteriorly, dorsum convex in lateral view; pro-mesonotal suture and metanotal groove indistinct; propodeal teeth small (PSL 0.06mm), triangular, almost equal to its width and propodeal lobes; propodeal lobes narrowly rounded; posterior declivity of propodeum short, slightly concave, separated from dorsum by a strong transverse carina; petiole with a short peduncle, its node longer than broad with convex dorsum, broader behind than front; ventrally petiole downcurved along its length; postpetiole slightly broader than long, gaster oval.

Head longitudinally rugose with few cross meshes; interrugal space punctured and somewhat shiny; frontal carinae strongly developed, almost straight, divergent at eye level, running back almost to the posterior head margin; antennal scrobes feebly sculptured; mandibles longitudinally striate; clypeus longitudinally rugulose; promesonotal dorsum mostly unsculptured smooth and shiny with traces of rugulose sculpture towards the sides and posteriorly; propodeum reticulate, sides of mesosoma longitudinally rugulose; petiole and postpetiole longitudinally rugulose; propodeal declivity and gaster smooth and shiny; legs smooth.

Whole body blackish brown except mandibles, antennae and legs yellowish brown. Whole body coveredwith abundant, long, erect and short subdecumbent pilosity; antennal scapes and hind tibiae with short subdecumbent hairs.

Remarks.

Tetramorium urbanii belongs to the tortuosum- group ( Bolton 1977). It has very short propodeal spines and moderately long scapes, these characters clearly separate it from the rest of the tortuosum- group species. This species was earlier reported from Bhutan and represents a first record from India.

Key to the Indian species of Tetramorium based on the worker caste (modified from Bolton 1976 and 1977)