Crematogaster modiglianii, Emery, 1900

Hosoishi, Shingo, Maruyama, Munetoshi, Yamane, Seiki, Jaitrong, Weeyawat, Hashim, Rosli, Syaukani, Syaukani, Sokh, Heng, Itioka, Takao, Meleng, Paulus & Pham, Thai Hong, 2023, Multilocus phylogeny and historical biogeography of the Crematogaster inflata-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in South-East Asia, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 198 (3), pp. 901-922 : 916

Crematogaster modiglianii

Crematogaster modiglianii has a widespread distribution in South-East Asia, but does not occur in Java, while another widespread species, C. seaeardi , occurs also in Java. What could explain the absence of C. modiglianii on Java? Menzel & Blüthgen (2010) revealed parabiotic associations between C. modiglianii and Camponotus (Myrmotarsus) rufifemur Emery, 1900 . Camponotus rufifemur is known from the Indochinese Peninsula, Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra and Philippines, but not distributed in Java ( Antmaps, 2021; AntWiki, 2021). The close relationship might have affected the absence of C. modiglianii in Java. Alternately, Java has a different climate from the other islands on the Sunda Shelf ( Wilting et al., 2012). The climate of Java is drier than in other parts of the Sunda Shelf ( Heaney, 1991). Veron et al. (2007) suggested that open and drier habitat in Java at the time might have affected the species distribution of the mongoose Herpestes species. Land bridges connecting the Sundaic regions might have allowed for the migration of C. modiglianii , but the species did not successfully colonize, probably due to ecological competition with related taxa.