Ectaheteromorph

Boudinot, Brendon E., 2015, Contributions to the knowledge of Formicidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata): a new diagnosis of the family, the first global male-based key to subfamilies, and a treatment of early branching lineages, European Journal of Taxonomy 120, pp. 1-62 : 51-56

Ectaheteromorph clade

Fig. 16 B–C

Diagnosis

Male ectaheteromorphs are uniquely identified by the following combination of characters: mandibles triangular, multidentate; antennal toruli situated posterad anterior clypeal margin; tibial spur formula 1,1 or 2,2 (if 2,2 then prora anteriorly directed); crossvein 1m-cu present; abdominal segment III unpetiolated; cinctus present between the pre- and postsclerites of abdominal segment IV; abdominal sternum IX unpronged and edentate. The jugal lobes may be present or absent.

Comments

No nomothetic (single unique) character separates the males of Ectatomminae Emery, 1895 and Heteroponerinae Bolton, 2003 , which are better distinguished genus-by-genus. In brief, Typhlomyrmex may be distinguished by the scapes, which are longer than the compound eye; Acanthoponera males have

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long maxillary palps, which almost reach the postocciput; Ectatomma (Neotropical) and Rhytidoponera (Australasian) are large and have jugal lobes. Heteroponera and Gnamptogenys are distinguishable globally only using conditional statements. Characters have been found to do this, and will be described in a forthcoming publication on the New World genera (B. Boudinot in prep.). The male of Aulacopone is unknown.

Figures

Fig. 16. Male representatives of three subfamilies. A–B. Formica wheeleri, Formicinae (U.S.A., CASENT0173024, A. Nobile). C–D. Rhytidoponera, Ectatomminae, ectaheteromorph clade (Australia, CASENT0004610, A. Nobile). E–F. Pogonomyrmex rastratus (Argentina, CASENT0172673, A.