Cataglyphis setipes (Forel, 1894)

Wachkoo, Aijaz Ahmad & Bharti, Himender, 2015, Taxonomy and distribution of the ant Cataglyphissetipes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Biodiversity Data Journal 3, pp. 4447-4447 : 4447

Cataglyphis setipes (Forel, 1894)

Myrmecocystus viaticus r. setipes Forel 1894 401 (w.) India (original description). Ruzsky 1902: 9 (q.m.); Imai et al. 1984: 9 (k.). Combination in Cataglyphis : Wheeler 1922: 945. Subspecies of bicolor: Emery 1906: 58; Emery 1908: 217; Santschi 1929: 49. Raised to species: Bingham 1903: 312; Collingwood 1961b: 289; Collingwood 1961a: 65; Arnol'di 1964: 1804; Arnol'di and Dlussky 1978: 554. Senior synonym of turcomanica: Dlussky et al. 1990: 155; Radchenko 1997: 435; of dschambulica and material of the unavailable name setipesdesertorum. Radchenko 1997: 435 places longipedem incorrectly as a junior synonym of setipes, but longipedem has priority. Revived from synonymy: Radchenko and Tinaut (in preparation).

Materials

Type status: Syntype. Occurrence: recordedBy: A. Forel; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; Location: country: India; locality: Nusseerabad, Rajpootana ; Record Level: institutionCode: MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland; collectionCode: CASENT0249882

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 3; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Andretta ; verbatimElevation: 930 m; verbatimCoordinates: 30°20.56'N 119°26.03'E; verbatimLatitude: 32.0744°N; verbatimLongitude: 76.5856°E; Event: eventDate: Jun-21-2010; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 2; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Jogi Panga ; verbatimElevation: 600 m; verbatimCoordinates: 30°20.56'N 119°26.03'E; verbatimLatitude: 31.3229°N; verbatimLongitude: 76.1858°E; Event: eventDate: Sep-09-2008; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 9; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Khatiar ; verbatimElevation: 450 m; verbatimLatitude: 31.5810°N; verbatimLongitude: 75.5516°E; Event: eventDate: Jun-03-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 21; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Khatiar ; verbatimElevation: 450 m; verbatimCoordinates: 30°20.56'N 119°26.03'E; verbatimLatitude: 31.5810°N; verbatimLongitude: 75.5516°E; Event: eventDate: Oct-11-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 1; sex: queen; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Khatiar ; verbatimElevation: 450 m; verbatimLatitude: 31.5810°N; verbatimLongitude: 75.5516°E; Event: eventDate: Oct-11-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 6; sex: males; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Khatiar ; verbatimElevation: 450 m; verbatimLatitude: 31.5810°N; verbatimLongitude: 75.5516°E; Event: eventDate: Oct-11-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 5; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Kotla ; verbatimElevation: 500 m; verbatimLatitude: 31.8821°N; verbatimLongitude: 75.9963°E; Event: eventDate: Oct-13-2008; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Nahan ; verbatimElevation: 760 m; verbatimLatitude: 30.5596°N; verbatimLongitude: 77.2960°E; Event: eventDate: Aug-23-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 2; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Poanta Sahib ; verbatimElevation: 420 m; verbatimLatitude: 30.4384°N; verbatimLongitude: 77.6239°E; Event: eventDate: Aug-19-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 3; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Renuka ; verbatimElevation: 600 m; verbatimLatitude: 30.6083°N; verbatimLongitude: 77.4615°E; Event: eventDate: Aug-26-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Himachal Pradesh; locality: Terrace ; verbatimElevation: 430 m; verbatimLatitude: 31.9234°N; verbatimLongitude: 75.9294°E; Event: eventDate: May-25-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 3; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Jammu and Kashmir; locality: Manda ; verbatimElevation: 500 m; verbatimLatitude: 32.7496°N; verbatimLongitude: 74.8673°E; Event: eventDate: Aug-04-2010; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Jammu and Kashmir; locality: Mansar ; verbatimElevation: 690 m; verbatimLatitude: 32.6979°N; verbatimLongitude: 75.1489°E; Event: eventDate: Aug-03-2010; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 3; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Jammu and Kashmir; locality: Surinsar ; verbatimElevation: 700 m; verbatimLatitude: 32.7009°N; verbatimLongitude: 75.1512°E; Event: eventDate: Jul-14-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 3; sex: workers; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Uttarakhand; locality: Ranger's College, Dehradun ; verbatimElevation: 660 m; verbatimLatitude: 30.1921°N; verbatimLongitude: 78.2400°E; Event: eventDate: May-27-2010; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Aijaz A. Wachkoo; individualCount: 1; sex: worker; Location: country: India; stateProvince: Uttarakhand; locality: Selaqui, Dehradun ; verbatimElevation: 670 m; verbatimLatitude: 30.3720°N; verbatimLongitude: 77.8605°E; Event: eventDate: Aug-08-2009; Record Level: institutionCode: PUPAC

Description

Worker (Fig. 1).

Worker measurements: HL 1.54-2.97; HW 1.32-3.08; EL 0.42-0.77; SL 1.90-3.24; PnW 0.99-1.99; WL 2.55-4.90; PL 0.37-0.74; PW 0.31-0.69; GL 1.80-4.22 mm. Indices: CI 86-104; SI 105-144; REL 25-28 (n=25).

Head with almost parallel sides and gradually convex posterior margin, wider than long in major worker and longer than wide in minor worker; clypeus carinate in major worker and subcarinate in minor worker; anterior clypeal margin convex, medially shallowly concave to transverse; eyes prominent, situated distinctly above the midlength of lateral head margins; 3 small ocelli present; antennae 12-segmented, scapes long, distinctly longer than head length, surpass posterior margin by about one-third of their length in major worker and by half of their length in minor worker; mandibles with 5 to 7 teeth, if more than 5 teeth present, then the third tooth counting from the apex is larger and longer than the fourth; fourth tooth smaller in size than basal two in 6 -toothed specimens; fourth and fifth smaller than basal two in 7-toothed specimens. Maxillae with long hairs; basal segment of maxillae flat.

Mesosoma typical for this genus; pronotum convex; propodeum low, gradually arched, its dorsal surface distinctly longer than posterior one; propodeal spiracles distinctly slit-like, and very long; petiole obviously nodiform, with rounded node dorsum; long legs.

Surface of whole body covered with dense microreticulation, appears dull, although not strongly matt; mandibles striate with few scattered punctures.

Body with sparse standing pilosity, denser on head and the underside of gaster; pubescence minute and fine, relatively denser on mesosoma with a silvery glint; antennal funiculus with fine, short appressed to decumbent pubescence, scapes with suberect hairs; legs covered with dense macrosetae.

Head, mesosoma and node of petiole dark red; gaster black; legs a shade darker than mesosoma, almost black.

Queen (Fig. 2).

Queen measurements: HL 2.79; HW 2.85; EL 0.77; SL 2.55; WL 4.56; PL 0.67; PW 0.96; GL 5.27 mm. Indices: CI 102; SI 89; REL 28 (n=1).

As in major worker, with modifications expected for caste and the following differences: head narrower and scapes shorter than in major worker, surpassing posterior margin by three-tenths their length; clypeus subcarinate; mesosoma enlarged, mesonotum not constricted; petiole compressed anterolaterally, narrower in profile but wider in dorsal view than in major worker; mesepimeron with a posterodorsal (epimeral) lobe that covers mesothoracic spiracle and forms a seemingly isolated plate.

Male (Fig. 3).

Male measurements: HL 1.80-2.04; HW 1.86-1.94; EL 0.63-0.76; SL 2.61-2.91; WL 3.98-4.28; PL 0.46-0.50; PW 0.75-0.94; GL 4.46-4.96 mm. Indices: CI 95-103; SI 140-150; REL 35-37 (n=5).

Head subquadrate about as long as wide; eyes subglobulose, convex, large and bulging, breaking head outline in full-face view; 3prominent ocelli present; antennae 13-segmented, filiform, scapes long, surpass posterior margin of head by more than half their length; clypeus subcarinate in some specimens with round anterolateral corners; mandibles slender, curved and strap-like, apical tooth simple, acute, remainder without any dentition in some specimens and with well differentiated apical and basal tooth in some specimens.

Notauli absent; parapsidal lines prominent, diverging anteriorly; mesepimeron with a posterodorsal (epimeral) lobe that covers mesothoracic spiracle and forms a seemingly isolated plate; jugal lobe of hind wing absent; dorsal margin of petiole, in anterior view, shallowly concave to broadly round; propodeal declivity broadly rounded; propodeal spiracle elongate, slit shaped.

Basimeres large, broad at the base and tapering to a blunt point; in dorsal view, telomeres elongate anteroposteriorly, oval and rounded apically in lateral view covered by scrobiculae; both the basimeres and telomeres are setose; basimedialtelomeral process with flat broad parallel base, apex roughly dumbbell shaped, about one third the length of the telomere; cuspides small, triangular,with peg-like teeth on medial face, bent toward digiti; digiti smooth, much longer than cuspides, about 2 times the length of cuspides and usually bent towards each other apically; in lateral view digiti falcate and gently downcurved; penisvalva projecting with apices of each penisvalva directed posterolaterally. Subgenital plate concave and bilobed posterolaterally, with short triangular process in the centre of posterior margin.

Body covered with relatively more dense erect hairs especially on underside of gaster and parameres than in other conspecific castes, in addition to normal pubescence.

Head, mesosoma and petiole black, gaster light brown; sculpture as in worker caste.

Diagnosis

This species most resembles C. indica from which it separates by lighter body colour; dense setae on tibiae and rounded propodeum whilst latter is characterized by darker body colour, sparse setae on tibiae and much angular propodeum. However, the workers are rather variable in the characters used to differentiate C. setipes and C. indica and therefore, discovery of males of C. indica in future, may prove pivotal in taxonomic decision regarding its validity based on the characters expressed by males.

Distribution

This is one of the most conspicuous ant species found commonly in arid and semiarid zones of Central and South Asia.

Ecology

This species inhabits subtropical areas and is relatively easy to find because they preferentially occupy open habitats. These ants have been observed to form permanent nests in dry soil; nests can be easily located in bare ground and along roadside. Workers of this species usually forage individually and raise gaster in locomotion.