Tetramorium sikorae Forel
publication ID |
6435 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6282896 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/59DBF91C-29DA-E64B-07D7-E04D6A9FA3AB |
treatment provided by |
Christiana |
scientific name |
Tetramorium sikorae Forel |
status |
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Tetramorium sikorae Forel View in CoL View at ENA HNS
Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) sikorae Forel, 1892: 522 HNS . Syntype workers, Madagascar: Amparafaravantsiv (Sikora) (MHN, Geneva) [examined]. Xiphomyrmex latior Santschi HNS , 1926: 243. Syntype workers, Madagascar: Fananantsoa [= Fianorantsoa on data label] (Descarpentries) (NM, Basle) [examined]. Syn. n.
Worker. TL 2.7 - 3.2, HL 0.64 - 0.70, HW 0.54 - 0.60, CI 84 - 91, SL 0.40 - 0.46, SI 71 - 80, PW 0 - 42 - 0.48, AL 0.74 - 0.88 (5 measured).
Mandibles smooth with scattered small pits, median clypeal carina distinct. Frontal carinae extended back well beyond the level of the eyes, almost parallel and forming the upper margins of a shallow scrobe which is capable of accommodating the scape. With the alitrunk in profile the metanotal groove shallowly impressed. Propodeum armed with a pair of short, triangular teeth which are shorter than the broadly triangular metapleural lobes. Dorsum of head with very fine longitudinal rugulae and a distinct interrugal sculpture of fine but conspicuous superficial puncturation. Dorsal alitrunk finely rugulose, the pedicel and gaster unsculptured, smooth and shining. Erect or suberect long, fine hairs present on all dorsal surfaces of the body but may be absent from the pedicel segments. Colour yellow-brown.
A small and quite distinctive species, sikorae HNS has nevertheless been confused with the cognatum HNS complex in the past. The best character for separating them lies in the fact that sikorae HNS has numerous erect or suberect hairs on the first gastral tergite; such hairs being absent in cognatum HNS and its allies.
Within the schaufussi-group, sikorae HNS forms the central species of what may be loosely termed the sikorae-complex, including the close pair of sikorae HNS and schaufussi HNS , and the rather more distantly related xanthogaster HNS , all of them possessing, within the schaufussi-group, hairs on the first gastral tergite. In xanthogaster HNS the frontal carinae are feeble, scrobes are absent and the propodeal spines are quite long, besides which the species is bicoloured. The two remaining species are best separated by the characters given under schaufussi HNS .
Material examined
Madagascar: vic. Andasibe (= Perinet) (W. L. & D. E. Brown). Reunion I. (ex coll. Mayr).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Tetramorium sikorae Forel
Bolton, B. 1979 |
Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) sikorae
Forel 1892: 522 |