Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on “exploding ants” (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group

By

Laciny, Alice
Zettel, Herbert, 1963-
Kopchinskiy, Alexey
Pretzer, Carina
Pal, Anna
Kamariah Abu Salim
Rahimi, Mohammad Javad
Hoenigsberger, Michaela
Lim, Linda
Jaitrong, Weeyawat
Druzhinina, Irina

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

751

Pages

Jan-40

Subjects

autothysis , behavioural ecology , Camponotini , Colobopsis , Formicidae , integrative taxonomy , male morphology , Molecular biology , morphometry , new species , new status , new synonymy , Phylogeny , Southeast Asia , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.751.22661

 

Abstract

A taxonomic description of all castes ofColobopsisexplodensLaciny & Zettel,sp. n.from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia is provided, which serves as a model species for biological studies on “exploding ants” in Southeast Asia. The new species is a member of theColobopsiscylindrica(COCY) group and falls into a species complex that has been repeatedly summarized under the nameColobopsissaundersi(Emery, 1889) (formerlyCamponotussaundersi). The COCY species group is known under its vernacular name “exploding ants” for a unique behaviour: during territorial combat, workers of some species sacrifice themselves by rupturing their gaster and releasing sticky and irritant contents of their hypertrophied mandibular gland reservoirs to kill or repel rivals. This study includes first illustrations and morphometric characterizations of males of the COCY group:ColobopsisexplodensLaciny & Zettel,sp. n.andColobopsisbadia(Smith, 1857). Characters of male genitalia and external morphology are compared with other selected taxa of Camponotini. Preliminary notes on the biology ofC.explodensLaciny & Zettel,sp. n.are provided. To fix the species identity of the closely relatedC.badia, a lectotype from Singapore is designated. The following taxonomic changes within theC.saundersicomplex are proposed:Colobopsissolenobia(Menozzi, 1926),syn. n.andColobopsistrieterica(Menozzi, 1926),syn. n.are synonymized withColobopsiscorallinaRoger, 1863, a common endemic species of the Philippines.ColobopsissaginataStitz, 1925,stat. n., hitherto a subspecies ofC.badia, is raised to species level.