Discovery of a new ant species of the elusive termitophilous genus Metapone in Singapore (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae), with the first detailed description of male genitalia of the genus

By

Wang, Wendy
Yamada, Aiki
Eguchi, Katsuyuki

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

876

Pages

125--141

Subjects

museum specimens , nest series , rare genus , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.876.35739

 

Abstract

A new species of the rare ant genus Metapone, Metapone murphyisp. nov., is described based on museum material consisting of a single nest series (workers, queens, and males) collected from a decayed coconut palm stump on Pulau Sakra, previously an offshore island south of mainland Singapore. Workers can be distinguished from other named congeners mainly by the following characters: 1) subpetiolar lamella subrectangular; 2) short median longitudinal ventral subpetiolar edge and roundly obtuse posteroventral subpetiolar angle; 3) outer margin of posterior subpetiolar face in posteroventral view forming a continuous, U-shaped, translucent, laminate carina; and 4) petiole subtrapezoidal in dorsal view with extended blunt tooth-like posterolateral corners. Detailed description and illustrations of male genitalia of the genus are given for the first time. The key to Asian species of Metapone is updated to include the new species.