Plagiolepis exigua

Plagiolepis exigua
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Plagiolepidini
Genus:	Plagiolepis
Species:	P. exigua
Binomial name
Plagiolepis exigua Forel, 1894 Specimen labels
Subspecies
Plagiolepis exigua quadrimaculata Forel, 1902

At a Glance

• Invasive

Identification

Sharaf et al. (2011) - Forel mentioned that the scapes of this species reach posterior margin of head, but the scapes fail to reach the margin in the syntype. In addition, he gave the funiculus segments 2-5 x broader than long. On the syntype the fifth segment is as long as or little longer than broad.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Arabian Plagiolepis Species
• Key to Southeast Asian Plagiolepis species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 8.266666667° to 3.2726°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: United Arab Emirates.
Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea, Singapore.
Malagasy Region: Madagascar, Seychelles.
Oriental Region: India (type locality), Sri Lanka.
Palaearctic Region: China.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Plagiolepis exigua. Worker. Specimen code casent0101307. Photographer Michele Esposito, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Syntype of Plagiolepis exigua. Worker. Specimen code casent0101308. Photographer Michele Esposito, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Plagiolepis exigua. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0101303. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Syntype of Plagiolepis exigua. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0101304. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Male (alate). Specimen code casent0101301. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Syntype of Plagiolepis exigua. Male (alate). Specimen code casent0101302. Photographer Michele Esposito, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• exigua. Plagiolepis exigua Forel, 1894c: 417 (w.q.) INDIA. Viehmeyer, 1916a: 145 (m.). See also: Sharaf, Aldawood & Taylor, 2011: 206. Current subspecies: nominal plus quadrimaculata.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Sharaf et al. (2011) - Syntype. TL 1.23, HL 0.36, HW 0.31, SL 0.26, EL 0.06, PRW 0.20, ML 0.35, SI 84, CI 86.

Mesosoma, legs, antennae, clypeus and mandibles yellow, head and gaster pale yellowish brown, the latter with a more or less longitudinal median yellowish band that interrupt the brownish tergites. Smooth and shining. Head oval, longer than broad with convex sides, nearly as broad anteriorly as posteriorly. Eyes situated in the anterior third of head sides and with 6 ommatidia in the longest row (EL 0.19 x HW). Anterior clypeal margin convex and without carinae. Scapes fail to reach the posterior margin of head. Second funicular segment distinctly shorter than third. Funicular segments 2-4 broader than long, the fifth funicular segment as long as or little longer than broad. Occiput feebly concave. Mesosoma compact, short with convex pronotum and mesonotum and distinct mesonotal and metanotal grooves. Basal face of propodeum short, while its descending face long. Pubescence yellow, fine and regularly distributed over whole body. Very few erect hairs except on anterior of clypeus.

Queen

Bingham (1903) - Very narrow, abdomen elongate. Resembles the worker, but the pubescence is thicker and more abundant. The head and thorax are of a brownish or reddish yellow. Abdomen entirely brownish or of a yellowish brown. Thorax strongly depressed above. Node of the pedicel very low, strongly inclined to the front; wings wanting.

Length: 2.5 - 3 mm

Type Material

Sharaf et al. (2011) - Syntype worker, India, Poona (Wroughton), (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève) [examined].

• Syntype, uncertain, India, India, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.

References

• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Dias, R.K.S., Kosgamage, K.R.K.A. 2013. Occurrence and species diversity of ground-dwelling worker ants (Family: Formicidae) in selected lands in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Journal of Science of the University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka 7: 55-72 (doi:10.4038/josuk.v7i0.6233).
• Dias, R.K.S., Rajapaksa, R.P.K.C. 2017. Geographic records of subfamilies, genera and species of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the four climatic zones of Sri Lanka: A review. Journal of Science of the University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka 11, 23-45. (doi:10.4038/josuk.v11i2.7999).
• Forel, A. 1894c. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part IV. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 8:396-420. (page 417, worker, queen described)
• Liu, C., Fischer, G., Hita Garcia, F., Yamane, S., Liu, Q., Peng, Y.Q., Economo, E.P., Guénard, B., Pierce, N.E. 2020. Ants of the Hengduan Mountains: a new altitudinal survey and updated checklist for Yunnan Province highlight an understudied insect biodiversity hotspot. ZooKeys 978, 1–171 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.978.55767).
• Phosrithong, N., Rattanachan, K., Satakoune, L., Jaitrong, W. 2024. Two new species of the ant genus Plagiolepis Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Fomicinae) from Indochina. Far Eastern Entomologist 492, 1–14 (doi:10.25221/fee.492.1).
• Sharaf, M., Aldawood, A., Taylor, B. 2011. The formicine ant genus Plagiolepis Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula, with description of two new species. Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 137:(1+2) 203-215.
• Viehmeyer, H. 1916a [1915]. Ameisen von Singapore. Beobachtet und gesammelt von H. Overbeck. Arch. Naturgesch. A. 81(8):108-168. (page 145, male described)
• Wang, W.Y., Soh, E.J.Y., Yong, G.W.J., Wong, M.K.L., Benoit Guénard, Economo, E.P., Yamane, S. 2022. Remarkable diversity in a little red dot: a comprehensive checklist of known ant species in Singapore (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with notes on ecology and taxonomy. Asian Myrmecology 15: e015006 (doi:10.20362/am.015006).
• Wheeler, W. M. 1922k. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. IX. A synonymic list of the ants of the Malagasy region. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45:1005-1055.
• Wilson, E. O.; Taylor, R. W. 1967b. The ants of Polynesia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pac. Insects Monogr. 14:1-109.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Dias R. K. S. 2013. Diversity and importance of soil-dweeling ants. Proceedings of the National Symposium on Soil Biodiversity, chapt 4, pp 19-22.
• Dias R. K. S., and K. R. K. Anuradha Kosgamage. 2012. Occurrence and species diversity of ground-dwelling worker ants (Family: Formicidae) in selected lands in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. J. Sci. Univ. Kelaniya 7: 55-72.
• Dias R. K. S., and R. P. K. C. Rajapaksa. 2016. Geographic records of subfamilies, genera and species of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the four climatic zones of Sri Lanka: a review. J. Sci. Univ. Kelaniya 11(2): 23-45.
• Forel A. 1912. H. Sauter's Formosa-Ausbeute. Formicidae (Hym.) (Schluss). Entomol. Mitt. 1: 45-61.
• Forel A. 1913k. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise nach Ostindien ausgeführt im Auftrage der Kgl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin von H. v. Buttel-Reepen. II. Ameisen aus Sumatra, Java, Malacca und Ceylon. Gesammelt von Herrn Prof. Dr. v. Buttel-Reepen in den Jahren 1911-1912. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 36:1-148.
• Framenau V.W., and M.L. Thomas. 2008. Ants of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean); identification and distribution. Records of the Western Australian Museum 25: 45-85.
• Guénard B., and R. R. Dunn. 2012. A checklist of the ants of China. Zootaxa 3558: 1-77.
• Hua Li-zhong. 2006. List of Chinese insects Vol. IV. Pages 262-273. Sun Yat-sen university Press, Guangzhou. 539 pages.
• Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
• Li Z.h. 2006. List of Chinese Insects. Volume 4. Sun Yat-sen University Press
• Rajan P. D., M. Zacharias, and T. M. Mustak Ali. 2006. Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Fauna of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka). Conservation Area Series, Zool. Surv. India.i-iv,27: 153-188.
• Ran H., and S. Y. Zhou. 2013. Checklist of Chinese Ants: Formicomorph Subfamilies ( Hymenoptera: Formicidae) (III). Journal of Guangxi Normal University : Natural Science Edition 31(1): 104-111.
• Room P. M. 1975. Diversity and organization of the ground foraging ant faunas of forest, grassland and tree crops in Papua Nez Guinea. Aust. J. Zool. 23: 71-89.
• Room, P.M. 1975. Relative Distributions of Ant Species in Cocoa Plantations in Papua New Guinea Relative Distributions of Ant Species in Cocoa Plantations in Papua New Guinea. Journal of Applied Ecology 12(1):47-61
• Santschi F. 1937. Fourmis du Japon et de Formose. Bulletin et Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 77: 361-388.
• Tang J., Li S., Huang E., Zhang B. and Chen Y. 1995. Hymenoptera: Formicidae (1). Economic Insect Fauna of China 47: 1-133.
• Terayama M. 2009. A synopsis of the family Formicidae of Taiwan (Insecta: Hymenoptera). Research Bulletin of Kanto Gakuen University. Liberal Arts 17:81-266.
• Terayama, M. 2009. A synopsis of the family Formicidae of Taiwan (Insecta; Hymenoptera). The Research Bulletin of Kanto Gakuen University 17: 81-266.
• Varghese T. 2004. Taxonomic studies on ant genera of the Indian Institute of Science campus with notes on their nesting habits. Pp. 485-502 in : Rajmohana, K.; Sudheer, K.; Girish Kumar, P.; Santhosh, S. (eds.) 2004. Perspectives on biosystematics and biodiversity. Prof. T.C. Narendran commemoration volume. Kerala: Systematic Entomology Research Scholars Association, xxii + 666 pp.
• Wheeler W. M. 1928. Ants collected by Professor F. Silvestri in China. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici 22: 3-38.
• Wheeler W. M. 1929. Ants collected by Professor F. Silvestri in Formosa, the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici 24: 27-64.