First Record Of The Ant Subgenus Orthonotomyrmex Of The Genus Camponotus From Nepal (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
Author
Subedi, I. P.
Author
Budha, P. B.
Author
Bharti, H.
Author
Alonso, L.
Author
Yamane, S.
text
Zoodiversity
2021
55
4
279
284
http://dx.doi.org/10.15407/zoo2021.04.279
journal article
10.15407/zoo2021.04.279
2707-7268
6377841
Camponotus selene
(
Emery, 1889
)
(fig. 5)
M a t e r i a l s e x a m i n e d.
Nepal
: Kathmandu,
Tribhuvan University Campus, Kirtipur [
27.68250 N
85.284166 E
],
1320 m
, pitfall collection, 9-
11.05.2019
,
2 ♀
workers (IP Subedi & S Adhikari) (CDZMTU);
Sundarijal forest, Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park
[
27.77139N
85.42639E
],
1600 m
, hand collection,
10.10.2020
,
2 ♀
workers (
IP
Subedi) (CDZMTU)
.
D i s t r i b u t i o n.
Nepal
(new record),
India
,
China
,
Myanmar
.
T a x o n o m i c n o t e s. Our worker
specimens have an opaque black body
with few hairs, square-shaped head, short,
Fig. 5.
Camponotus selene
.
broad and dorsally margined alitrunk,
pronotum with acute margin, two plier-
shaped propodeal spines and large, broad, cylindrical gaster. Our material was identified as
C. selene
based on the key in
Wang & Wu (1994)
. It is closely related to
C
.
lasiselene
in color, shape and sculpture but has sparsely distributed short hair.
Key to the Nepalese species of
Camponotus
(
Orthonotomyrmex
)
(workers)
(The species
wasmanni
is included for comparison though it is not reported from
Nepal
.)
1. Propodeum with two plier-shaped spines, petiole very thick and is truncated posteriorly in profile view with concave dorsal face.....................................................................................................................................2
— Propodeum without plier-shaped spines, petiole nodiform and is knob-like in profile with uniform anteroposterior width and rounded dorsal face. ............................................................................................ 3
2. Pilosity sparse. .........................................................................................................................................
C. selene
— Pilosity abundant...............................................................................................................................
C. lasiselene
3. Pronotum dentate; body very densely pilose; hind tibia without spiny bristles on ventral margin......... 4
— Pronotum edentate; body sparsely pilose; hind tibia with spiny bristles on ventral margin.....................5
4. Mesosoma and petiole reddish; distinct red blotch present on either side of the first gastral segment. ............................................................................................................................................
C
.
mutilarius
— Entirely black in colour. ................................................................................................................
C. wasmanni
5. Gastral pubescence thick, apressed, golden mossy. .......................................................................
C. sericeus
— Gastral pubescence short, sparse and much lighter in colour. ..............................................
C. opaciventris
Conclusions
The ant subgenus
Orthonotomyrmex
along with its five species, namely
Camponotus mutilarius
,
C. opaciventris
,
C. sericeus
,
C. lasiselene
and
C. selene
are recorded for the first time from
Nepal
. With the addition of these five species, the number of
Camponotus
species
known from
Nepal
raises to 13. However, many more species are expected to be recorded with the accomplishment of future field surveys in the country.
Authors acknowledge the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (835/075-76eco75, 713/076-77eco65) and Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park office (311/075-76, 247/2076-77) for providing ant collection permission inside the national park. We are thankful to A. Subedi, I Pandit, T Sherpa, RP Pokhrel, K Chaudhary, S Subedi, P Shrestha, and B Shrestha for assisting in collection of ants during our surveys in different sites.