Uncovering cryptic diversity in the enigmatic ant genus Overbeckia and insights into the phylogeny of Camponotini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae)
Author
Klimeš, Petr
Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, BraniŠovská 31, CZ- 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Author
Drescher, Jochen
Department of Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, J. - F. - Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, Untere Karspüle 2, D- 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Author
Buchori, Damayanti
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University, Jl. Kamper, Kampus IPB Dramaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
Author
Hidayat, Purnama
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University, Jl. Kamper, Kampus IPB Dramaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
Author
Nazarreta, Rizky
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University, Jl. Kamper, Kampus IPB Dramaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
Author
Potocký, Pavel
Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, BraniŠovská 31, CZ- 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Author
Rimandai, Maling
New Guinea Binatang Research Center, PO Box 604, Madang, Papua New Guinea
Author
Scheu, Stefan
Department of Animal Ecology, University of Göttingen, J. - F. - Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, Untere Karspüle 2, D- 37073 Göttingen, Germany & Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, D- 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Author
Matos-Maraví, Pável
Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, BraniŠovská 31, CZ- 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
text
Invertebrate Systematics
2022
2022-07-25
36
6
277
288
http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/is21067
journal article
10.1071/is21067
8c0715c9-57f5-40db-8c48-99bf3719eedb
6987297
Overbeckia papuana
Klimes
,
sp. nov.
(
Fig. 5
,
6
)
Etymology
Dedicated to all Papua New Guineans, the nation of the country from which the
type
and nest series were collected (
Papua New Guinea
).
Material examined
Holotype
.
Worker
(
ZMHB
): Morphospecies ‘
CAMP021
’/Acc.N. ‘HP0177’/ Tree number code ‘WS4D0868’/Secondary forest/
Wanang village
/
Madang province
/
Papua New Guinea
/
8.iii.2007
/
05°14′S
,
145°11′E
/leg.
M. Rimandai
.
Paratypes
.
Five workers (1w
ZMHB
, 1w
IECA
, 2w
NAIC
, 1w
MZB
),
one male
(
ZMHB
),
one queen
without wings (
ZMHB
): From the same nest series as
holotype
(the same data).
Additional material examined.
Papua New Guinea
: Other
30 workers
and
2 males
, including brood, kept in one vial with ethanol in
IECA
, all from the same nest as the
type
specimens (same data).
Australia
(photos):
1 worker
(
SAMA
): ‘
Camponotus
’/Cairns NQ/on tree/ Parkland/
2.viii.1975
/leg.
B
.
B
. Lowery (frontal and lateral photo on p.
115 in
McArthur (2012)
and
A
. McArthur, pers. comm. for coll. information; previously misidentified by the original author for
Camponotus janeti
).
3 workers
(
WAM
): CASENT0872736, CASENT0872753, CASENT0872754 (AntWeb codes; ‘
Overbeckia
wam01’):
Queensland
/ Mossman/
18.ix.2002
/leg,
R
.
Jordan
/nest in dead twig in living tree behind sugar mill (thicket near Mossman
R
.)/det.
B
.
E
. Heterick,
ii.2018
.
1 worker
(
CASC
): CASENT0887749 (AntWeb code; ‘
Overbeckia
au01’):
Queensland
/Mt Peters/
1.
v.
2014
/leg,
M
. Collis/ det.
A
. Andersen
30.xi.2020
.
Australia
(physical specimen):
1 worker
(
ZMHB
): n#15720/
AUST
Qld/Captain Billy Landing/rainforest, ex. dead hanging twig/
11°38′S
,
142°51′E
/leg.
P
. Ward (the same collection series as CASENT0882197 at AntWeb; ‘
Overbeckia
au01’).
Diagnosis
General appearance of worker and queen as in
O. subclavata
, but hairier on the head, with erect hairs on dorsum of petiole, thorax and abdomen; a few hairs also present on distal part of scape. Head integument less punctate than in
O. subclavata
, with many short-erect hairs extending past head margins in frontal view; tiny appressed hairs in high densities all over the head including genae; frontal carinae significantly approaching one another anteriorly (
FCDI
> 190) (
Fig. 5
d
).
Description of worker
Morphometrics
.
Holotype
, ‘HP0177’ nest series (
five paratypes
; total
N
= 6, min.–max):
HL
1.08 (1.04–1.41), HW 1.10 (1.05–1.43), IOD 0.82 (0.79–1.10),
CL
0.17 (0.14–0.23), CW 0.41 (0.39–0.55),
ML
0.44 (0.36–0.57), EL 0.28 (0.26–0.34), EW 0.21 (0.19–0.27), FCDp 0.37 (0.35–0.52), FCDa 0.18 (0.15–0.27),
SL
1.05 (1.02–1.24), SWmax 0.14 (0.12–0.18), SWmin 0.06 (0.06–0.09),
WL
1.58 (1.52–2.02),
PW
0.77 (0.69–1.03), HFL 1.09 (0.92–1.24), HFT 0.24 (0.24–0.30), HTL 0.94 (0.82–1.05), PetW 0.39 (0.37–0.47), PetL 0.17 (0.17–0.24),
FCDI
208 (193–236),
CI
102 (99–105),
SI
95 (87–101),
MI
40 (30–43).
Head
. General morphology as for the genus (see above). Frontal carinae relatively more approaching one another anteriorly above the clypeal margin compared to those of the other species (
FCDI
= 208), with rather straight carinae curvature all along (only slightly convex laterally adjacent to the antennal sockets at frontal view;
Fig. 5
d
).
Mesosoma and metasoma
. As for the genus (see above).
Pilosity
. Tiny appressed hairs (approximately twice the length of ommatidium or smaller) present in high densities over the head, mesosoma and abdomen; relatively long erect hairs (length ≥ SWmin) present on clypeus, head integument and all over abdomen; these longer hairs are also present on genae and occipital corners of the head and on frons (extending past head margins from the frontal view;
Fig. 5
b
); scape with relatively short, appressed hairs (as in
O. subclavata
), with a few erect hairs not limited to the apex but present ventrally along the anterior half of the scape. These hairs shorter and less numerous than in
O. jambiensis
(
Fig. 5
b
). Approximately six erect hairs growing dorsally from apical margin of petiole.
Sculpture
. Less dotted, rather covered by short lines joining each other to a cell formation with fine punctation over the glossy cuticle of the head (
Fig. 5
d
) and mesosoma dorsolaterally, with most of these cells like pits at smaller (<80×) magnification (
Fig. 5
b
,
c
). Lateral sites of thorax with soft lineation below mesothoracic spiracle towards mid and hind coxa. The lineation is also present on frontal coxa and petiole, but smoother.
Colouration
. Head, mesosoma and frontal coxa black; scape dark brown except at apex, where lighter brown; funiculus of antennae brown except the lighter apex; petiole dark brown; abdomen and hind tibiae brown, remaining appendages rather light brown, with mid and hind coxae, trochanters and palps pale yellow (
Fig. 5
a
,
c
).
Description of queen
Morphometrics
.
Paratype
‘HP0177’ nest series:
HL
1.56, HW 1.57, IOD 1.22,
CL
0.32, CW 0.59,
ML
0.63, EL 0.49, EW 0.37, FCDp 0.50, FCDa 0.24,
SL
1.23, SWmax 0.16, SWmin 0.09,
WL
2.51,
PW
1.14, HFL 1.22, HFT 0.31, HTL 1.27, PetW 0.55, PetL 0.35,
FCDI
208,
CI
101,
SI
78,
MI
40.
Head, mesosoma and metasoma
. Similar to
O. subclavata
, except frontal carinae significantly approaching one another anteriorly (
FCDI
= 208;
Fig. 6
e
).
Pilosity
. Tiny appressed hairs on scape surface, with three to four longer erect hairs on the lateral sites of the first half of the scape (hair length ≥1 ocellus); presence of many relatively long, erect hairs on the head (length ≥1 ocellus) on genae, above the eyes and over the occipital corners of the head (
Fig. 6
e
), and on thorax dorsum, apical tip of petiole, and over both ventral and dorsal sites of all five abdominal tergites.
Sculpture
. Fine punctation over the head, and on mesosoma dorsum and propodeum; and soft lineation on lateral sites of mesosoma (
Fig. 6
a
).
Colouration
. Black head, thorax, petiole and frontal coxae; dark brown abdomen and appendages except middle and hind coxae, trochanters, palps and apical tips of antennae and tarsi that are lighter brown (
Fig. 6
a
).
Description of male
Morphometrics
.
Paratype
‘HP0177’ nest series:
HL
0.84, HW 1.00, IOD 0.66,
CL
0.12, CW 0.35,
ML
0.31, EL 0.34, EW 0.29, FCDp 0.27, FCDa 0.10,
SL
0.67, SWmax 0.10, SWmin 0.06,
WL
1.71,
PW
0.96, HFL 1.31, HFT 0.18, HTL 0.99, PetW 0.33, PetL 0.21,
FCDI
255,
CI
119,
SI
67,
MI
37.
Structures and diagnosis (
Fig. 6
b
,
d, f
). No apparent large distinction when compared to the male of
O. subclavata
, except for the following minor differences: The specimen is ~10% larger than the measured male of
O. subclavata
, but morphological measures otherwise considerably overlapping between the two species’ males. Frontal carinae relatively more approaching one another anteriorly than in
O. subclavata
, but this difference not as distinct as between the two species’ workers (
FCDI
= 255
v
.
229 in
O. subclavata
male). The hairs on clypeus more numerous than on clypeus of
O. subclavata
; presence of many more small hairs on frons and above ocelli (length near 1/2 of ocellus) over the occipital region (
Fig. 6
f
). These small, dense hairs are also present dorsolaterally on thorax (on mesoscutum and mesoscutellar disc;
Fig. 6
b
,
d
). Colouration as in
O. subclavata
male.
Remarks
The arboreal nest of
O. papuana
sp. nov.
in
Papua New Guinea
was collected at
16.4 m
in a dead vine growing along the tree trunk of
Trichospermum pleiostigma
(F. Muell.) Kosterm.
(diameter at breast height =
16.3 cm
). The nest consisted of less than one hundred workers, with one wingless gyne,
three males
, and multiple larvae and pupae enclosed in cocoons.
The material from
Australia
was examined and measured mainly from photographs from the following sources: (i) the book by
McArthur (2012)
, where a worker of
Overbeckia
was incorrectly assigned to
Camponotus janeti
(minor worker fits ‘
O
. papuana’
, whereas major worker presumably fits
C. janeti
; there is uncertainty as to whether the two individuals are from different localities and pins or are on a single pin at
SAMA
); (ii) the photos on AntWeb of the
three specimens
in
Heterick (2019)
(see above). The Australian specimens appear to be larger in body size based on the measures from the photos (
4 workers
measured from photos,
WL
>
1.95 mm
) than the
Papua New Guinea
(
PNG
) nest series (6w measured,
WL
<1.74). However, we treat these as one species because the Australian single specimen sent by
P
. Ward for direct examination (n#15720) matches
O. papuana
types
in the body size (
WL
= 1.64; Supplementary
Table S1
) and morphology.