Myrmecina Latreillii , Curtis, Brit. Ent. vi. 265 [[male]]; Trans. Linn. Soc. xxi. 218. t. 23. f. 22 [[worker]].
Smith, Brit. Form. 132. 1.
Mayr. Form. Austr. 149.1; Ungar. Ameis. 18. 1.
Myrmica striatula, Nyl. Addit . Alt. Mon. Form. Bor. Eur. 40. 7;
Form. Fr. et d'Alger. 96. 24.
Myrmica bidens, Foerst . Hym. Stud. Form. 50. 24.
Schenck, Beschr. Nass. Ameis. 94.
Myrmica graminicola, Foerst . Hym. Stud. Form. 58. 30.
Hab. Europe.
The members of this genus are small, cryptobiotic ants that live in soil, leaf litter and rotten logs. Studies of two Asian species suggest that these ants are specialized as mite predators(Masuko 1995). California has a single species, M. americana Emery , that is known from scattered low-elevation sites throughout the state. It was previously considered to represent a distinct, endemic taxon ( M californica M. R. Smith ). The California populations exhibit considerable variation in color and sculpture, however, making it difficult to establish a clear distinction between them and other western populations of M. americana . References: Brown (1967c), Buschinger (2003), Buschinger and Schreiber (2002), Masuko (1995), Murakami et al. (2002), Smith (1948), Snelling (1965b), Ward (1988).
Myrmecina Curtis 1829: 265. Type species: Formica graminicola Latreille 1802, by monotypy.
Diagnosis. The sides of the head behind the eyes with an elongate ridge or groove on each side which starts at the mandibles, runs the length of the head and ends near the upper corners. In side view, the petiole is low, rounded and barrel-shaped and lacks a distinct node. The propodeum is armed with long spines near the angle as well as short spines or angles near the metanotal groove. The distinctive ridge on the sides of the head behind the eyes combined with the low, rounded petiole will separate these ants from all others in Australia.
List of Australian species
alpinasp. n.
australis Wheeler and Wheeler
difficultasp. n.
erugasp. n.
inaequalasp. n.
pumilasp. n.
rugosa Forel
silvalaevasp. n.
silvamplasp. n.
silvangulasp. n.
silvarugosasp. n.
silvatransversasp. n.
wesselensissp. n.
Key to Australian Myrmecina based on workers
1. First segment of funiculus expanded laterally, with strongly convex sides and appearing essentially spherical........... ......................................................................................................................................................................... australis
-. First segment of funiculus narrower, with nearly straight sides and essentially cone-shaped ................................... 2
2. Sculpturing on pronotum forming continuous transverse carinae which form shallow arches to deep "V"s............. 3
-. Sculpturing on pronotum running longitudinally and generally with the central carina (or carinae) running nearly the length of the mesosoma, or occasionally sculpturing ill-defined and irregular...........................................................7
3. Sides of head behind compound eyes with 2-3 longitudinal carinae running the length of the head........ silvarugosa
-. Sides of head behind compound eyes smooth............................................................................................................4
4. Dorsal surface of pronotum immediately behind the collar with at most very weak sculpturing (sometimes nearly smooth) ......................................................................................................................................................... silvalaeva
-. Dorsal surface of pronotum continuously sculptured, the area immediately behind the collar not differing significantly from more posterior regions .............................................................................................................................. 5
5. Antennal scapes smooth; body larger (HW> 0.8mm).................................................................................. silvampla
-. Antennal scapes with low longitudinal ridges; body smaller (HW <0.7mm) ........................................................... 6
6. Majority of carinae on pronotum and mesonotum gently curved across width of mesosoma ............. silvatransversa
-. Majority of carinae on pronotum and mesonotum "V"-shaped.................................................................... silvangula
7. Sides of head behind compound eyes with 2-3 longitudinal carinae running the length of the head................ alpina
-. Sides of head behind compound eyes smooth............................................................................................................. 8
8. Dorsal surface of pronotum immediately behind the collar with at most very weak sculpturing (sometimes nearly smooth) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9
-. Dorsal surface of pronotum continuously sculptured, the area immediately behind the collar not differing significantly from more posterior regions............................................................................................................................. 10
9. Body larger (HW> 0.65mm, MTL> 0.35mm); head squarer (CI> 95)............................................................. eruga
-. Body smaller (HW <0.60mm, MTL <0.30mm); head more elongate (CI <95).............................................. pumila
10. Dorsal surface of pronotum with irregular, ill-defined sculpturing.................................................................... rugosa
-. Dorsal surface of pronotum with continuous longitudinal carinae.............................................................................11
11. Erect hairs on gaster (and most on mesonotum) strongly curved so their tips are nearly parallel with the surface of the body (known only from the Wessell Islands, Northern Territory) ........................................................ wesselensis
-. Erect hairs on gaster (and longer ones on mesonotum) only weakly curved with their tips at a strong angle with body (coastal Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales) ........................................................................................ 12
12. Carinae extending continuously from the dorsal surface onto the lateral surfaces of the mesosoma and not interrupted as they cross the angle separating the dorsal and lateral surfaces ....................................................... difficulta
-. Dorsal and lateral surfaces of mesosoma separated by an indistinct angle or ridge which interrupts or breaks the mesosomal sculpturing................................................................................................................................... inaequala
Taxonomy. The genus Myrmecina is assigned to the tribe Myrmecinini together with Acanthomyrmex, Pristomyrmex and Perissomyrmex (Bolton 2003). Workers of Vietnamese species have the following features.
Worker monomorphic; head in full-face view rectangular, with rounded posterior corners; preoccipital carina extending to ventral surface of head and then forming a longitudinal carina which runs anteriad; frontal carina inconspicuous; antennal scrobe absent; frontal lobe large, covering antennal insertion; median margin of clypeus raised above dorsal surface of mandibular bases, with truncate anterior margin, laterally with a submedian carina from anterior end of frontal lobe to anterior margin of clypeus; carina often forming a submedian tooth; median clypeal tooth often present but not accompanied by an isolated median seta; posteromedian portion of clypeus very broadly inserted between frontal lobes; lateral portion of clypeus often (but not always) modified into a narrow and low ridge or wall in front of antennal insertion; mandible triangular; masticatory margin with 2 distinct apical teeth followed by several teeth or denticles; antennae 11- or 12-segmented, with 3-segmented club; eye small to medium in size; mesosoma short, stout with slightly convex promesonotal dome; promesonotal suture absent dorsally; humeral angle distinct; anterior part of mesopleuron with a well developed flange projecting over base of fore coxa; metanotal groove weak or absent; propodeal spine more or less developed; an additional process or tooth sometimes present in front of each propodeal spine; propodeal lobe present only as a low carina; petiole sessile and lacking distinct node, in lateral view usually (but not always) dorsally with a triangular point or angles at or behind midlength of petiole; postpetiole in dorsal view rectangular; gastral shoulder distinct.
The worker of Myrmecina is easily separated from those of other Vietnamese myrmicine genera by the presence of longitudinal carina on the ventrolateral side of head and a sessile petiole.
Vietnamese species. Five species have been recognized by us from Vietnam: sp. eg-1 (Ba Be, Tay Yen Tu, Van Ban); sp. eg-2 (Ba Be); sp. eg-3 [= sp. 48 of HO: Eguchi et al., 2005] (Cuc Phuong, Pu Mat, Tay Yen Tu); sp. eg-4 (Nam Cat Tien); sp. eg-5 (Van Ban).
Bionomics. Colonies of Myrmecina species are found in litter and soil.
Myrmecina , Curtis, Brit. Eut. vi. fol. 226.
Myrmica , pt., Nyland. Addit. Alt. Adno. Mon. Form. Bor. Eur. 40.
Antennae 12-jointed in the female, the club consisting of 3 joints. Maxillary palpi 4-jointed; labial palpi 3-jointed. Anterior wings with one complete marginal cell, and one submarginal, the discoidal cells obsolete. The metathorax spined in the female and worker. The clypeus bidentate.
Myrmecina is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae.[2] It contains 53 species distributed in North America, Europe, northern Africa, India east, Korea, Japan and Australia.[3]
Myrmecina is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains 53 species distributed in North America, Europe, northern Africa, India east, Korea, Japan and Australia.
