identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
03801969B964FFA6FD50FC98FDD1F9B4.text	03801969B964FFA6FD50FC98FDD1F9B4.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Aenictus kodaguensis Sahoo & Sahanashree & Priyadarsanan & Datta-Roy 2024	<div><p>Aenictus kodaguensis sp. nov.</p><p>http://zoobank.org/ 8052F8C8-E72B-4B76-B06C-5C182C2843F7</p><p>(Figs. 1 (A-D), 2B)</p><p>Type material.   Holotype worker (AIMB /Hy/ Fr 250014). India, Karnataka, Kodagu, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=75.687&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=12.662" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 75.687/lat 12.662)">Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary</a>, 12.662°N 75.687°E, 1476m, 26.iv.2022, aspirator, Bikash Sahoo leg., colony code KN32.</p><p>Paratypes: 101 paratype workers, same data as holotype .</p><p>Non-type material examined.   87 workers. India, Karnataka, Kodagu, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=75.6577&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=12.2186" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 75.6577/lat 12.2186)">Honey Valley</a> private estate, 12.2186°N 75.6577°E, 1185m, 19.iv.2022, aspirator, Bikash Sahoo leg., colony code KN27  .</p><p>Holotype and paratypes are deposited in AIMB, India.</p><p>Measurements and indices. Holotype: HL, 0.82; HW, 0.67; SL, 0.68; WL, 1.08; PL1, 0.3; PL2, 0.27; GL, 1.1; TL, 3.57; CI, 81.7; SI, 101.49.</p><p>Paratypes: HL, 0.81- 0.88; HW, 0.70- 0.76; SL, 0.76- 0.81; WL, 1.19- 1.28; PL1, 0.32- 0.37; PL2, 0.32- 0.36; GL, 1.15- 1.36; TL, 3.89- 4.21; CI, 82- 90; SI, 104-114.</p><p>Diagnosis  Aenictus kodaguensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from other members of  A. pachycerus species group by the combination of these characters: head rectangular, longer than broad; head, mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole entirely microreticulate; lateral mesonotum, propodeum, and petiole with irregular rugulae; a peculiar transverse carina present across the lateral mesosoma. First gastral tergite shagreened.</p><p>Worker description</p><p>In full-face view, head rectangular, longer than broad, with lateral margins slightly convex; posterior margin straight to weakly convex; parafrontal ridge well developed, reaching almost midlength of the head (ca. 0.28mm). Antennae 10 segmented; scape long, reaching posterior margin of the head; anterior clypeal margin convex, produced in the middle and without teeth; mandible sub-triangular and thick, its masticatory margin with a large apical tooth followed by 5 denticles of similar size (Fig. 1A).</p><p>In profile, mesosoma compact; dorsal outline of promesonotum convex; metanotal groove weak; a groove separates the mesonotum from the mesopleuron; a distinct transverse carina present across the lateral mesosoma, dividing the mesopleuron from the metapleuron (Fig. 1B); propodeum lower to promesonotum; dorsal outline of propodeum weakly convex; declivity concave, encircled with a rim.</p><p>In profile, both petiole and postpetiole globular; slightly longer than broad, while in some paratypes, length and height are the same; dorsum convex, with dorsal outline elevated posteriorly. Petiole subsessile; subpetiolar process present but indistinct, reduced with a straight ventral outline; petiolar spiracle, small, located anteriorly on lateral surface; post petiolar spiracle small, located near the middle on lateral surface. Gaster oval (Fig. 1D).</p><p>Head entirely microreticulate; mandibles with striation and few punctures; mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole entirely microreticulate. Lateral mesonotum, propodeum, petiole with few distinct, irregular superficial rugae, and postpetiole with light rugae (Fig. 1A, D). Dorsum promesonotum, propodeum, petiole, and postpetiole with light superficial rugae (Fig. 1C). Rugae absent on lateral pronotum (Fig. 1B). First gastral tergite superficially shagreened with smooth and shinning interspaces; legs and antennae finely microreticulate (Fig. 1D).</p><p>Whole body with sparse, suberect hairs; longer hairs present on scape, occiput, dorsum of petiole, and postpetiole; relatively shorter hairs present on lateral sides of mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole and short decumbent hairs on gaster. Hairs relatively denser on the gaster, funiculus of antenna, tibia, and tarsus. (Fig. 1A, C, D).</p><p>Head and mandible dark reddish brown; head with a black patch on vertex; body dark reddish brown to black; gaster black with yellow apical end; legs and antennae light brown (Fig. 1A, C, D).</p><p>Etymology The species is named after its type locality, the district Kodagu in Karnataka state, where Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is situated.</p><p>Distribution India (Karnataka). Known only from the type locality and nontype locality so far.</p><p>Natural history</p><p>Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is a significant forest area in Karnataka situated within the central Western Ghats, features a distinctive landscape comprising evergreen forests and grassland shola habitat, typical of the higher elevations of the Western Ghats. Annual rainfall is 6000- 7000 mm, with an average annual temperature ranging from 10- 34°C (Mallesha 2008).</p><p>In the type locality, specimens were collected from under a large rotting log where the bivouac was present. The non-type specimens from the Honey Valley estate were collected from leaf litter. Both collections were made in April, prior to the monsoon season.</p><p>Comparative notes</p><p>The  Aenictus pachycerus species group comprises 18 species (Jaitrong &amp; Yamane 2011; Jaitrong et al. 2012; Jaitrong &amp; Wiwatwitaya 2013; Yamane &amp; Wang 2015; Sahoo et al. 2023; Antwiki 2024), of which five species have been reported from India:  A. pachycerus Smith, 1858;  A. aitkenii Forel, 1901;  A. punensis Forel, 1901;  A. dentatus Forel, 1911; and  A. kadalarensis Sahoo et al., 2023 (status of  A. aratus Forel, 1900 in India is uncertain (Shattuck 2008; Bharti et al. 2016; Sahoo et al. 2023). A table listing  A. pachycerus group species and their distributions is provided (Table 1).</p><p>Aenictus kodaguensis sp. nov. is different from all other  Aenictus species reported from India by having a shagreened gaster and a peculiar transverse ridge in lateral mesosoma. It shares a close resemblance to  A.paradentatus Jaitrong &amp; Yamane, 2012, by having a shagreened gaster. However,  A. kodaguensis sp. nov. differs from  A. paradentatus in having a shorter scape (measuring &lt;0.82 mm; with SI &lt;115) compared to  A. paradentatus, which measures more than 0.92 mm, with SI&gt;117. The masticatory margin of the mandible in the former bears 5 denticles, while the latter bears 11-12 denticles. Further distinctions lie in the absence of longitudinal rugae on the dorsal and lateral promesonotum of  A. kodaguensis sp. nov., in contrast to the presence of multiple distinct longitudinal rugae on the dorsal and lateral promesonotum of the latter (Fig. 2).</p><p>A. kodaguensis sp. nov. also exhibits similarities with  A. dentatus Forel, 1911 and  A. bobaiensis Zhou &amp; Chen, 1999 by having a microreticulated head and mesosoma. However,  A. dentatus can be differentiated by having a much longer scape (SI&gt; 142) (Jaitrong &amp; Wiwatwitaya 2013) and a smooth first gastral tergite (Jaitrong et al. 2012), while  A. kodaguensis sp. nov. has a shagreened gaster and a shorter scape (SI&lt;115). Similarly,  A. bobaiensis is a larger species (TL 4.85–5.10 mm; HW 0.90–0.98 mm) (Jaitrong &amp; Wiwatwitaya 2013) compared to  A. kodaguensis sp. nov. (TL 3.57- 4.21; HW 0.67- 0.76).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03801969B964FFA6FD50FC98FDD1F9B4	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Plazi	Sahoo, Bikash;Sahanashree, Ramakrishnaiah;Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan;Datta-Roy, Aniruddha	Sahoo, Bikash, Sahanashree, Ramakrishnaiah, Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, Datta-Roy, Aniruddha (2024): Aenictus kodaguensis sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a unique species from India. Asian Myrmecology (e 017003) 17: 1-7, DOI: 10.20362/am.017003, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.20362/am.017003
