Tanipone Bolton & Fisher, 2012

Borowiec, Marek L., 2016, Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), ZooKeys 608, pp. 1-280 : 178-180

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Formicidae

Tanipone Bolton & Fisher, 2012

Type-species.

Tanipone hirsuta , by original designation.

Tanipone is a small genus with unknown biology, endemic to arid and semi-arid habitats of Madagascar.

Diagnosis.

Worker. Tanipone workers are distinctive ants with large eyes and ocelli, very long palps and unique glandular patches on abdominal segment III. The latter are present in all species except one ( Tanipone aglandula ). The body coloration is black or bicolored reddish and black, with a light band or two light spots present at the posterior edge of abdominal segment III. The workers of Tanipone lack a conspicuous mid tibial spur. Other genera without the spur include Simopone and Vicinopone . Additionally, in certain species of Lioponera the mid tibial spur may be reduced and not easily discernible. Tanipone workers can be easily distinguished from all three lineages by remarkably long palps that are always visible on preserved specimens, reaching the occipital foramen.

Male. The male of Tanipone is also easily distinguished from all other dorylines by the long maxillary palps, almost always extruded and reaching occipital foramen. The wing venation is variously developed but the submarginal cell (SMC) is open or closed by a faint 2rs-m cross-vein. There are no notauli and no spurs on middle tibiae.

Description.

Worker.Head: Antennae with 12 segments. Apical antennal segment not enlarged, not broader and longer than two preceding segments combined. Clypeus without cuticular apron. Lateroclypeal teeth absent. Parafrontal ridges reduced. Torulo-posttorular complex vertical. Antennal scrobes absent. Labrum with median notch or concavity. Proximal face of stipes projecting beyond inner margin of sclerite, concealing prementum when mouthparts fully closed. Maxillary palps 6-segmented. Labial palps 4-segmented. Mandibles triangular, edentate. Eyes present, composed of more than 20 ommatidia. Ocelli present. Head capsule with differentiated vertical posterior surface above occipital foramen. Ventrolateral margins of head without lamella or ridge extending towards mandibles and beyond carina surrounding occipital foramen. Posterior head corners dorsolaterally immarginate. Carina surrounding occipital foramen ventrally present. Mesosoma: Pronotal flange not separated from collar by distinct ridge. Promesonotal connection with Pronotomesopleural suture completely fused. Pronotomesopleural suture visible, unfused up to notal surface. Mesometapleural groove deeply impressed, conspicuous. Transverse groove dividing mesopleuron present. Pleural endophragmal pit concavity present. Mesosoma dorsolaterally immarginate. Metanotal depression or groove on mesosoma absent or a weakly impressed line. Propodeal spiracle situated low on sclerite. Propodeal declivity with distinct dorsal edge or margin and rectangular in posterior view. Metapleural gland without bulla visible through cuticle. Propodeal lobes present, well developed. Metasoma: Petiole anterodorsally marginate, dorsolaterally immarginate, and laterally above spiracle marginate. Helcium in relation to tergosternal Pronotomesopleural suture placed at posttergite and axial. Prora simple, not delimited by carina. Spiracle openings of abdominal segments IV–VI circular. Abdominal segment III anterodorsally immarginate and dorsolaterally immarginate. Abdominal segment III more than half size of succeeding segment IV, which is weakly constricted at presegmental portion (uninodal waist). Girdling constriction of segment IV present, i.e. pre- and postsclerites distinct. Cinctus of abdominal segment IV gutter-like, not sculptured. Cinctus of abdominal segment IV gutter-like and smooth or cross-ribbed. Abdominal segment IV not conspicuously largest segment. Abdominal tergite IV not folding over sternite, and anterior portions of sternite and tergite equally well visible in lateral view. Girdling constriction between pre- and posttergites of abdominal segments V and VI absent. Girdling constriction between pre- and poststernites of abdominal segments V and VI present or absent. Pygidium large, with weakly impressed medial field, and armed with few modified setae restricted to apex. Hypopygium unarmed. Legs: Mid tibia without spurs. Hind tibia with single pectinate spur. Hind basitarsus not widening distally, circular in cross-section. Posterior flange of hind coxa not produced as raised lamella. Metatibial gland present as oval patch of whitish cuticle. Metabasitarsal gland absent. Hind pretarsal claws each armed with a tooth. Polymorphism: Monomorphic.

Male.Head: Antennae with 13 segments. Clypeus without cuticular apron. Parafrontal ridges absent. Torulo-posttorular complex vertical. Maxillary palps 6-segmented. Labial palps 4-segmented. Mandibles triangular, edentate. Ventrolateral margins of head without lamella or ridge extending towards mandibles and beyond carina surrounding occipital foramen. Carina surrounding occipital foramen ventrally present. Mesosoma: Pronotal flange separated from collar by distinct ridge or not. Notauli absent. Transverse groove dividing mesopleuron present. Propodeal declivity with distinct dorsal edge or margin. Metapleural gland opening absent. Propodeal lobes present. Metasoma: Petiole anterodorsally immarginate, dorsolaterally immarginate, and laterally above spiracle marginate. Helcium in relation to tergosternal Pronotomesopleural suture placed at posttergite and axial. Prora forming a simple U-shaped margin or U-shaped protrusion. Spiracle openings of abdominal segments IV–VI circular. Abdominal segment III more than half size of succeeding segment IV; latter weakly constricted at presegmental portion (uninodal waist). Girdling constriction of segment IV present, i.e. pre- and postsclerites distinct. Cinctus of abdominal segment IV gutter-like and cross-ribbed. Girdling constriction between pre- and postsclerites of abdominal segments V and VI absent. Abdominal segment IV not conspicuously largest segment. Abdominal sternite VII simple. Abdominal sternite IX distally armed with two spines, with lateral apodemes about as long as medial apodeme, directed anteriorly (towards head). Genitalia: Cupula long relative to rest of genital capsule and shorter ventrally than dorsally. Basimere broadly fused to telomere, with no sulcus trace at junction, and ventrally with left and right arms separated. Telomere gradually tapering toward apex. Volsella gradually tapering toward apex. Penisvalva laterally compressed, rounded at apex. Legs: Mid tibia without spurs. Hind tibia with single pectinate spur. Posterior flange of hind coxa not produced as raised lamella. Metatibial gland absent. Metabasitarsal glands absent. Hind pretarsal claws simple. Hind pretarsal claws each armed with a tooth. Wings: Tegula present, broad, demiovate in shape. Vein C in fore wing absent. Pterostigma broad. Abscissa R·f3 absent. Abscissae Rs·f2-3 absent. Cross-vein 2r-rs absent, present and forming base of 'free stigmal vein’ (2r-rs&Rs·f4-5) in absence of Rs·f3 and 2rs-m, or present and connected to Rs·f2-3&Rs·f4. Abscissae Rs·f4-5 absent or differentiated into Rs·f4 and Rs·f5 by 2rs-m. Abscissa M·f2 in fore wing absent or contiguous with Rs+M. Abscissa M·f4 in fore wing absent or present, reaching wing margin. Cross-vein 1m-cu in fore wing absent or present. Cross-vein cu-a in fore wing present, arising from M+Cu and proximal to M·f1. Vein Cu in fore wing present, with only Cu1 branch prominent. Vein A in fore wing with only abscissa A·f1 present or with abscissae A·f1 and A·f2 present. Vein C in hind wing absent. Vein R in hind wing absent. Vein Sc+R in hind wing present. Abscissa Rs·f1 in hind wing present, as long as 1rs-m or longer than 1rs-m. Abscissa Rs·f2 in hind wing absent or present, reaching wing margin. Cross-vein 1rs-m in hind wing absent or present, about as long as M·f1. Vein M+Cu in hind wing present. Abscissa M·f1 in hind wing present. Abscissa M·f2 in hind wing absent. Cross-vein cu-a in hind wing absent or present. Vein Cu in hind wing present. Vein A in hind wing abscissa A·f1 or with abscissae A·f1 and A·f2 present.

Gyne. Presumably extremely ergatoid in all species; specimens identified as putative gynes differ from workers only in sculpturation. See Bolton and Fisher (2012) for a discussion.

Larva. Not described. Cocoons absent.

Distribution.

Endemic to Madagascar.

Taxonomy and phylogeny.

There are ten Tanipone species currently known, all confined to Madagascar ( Bolton and Fisher 2012). The position of this lineage is not known, and internal phylogeny has never been investigated, although Bolton and Fisher (2012) assigned the species to three species-groups.

Biology.

The known specimens have been collected mostly in a variety of drier habitats in Madagascar, including dry tropical forest, savannah, and spiny forest. Most workers were collected on low vegetation, on the ground or in rot holes on tree trunks. The sole nest sample of Tanipone ( Tanipone zona ) was collected under a stone. Nothing is known about feeding habits of this lineage. The putative queen specimens are ergatoid. Based on nest collections where larvae of different sizes and pupae were collected together, known for Tanipone hirsuta , Tanipone subpilosa , and Tanipone zona , brood development appears not synchronized.

Species of Tanipone

Tanipone aglandula Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone aversa Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone cognata Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone hirsuta Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone maculata Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone pilosa Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone scelesta Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone subpilosa Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone varia Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar

Tanipone zona Bolton and Fisher, 2012: Madagascar