Bothroponera umgodikulula Joma and Mackay

Ama JOma & Wp MacKay, 2015, Revision of the African Ants of the Bothroponera pumicosa Species Complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae), Sociobiology 62 (4), pp. 538-563 : 560-561

Bothroponera umgodikulula Joma and Mackay Figures 22, 23 and Plate 10 ; Map 11

Bothroponera umgodikulula Joma and Mackay 2013: 1 - 8 (w) South Africa, Whittlesea; Schmidt and Shattuck: 2014: 77.

Diagnosis: The worker of B. umgodikulula can be diagnosed by several morphological characters, such as the lack of sculpture on the tergum of the fourth abdominal segment (second gastral segment), which is mostly smooth and glossy. The propodeal spiracle is unusual in being nearly horizontal on the lateropropodeum. The worker of B. umgodikulula is also characterized by the largest body size among Bothroponera species, which is 14.80 - 15.65 mm.

Worker Description: HL 3.00 - 3.10, HW 2.85 - 2.95, ML 1.50 - 1.70, EW 0.40 - 0.45, EL 0.45, SL 2.35 - 2.40, FL 3.65 - 3.75, WL 4.20, WPL 5.00 - 5.50, PL 1.30 - 1.35, PW 1.50 - 1.70, PH 1.75 - 1.80, CI 95.00 - 95.16, OI 15.78 - 15.25, MandI 50.00 - 54.83, SI 82.45 - 81.35, PetI 115 – 126. Head subquadrate; mandibles triangular, shorter than head length, smooth and glossy with scattered elongated coarse punctures and about 7 teeth; clypeus convex, “v” shaped, covered with striae, except medial area; anterior medial area raised, coarsely punctate on sides, smooth, glossy medially; scape reaches or extends slightly past posterior border of head; compound eyes relatively large; lower margins of frontal lobes smooth, upper part punctate; maximal frontal lobe width 1.10 - 1.20 mm; head coarsely foveolate; length of malar space on side of head (0.65 - 0.70 mm), length from upper edge of eye to edge of posterior lobe 1.35 - 1.50 mm.

Pronotal shoulder rounded; petiole rounded, slightly narrowed anteriorly, slightly concave posteriorly; pronotum, dorsum of mesonotum, dorsum of propodeum coarsely foveolate, rough; dorsum of petiole, postpetiole coarsely foveolate, punctate; mesopleuron, lateropropodeum coarsely grooved, covered with striae, foveolae, punctures; antennae, legs, posterior edge of each gastral tergite shiny.

Entire head, pronotum, mesonotum, propodeum, petiole, postpetiole covered with short (0.03 - 0.10 mm) fine golden hairs; hairs on underside of head range from 0.25 - 0.50 mm in length; ventral surface of postpetiole, fourth–seventh abdominal segments covered with relatively long (0.20 - 0.25 mm) golden suberect hairs.

Head, pronotum, mesonotum, mesopleuron, propodeum, petiole, postpetiole, entire gaster black; legs, antennae, mandibles red; clypeus dark-brown.

Comparison: The worker of Bothroponera umgodikulula is easily recognized by the horizontal propodeal spiracle on the lateropropodeum, while it is obliquely vertical in all of the other African Bothroponera species. The 4th abdominal segment (second gastral segment) is smooth and glossy in B. umgodikulula , conversely, the 4th abdominal segment of B. cavernosa is rough, moderately shiny with few scattered hairs and fine poorly defined striae; this structure is moderately smooth and shiny (less than B. umgodikulula ) with a few scattered punctures in B. montivaga . The other taxa that can be confused with B. umgodikulula are B. laevissima and B. aspera , which both have a 4th abdominal segment that is smooth and shiny, similar to B. umgodikulula . The unique sculpture of these three species simplifies their separation. The surface from the head to the postpetiole is smooth and shiny with few scattered punctulae in B. laevissima and is shiny, rough with dense, shallow punctures in B. aspera , but is coarsely foveolate in B. umgodikulula . The total length of B. umgodikulula is large (14.80 - 15.65 mm) compared to B. cavernosa (11.90 mm) and B. montivaga (12.20 - 12.65 mm). In fact, B. umgodikulula has the largest body size among the other species of the B. pumicosa species complex (e.g. B. granosa 13.75 - 14.50 mm, B. strigulosa 12.20 mm, B. laevissima 11.80 - 13.00 mm, B. aspera 11.70 - 12. 70 mm, B. pumicosa 11.00 - 11.65 mm, B. cariosa 11.50 mm and B. berthoudi 9.60 - 12.75 mm). The anterior medial margin of the clypeus is “v” shaped in B. umgodikulula similar to that of B. granosa , B. cavernosa , B. montivaga and B. aspera , conversely, the anterior medial margin of the clypeus is “u” shaped in B. cariosa , B. strigulosa , B. pumicosa , B. laevissima and B. berthoudi . The anterior medial raised area of the clypeus of B. umgodikulula is completely smooth (lacking a carina) shiny, but sculptured and punctate on the sides of the medial raised area. The anterior medial raised area of the clypeus of B. granosa has a sharp clypeal carina whereas it is partially carinate in B. cavernosa and B. montivaga .

Material examined

Type material: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape Province, Bulhoek, klaver-clanw [Whittlesea], Bulhoek at 32°10’0’’ S; 26°49’0’’ E, Mus. Expd. Oct. 1950, identified as Bothroponera cavernosa Roger, 1860 , F. W. G. (1 w holotype, MCZC) and (1 w paratype, # C005835 Iziko).

Non-type material: SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape Province, Hopefield, 33°03′56″S 18°21′03″E, identified as Bothroponera cavernosa Roger, Det. G. Arnold (1w BMNH).

Distribution: Whittlesea and Hopefield areas in South

Africa.

Biology and habitat: The type specimens were collected in Whittlesea city in South Africa. This area is located in the Eastern Cape Province, but the additional material examined (one specimen) was collected in Hopefield city in the Western Cape Province. Hopefield is a small village situated 90 miles north of Cape Town and about 24.14 km [15 miles] east of Saldanha Bay ( Singer, 1954). The Fynbos biome is dominant in this area ( Rouget et al., 2004), and it is one of the threatened ecosystems in South Africa ( Farrier et al., 2013). The ecological importance of the Hopefield area results from the soil structure, water permeability, climatic influence and vegetational cover. The area is characterized by spreading of several alien invasive plants such as the alien wattles Acacia cyclops (Rooikrans) , A. longifolia (long-leaf wattle), A. saligna (Port Jackson) , a number of Eucalyptus species, Manitoka ( Myoporum montanum ) and introduced prickly pear cactus ( Opuntia sp.). Also many endemic and threatened plant taxa are present (Department of Environmental Affairs & Development Planning 2011). This type of mixed habitat is likely to include many species of insects such as tropical ants.

Figures

Plate 10: Bothroponera. umgodikulula, holotype worker. (Photo by Michele Esposito / From www. antweb. org. Accessed 23 February 2015).

Map 11. The distribution of B. umgodikulula.