Biology:Romblonella

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Short description: Genus of ants

Romblonella
Romblonella opaca casent0178525 profile 1.jpg
Romblonella opaca worker
Scientific classification e
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Romblonella
Wheeler, 1935
Type species
Rombonella grandinodis
Wheeler, 1935
Diversity[1]
8 species

Romblonella is a genus of myrmicine ants.

Systematics

Romblonella is probably the sister taxon to Stereomyrmex. Closely related genera are Leptothorax and Cardiocondyla.[2]

Biology

Very little is known about these uncommon ants. Most species were found to nest in twigs on trees and to forage on low vegetation.[3]

Description

R. opaca: a) lateral view; b) head, dorsal view; c) thorax and petiole, dorsal view

Workers of R. opaca are about 4 mm long. They have a small sting. R. opaca was described from four specimens found on Romblon Island, Philippines, by Wheeler (1935).[4] However, the species had already been described by F. Smith in 1861 as Myrmica opaca, which had been collected at Tondano, Sulawesi by Alfred Russel Wallace.[5]

R. elysii workers are 2 mm long. They were originally described as Crematogaster from a few workers from the Solomon Islands.[6] R. heatwolei workers are almost 4 mm long.[2]

Only for R. palauensis and R. heatwolei have males been described.[2]

Distribution

Romblonella is found from the Philippines south through New Guinea, with one species known from Australia . The distribution stretches to the islands of the western South Pacific.[citation needed]

Name

The genus is named after the locality where the type species was found.[citation needed]

Species

  • Romblonella elysii (Mann, 1919) — Malapina, Big Nggela: Solomon Islands
  • Romblonella heatwolei Taylor, 1991 — Wyer Island: Torres Strait: Queensland: Australia
  • Romblonella opaca (F. Smith, 1861) — Philippines, Indonesia
  • Romblonella palauensis M. R. Smith, 1953 — Auluptagel, Urukthapal, Babelthaub: Palau: Caroline Islands
  • Romblonella scrobifera (Emery, 1897)[7] — Aitape, Manus Province, East Sepik Province, Morobe Province, East New Britain Province: New Guinea
  • Romblonella townesi M. R. Smith, 1953 — Mount Lasso: Tinian Island: Northern Mariana Islands
  • Romblonella vitiensis M. R. Smith, 1953 — Wakaya Island: Fiji Islands
  • Romblonella yapensis M. R. Smith, 1953 — Yap Island: Caroline Islands

Images

Footnotes

  1. Bolton, B. (2014). "Romblonella". AntCat. http://antcat.org/catalog/429952. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Taylor, Robert W. (1991): Notes on the ant genera Romblonella and Willowsiella, with comments on their affinities, and the first descriptions of Australian species. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Psyche 97: 281-298. PDF
  3. Australian Ants Online: Genus Romblonella
  4. Wheeler, William M. (1935): Two new genera of myrmicine ants from Papua and the Philippines. Proceedings of the New England Zoological Club 15: 1-9. PDF
  5. Smith 1861: 47
  6. Mann 1919: 319
  7. length c. 3 mm, as Tetramorium scrobiferum, Emery 1897: 587

References

  • Emery, Carlo (1897): Formicidarum species novae vel minus cognitae in collectione Musaei Nationalis Hungarici, quas in Nova Guinea, colonia germanica, collegit L. Biro. Termeszetrajzi Fuzetek 20: 571-599. PDF
  • Mann, William M. (1919): The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard College 63: 273-391. PDF
  • Smith, Frederick (1861): Catalogue of hymenopterous insects collected by Mr. A. R. Wallace in the Islands of Ceram, Celebes, Ternate, and Gilolo. Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 6: 36-48. PDF
  • ITIS: Genus Romblonella

Further reading

  • Smith, Marion R. (1953): A revision of the genus Romblonella W. M. Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 15: 75-80. PDF

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q1941326 entry