Dilobocondyla bangalorica
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| Dilobocondyla bangalorica Thresiamma Varghese, 2006 |
Dilobocondyla bangalorica belongs to the subfamily Myrmicinae. This arboreal ant nests in dead wood and crevices in tree barks. The species name is after the type locality, Bangalore, where the ant was discovered in 2006.[1]
Researchers Sunil Kumar M. and Srihari K. T. collected the 4mm ant in the campus of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in 1997. Though they identified the genus of the ant, it was Dr. Thresiamma Varghese, a scientist at the IISc, whose studies led to the ant being described as a new species in 2006.
The ants build their nest in the Frangipani plant species Plumeria alba and Plumeria rubra. While they live in colonies like other ants, they forage individually on tree trunks. The spines on the head and thorax are blunt, thus differentiating this species from others. When foraging, these ants raise their gaster high up in the air, very similar to the Acrobat Ants, Crematogaster. The species differs from other known species in the smaller size of worker and queen ants, the sculpted thorax and pedicel, colouration, six well defined mandibular teeth, and the lesser number of rugosities between the frontal carinae.[2]
The Holotype is deposited in the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc.
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu:210/hymenoptera/nomenclator.name_id_entry?id=196920 Hymenoptera database
- ^ Verghese, Dr. Thresiamma. A new species of the ant genus Dilobocondyla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from India, with notes on nesting behaviour. Oriental Insects. Retrieved on September 22, 2006.
