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Thursday, April 04, 2013

Paratrechina sp

Paratrechina sp(2) looks fairly similar to their genera cousin Paratrechina longicornis except that they are slightly larger (the minor workers at 4 mm are approx. 30 percent larger) and are polymorphic with a very small number of major workers at 5 mm that are around 25 percent larger than the minor workers. The gasters (when depleted as well as when fully gorged) are also proportionately larger (as a ratio of the rest of the body). The morphological different between the larger and smaller aside from their size difference is in the major the gaster is also proportionately larger. A further difference as observed in this specimen is that they are brownish unlike Paratrechina longicornis which are noticeably black.


Workers of Paratrechina sp(2). Minor workers top, center and bottom, Major workers right and left.

The minor workers at 4 mm (TL) is around 1 mm larger than the workers of Paratrechina longicornis.


 The major worker aside from being around 1 mm larger than the minor also has a proportionately larger gaster.
Minor worker of Paratrechina sp(2).



The morphological size difference between the major and minor workers are also evident in their respective pupae.

The morphological size difference between the major and minor workers are also evident in their respective pupae.




Two minor workers and a major worker




Major worker (center) and minor workers.

 Queen and workers

Queen and workers


See also other crazy ants:



Taxonomy:
Top Node: cellular organisms
Superkingdom: Eukayota 2759
Opisthokonta 33154
Kingdom: Metazoa 33208 (aka Animalia)
(No Rank): Eumetazoa 6072
(No Rank): Bilateria 33213
(No Rank): Protostomia 33317
(No Rank): Ecdysozoa 1206784
(No Rank):Panarthropoda 88770
Phylum: Arthropoda 6656
(No Rank): Mandibulata 197563
(No Rank): Pancrustacea 197562
Superclass: Hexapoda 6960
Class: Insecta 50557
(No Rank): Dicondylia 85512
(No Rank): Petrygota 7496
Subclass: Neoptera33340
Infraclass: Endopterygota 33392
Order: Hymenoptera 7399
(No Rank): Apocrita 7400
Suborder: Aculeata 7434
Superfamily: Vespoidea 34725
Family: Formicidae 36668
Subfamily: Formicinae 7479
Tribe; Lasiini 72772
Genus: Paratrechina 58224


Last Updated: 2016 11 29
First Posted: 2013 04 04
© 2011 – 2016 Quah. All rights reserved.
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2 comments:

  1. David IanDecember 20, 2013 at 9:38 AM

    Hello Quah. I was just wondering. Have you considered Nylanderia vaga when you were identifying these ants?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. QuahDecember 20, 2013 at 11:44 AM

      Hi David, thanks so much.
      No, I didn't consider Nylanderia vaga but I did check against Nylanderia. I ruled it out on account of the smaller eyes and the longer Antennal scape (as a ratio to the head length) in the workers.

      Delete

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