Photos and Info on Ants and Termites of Malaysia: 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Odontotermes sp10

This is a mid size with soldiers at around 7 millimeters Odontotermes species are mound building. The head capsule is type 2 but less rectangular-ish. Workers are dimorphic and soldiers are monomorphic.

In this species the definitive tooth on the (left) mandibles is close to the base of the mandibles whereas commonly the characteristic tooth in the Odontotermes genus is around the middle of the mandibles to slightly after towards the tip.

Workers and soldiers of Odontotermes sp(10).

Soldier of Odontotermes sp.

Soldiers of Odontotermes sp.

Soldier of Odontotermes sp.

Worker of Odontotermes sp.

Workers and soldier of Odontotermes sp.

Mound nest of Odontotermes sp.

See also:

Odontoermes longignathus.

Taxonomy:
Domain: Eukaryota
Fungi/Metazoa
Metazoa
Eumetazoa
Subkingdom: Bilateria
Coelomata
Branch: Protostomia
Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Mandibulata
Pancrustacea
Epiclass: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Dicondylia
Infraclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Neoptera
Orthopteroidea
Superorder: Dictyoptera 6970
Order: Blattodea 85823
Suborder: Isoptera 7499
Family: Termitidae 46569
SubFamily: Macrotermitinae 62955
Genus: Odontotermes 60587

Last Updated: 2013 12 31
First Posted: 2013 12 31
© 2009 - 2013 Quah. All rights reserved.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Camponotus bedoti

Camponotus bedoti (Colobopsis group) is a small species of arboreal ants living inside tree branches and branchlets. Most of the Colobopsis group of Camponotus nests in living shrubs and trees.

This species is dimorphic. Like most species of the Colobopsis group the truncated head feature is minimally or not at all expressed in the minor workers and progressively more pronounced moving up in the size of the workers morphology. In this particular species only the queen and major workers have the truncated head feature. The main purpose (or function) of this head shape is to plug the entrance into the nest usually found in the core of branches and branchlets of shrubs and trees. In many cases (but not all) of the Colobopsis group the major workers primary role is as repletes and nest ‘defense’, with the minor (and median) workers handling most or all of the food foraging and brood care. The major workers also play the major role in the ‘carpentry work’ on the nests.

Minor worker of Camponotus bedoti.

Major worker of Camponotus bedoti.

Queen of Camponotus bedoti.

Major worker of Camponotus bedoti.

Gyne and major worker of Camponotus bedoti.

Minor workers of Camponotus bedoti.

Minor and major workers of Camponotus bedoti with larvae, pupae and eggs

Minor and major workers of Camponotus bedoti. with brood.

Minor and major workers of Camponotus bedoti with brood.

See also:

Camponotus genus
Camponotus parius

Camponotus gigas
Camponotus gilviceps

Camponotus sp (Colobopsis group)

Camponotus maculatus pallidus

Camponotus suandersi (Colobopsis group)

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: Camponotini 72773
Genus: Camponotus 13390
Species: bedoti

Last Updated: 2013 12 12
First Posted: 2013 12 12

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Echinopla

The Echinopla genus are characterized by a waist like divide between the firsts and second thoracic segment. Echinopla are fast running ants that forage mostly on plants and trees.

Update 2018 05 21: This first species (collected by me in 2011 C.E.) listed in this post has just been announced as a newly discovered species that is being named Echinopla Tunku-Abduljalilii after the late Prince of the State of Johor (aka Johore):

"There are 15 species from the Echinopla family in Malaysia and this new species is the 16th and the second species to be found in Johor. The first, the Echinopla wardi was discovered in Kota Tinggi.
"This species measures 5.48 millimetre in length and is black in colour. The body of most other Echinopla species are furry unlike this new Echinopla species which are without fur," she said in a statement, here today.
(https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/05/371466/new-ant-species-be-named-after-late-johor-prince#cxrecs_s)

Worker of Echinopla tunku-abduljalilii.

Echinopla lineata

Echinopia lineata

Echinopla striata

Echinopla striata

Taxonomy:

No rank: cellular organisms 131567

Superkingdom (Domain): Eukaryota 2759

No rank: Opisthokonta 33154

Kingdom: Metazoa 33208

No rank: Eumetazoa 6072

No rank (Subkingdom): Bilateria 33213

No rank (Branch): Protostomia 33317

No rank (Infrakingdom): Ecdysozoa

No rank (Superphylum): Panarthropoda 88770

Phylum: Arthropoda 6656

No rank (Subphylum): Mandibulata 197563

No rank: Pancrustacea 197562

Subphylum (Epiclass): Hexapoda 6960

Class: Insecta 50557

No rank (Subclass): Dicondylia 85512

Subclass (Infraclass): Pterygota 7496

Infraclass: Neoptera 33340

Cohort: Holometabola

Order: Hymenoptera 7399

Suborder Apocrita 7400

Infraorder: Aculeata 7434

Superfamily: Formicoidea

Family: Formicidae 36668

Subfamily: Formicinae 7479

Tribe - Camponotini 72773

Genus: Echinopla 111113
Species: tunku-abduljalilii

Updated: 2022 03 09
First Posted: 2013 11 27
© 2011 – 2022 Quah. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Hypotermes sp2

Hypotermes are fungus growing small termites of the Macroterminitinae subfamily that looks very similar to Odontotermes but lack the tooth on the left mandible that characterized the Odontotermes genus.

Hypotermes soldiers and workers.

Hypotermes soldiers and workers

A soldier termite of Hypotermes sp.

Soldiers of Hypotermes sp. termites.

A worker and soldier of termite Hypotermes sp.

A worker and soldiers of termite Hypotermes sp.

A worker Hypotermes sp.

A worker and soldier of termite Hypotermes sp.

A soldier of termite Hypotermes sp.

A soldier of termite Hypotermes sp.

Soldiers of termite Hypotermes sp.

A soldier of termite Hypotermes sp.

Hypotermes sp. termites.

See also:
Hypotermes

Taxonomy

(no rank) Root 1

(Top Node) Cellular organism 131567
Superkingdom: Eukaryota 2759 [Domain]
(no rank) Opisthokonta 33154
Kingdom: Metazoa 33208
(no rank) Eumetazoa 6072
(no rank) Bilateria 33213
(no rank) Coelomata 33316
(no rank) Protosomia 33317
(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) Pterygota 7496
Subclass: Neoptera 33340
Superorder: Dictyoptera 6970

Order: Blattodea 85823
Suborder: Isoptera 7499
Family - Termitidae 46569
SubFamily: Macrotermitinae 62955
Genus: Hypotermes 73854

Last Updated: 2013 11 06
First Posted: 2013 11 06

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Platythyrea

Platythyrea are small mostly arboreal ants. Platythyrea are mostly monomorphic. Most Ponerinae ants are ground hunters and foragers but Platythyrea is one of the few that frequently ventures up plants and trees.

Platythyrea parallela ant worker.