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Species: Tetramorium (ranarum) ranarum

Name Status: Valid Name

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

Subfamily: Myrmicinae Genus: Tetramorium

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) ranarum Forel, 1895i PDF: 486 (w.) MADAGASCAR. AntCat AntWiki

Taxonomic history

Combination in Xiphomyrmex: Wheeler, 1922: 1032; in Tetramorium: Bolton, 1979 PDF: 151.

Taxon Page Author History

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Forel, A., 1895:
- [[ worker ]], L. 2,6 mill. - Mandibules avec 6 dents, subopaques, densement striees, avec des points epars. Epistome imprime au milieu, devant, sans carene. Les aretes frontales, fortement divergentes, forment en dehors une loge distincte, finement reticulee, pour les scapes entiers qui n'atteignent que le cinquieme posterieur de la tete. Tete convexe, en trapeze, elargie et largementechancree derriere. Yeux plats et fort petits, n'ayant que 22 a 25 facettes.
Thorax court, large, convexe, plus robuste que chez le T. Schaufussii. Metanotum arme de deux epines robustes, assez courtes, un peu courbees en haut, identiques a celles du T. guineense . Deux dents metasternales triangulaires. Premier article du pedicule avec un petiole de longueur mediocre et un noeud cubique-arrondi aussi long que large et fort epais, beaucoup plus epais que chez le T. Schaufussii , plus large que chez le Nassononi . Second n oe ud tres large, beaucoup plus large que long. Abdomen tronque devant.
Abdomen, pattes, scapes et milieu du dos des deux n oe uds du pedicule lisses et luisants. Tout le reste grossierement et profondement rugueux (reticulations avec tendance plus ou moins marquee a former des rides longitudinales. Le front et l'epistome sont longitudinalement rides; la face declive du metanotum est plus finement rugueuse (ainsi que la loge des scapes). Les parties rugueuses sont subopaques.
Pilosite diluee, tres fine; sur les tibias et les scapes seulement une pubescence soulevee. Sur le corps presque pas de pubescence.
D'un brun rougeatre. Mandibules, antennes, pattes et extremite de l'abdomen d'un jaune testace un peu brunatre ou roussatre.
Madagascar central (M. Sikora).

Bolton, B., 1979:
(Fig. 25)
Tetramorium (Xiphomyrmex) ranarum Forel , 1895 b: 486. Syntype workers, Madagascar: central Madagascar {Sikora) (MHN, Geneva) [examined].
Worker. TL 3.0 - 3.3, HL 0.72 - 0.82, HW 0.68 - 0.76, CI 94 - 97, SL 0.48 - 0.54, SI 67 - 71, PW 0.48 - 0.55 ' AL 0.80 - 0.88 (8 measured).
Mandibles strongly longitudinally striate, anterior clypeal margin with a median notch or impression. Eyes relatively small, maximum diameter c. 0.13 - 0.14, about 0.17 - 0.19 x HW. Frontal carinae strong and surmounted by a raised narrow rim or crest, occipitally becoming weaker and merging into the other cephalic sculpture. Antennal scrobes shallow but broad, the scrobal area with some rugulose sculpture. Propodeal spines elongate and strong, tending to be upcurved along their length. Metapleural lobes broadly triangular and acute. Petiole node in profile blocky, about as long dorsally as the tergal portion is high. In dorsal view the petiole node about as broad as long, in some specimens slightly broader than long and vice versa in others. Postpetiole evenly convex in profile, much broader than petiole in dorsal view. Head predominantly bluntly longitudinally rugulose with some cross-meshes and with a reticulum occipitally, the dorsal surfaces of the blunt rugulae with a beaded appearance due to the presence of aligned punctulae. Spaces between rugulae weakly punctulate. Dorsal alitrunk reticulate-rugulose, the rugulae more strongly developed than on the head but still blunt and with the same beaded appearance. Petiole dorsum with traces of rugular sculpture, the postpetiole and gaster unsculptured. All dorsal surfaces of head and body with numerous fine hairs. Colour medium to dark reddish brown.
T. quasirum and coillum are the species most closely related to ranarum , the three of them sharing a similar habitus but differing in detail. Thus, quasirum is a noticeably smaller species than ranarum with relatively larger eyes, and coillum has the petiole more sharply angulate and retains rugulose sculpture on the postpetiole.
Material examined
Madagascar: Perinet (W. L. Brown); Andasibe (= Perinet) (W. L. & D. E. Brown).

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 49 times found in montane rainforest, 24 times found in rainforest, 2 times found in montane rainforest, marsh edge, 2 times found in rainforest, transition to montane forest, 1 times found in in guava forest, 1 times found in gallery montane forest, 2 times found in stomach contents of Mantella baroni, 1 times found in montane shrubland, 1 times found in park/garden, 1 times found in disturbed montane rainforest, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 15 times MW 50 sample transect, 5m, 2 times 7 MaxiWinks, 5 times Malaise trap, 4 times 9 MaxiWinks, mixed samples, 2 times MW, 25 sifted litter, 10 times MW 25 sample transect, 5m, 5 times pitfall trap, PF 50 tube sample transect, 5m, 1 times 9 Maxi winklers, 4 times pitfall trap, PF 50 traps, 11 cm dbh with water, soap, formalin, nonlinear placement, 2 times pitfall traps, 2 times 10 Maxi Winks, ...

Elevations: collected from 140 - 1700 meters, 1028 meters average