Romblonella is a genus of myrmicine ants.
| Romblonella | |
|---|---|
| |
| Romblonella opaca worker | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| 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 | |
Systematics edit
Romblonella is probably the sister taxon to Stereomyrmex. Closely related genera are Leptothorax and Cardiocondyla.[2]
Biology edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
The genus is named after the locality where the type species was found.[citation needed]
Species edit
- 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 edit
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Specimen of a Romblonella opaca -
Specimen of a Romblonella palauensis -
Specimen of a Romblonella scrobifera
Footnotes edit
- ^ Bolton, B. (2014). "Romblonella". AntCat. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
- ^ a b c 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
- ^ Australian Ants Online: Genus Romblonella
- ^ 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
- ^ Smith 1861: 47
- ^ Mann 1919: 319
- ^ length c. 3 mm, as Tetramorium scrobiferum, Emery 1897: 587
References edit
- 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 edit
- 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 edit
Media related to Romblonella at Wikimedia Commons
