ASIAN
MYRMECOLOGY

Asian Myrmecology, Volume 7, pages 19-36, published August 2015
DOI: 10.20362/am.007004

Species grouping and key to known species of the ant genus Echinopla Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with reports of Chinese species

ZHENGHUI XU* & XUEYING ZHOU

Abstract:

Twenty-three valid species of the formicine ant genus Echinopla Smith are recorded in the world. Body surface sculptures of the genus are summarized into four types: shagreened, longitudinally striate, bluntly spined with background retirugose and cribrate with interstice retirugose. The twenty-three species are divided into five species-groups based on the body surface sculpture types and other important characters. A key to known species of the genus is provided based on worker and queen castes. E. striata Smith, 1857 is recorded in China for the first time, E. cherapunjiensisBharti & Gul, 2012 is recorded in Tibet and Guangxi regions of China, and this is the northernmostrecord of the genus in the world.

Keywords:

Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Echinopla, species-groups, key, Chinese species

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Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control in Yunnan Province, College of Forestry, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan Province 650224, China

*Corresponding author: xuzhenghui1962@163.com