A Revision of the Thai Species of the Ant Genus Aenictus Shuckard, 1840 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae)

Weeyawat Jaitrong

Authors

Weeyawat Jaitrong Natural History Museum, National Science Museum, Technopolis, Khlong 5, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120 Thailand

Keywords:

Army ants, Aenictus, species groups, taxonomy, new localities, Thailand

Abstract

A total of 34 species are recognized among the Aenictus fauna of Thailand based on the external morphological characters of the worker. They belong to the following ten species groups: A. ceylonicus group (A. concavus Jaitrong et Yamane, A. cylindripetiolus Jaitrong et Yamane, A. fuchuanensis Zhou, A. khaoyaiensis Jaitrong et Yamane, A. maneerati Jaitrong et Yamane, A. pinkaewi Jaitrong et Yamane, A. thailandianus Terayama et Kubota, A. watanasiti Jaitrong et Yamane, A. wilaiae Jaitrong et Yamane, and A. wiwatwitayai Jaitrong et Yamane); A. currax group (A. cornutus Forel, A. parahuonicus Jaitrong et Yamane, and A. gracilis Emery); A. hottai group (A. hottai Terayama et Yamane); A. javanus group (A. doydeei Jaitrong et Yamane, A. duengkaei Jaitrong et Yamane, A. longinodus Jaitrong et Yamane, and A. nishimurai Terayama et Kubota); A. leptotyphlatta group (A. leptotyphlatta Jaitrong et Eguchi); A. laeviceps group (A. binghami Forel, A. fulvus Jaitrong et Yamane, A. hodgsoni Forel, A. laeviceps (F. Smith), A. siamensis Jaitrong et Yamane, and A. sonchaengi Jaitrong et Yamane); A. minutulus group (A. changmaianus Terayama et Kubota, and A. minutulus Terayama et Yamane); A. pachycerus group (A. dentatus Forel and A. paradentatus Jaitrong et Yamane); A. silvestrii group (A. jarujini Jaitrong et Yamane) and A. wroughtonii group ( A. artipus Wilson, A. camposi Wheeler et Chapman, A. stenocephalus Jaitrong et Yamane, and A. veiti Jaitrong et Yamane). Three species are newly record from Thailand: A. cornutus (Narathiwat Province, S. Thailand), A. minutulus (Trang and Narathiwat Provinces, S. Thailand), and A. vieti (Tak Province, W. Thailand). Many new localities in Thailand are given for most of the species. A key to species is provided based on the worker caste to include all species. I omit the male-based names from the species treatment in this paper. Morphological and bionomic information is presented for each species. In the A. ceylonicus, A. javanus and A. minutulus groups size variation occurs among individuals from single colonies. The workers of these species groups are roughly sorted into two size classes that are not very distinctive in structural characters. The members of the other seven species groups with medium-sized and larger species are typically monomorphic in the worker caste.

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