Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on "exploding ants" (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group

Alice Laciny; Herbert Zettel; Alexey Kopchinskiy; Carina Pretzer; Anna Pal; Kamariah Abu Salim; Mohammad Javad Rahimi; Michaela Hoenigsberger; Linda Lim; Weeyawat Jaitrong; Irina S Druzhinina

doi:10.3897/zookeys.751.22661

Colobopsis explodens sp. n., model species for studies on "exploding ants" (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with biological notes and first illustrations of males of the Colobopsis cylindrica group

Zookeys. 2018 Apr 19:(751):1-40. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.751.22661. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ 2nd Zoological Department, Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
² Department of Theoretical Biology, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
³ Research Area Biochemical Technology, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, TU Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria.
⁴ Environmental and Life Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Bandar Seri Begawan BE 1410, Brunei Darussalam.
⁵ Center for Analytical Chemistry, Department of Agrobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria.
⁶ Chemical Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Bandar Seri Begawan, BE 1410, Brunei Darussalam.
⁷ Thailand Natural History Museum, National Science Museum, Technopolis, Khlong 5, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120 Thailand.

Abstract

A taxonomic description of all castes of Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. from Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia is provided, which serves as a model species for biological studies on "exploding ants" in Southeast Asia. The new species is a member of the Colobopsis cylindrica (COCY) group and falls into a species complex that has been repeatedly summarized under the name Colobopsis saundersi (Emery, 1889) (formerly Camponotus saundersi). The COCY species group is known under its vernacular name "exploding ants" for a unique behaviour: during territorial combat, workers of some species sacrifice themselves by rupturing their gaster and releasing sticky and irritant contents of their hypertrophied mandibular gland reservoirs to kill or repel rivals. This study includes first illustrations and morphometric characterizations of males of the COCY group: Colobopsis explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. and Colobopsis badia (Smith, 1857). Characters of male genitalia and external morphology are compared with other selected taxa of Camponotini. Preliminary notes on the biology of C. explodens Laciny & Zettel, sp. n. are provided. To fix the species identity of the closely related C. badia, a lectotype from Singapore is designated. The following taxonomic changes within the C. saundersi complex are proposed: Colobopsis solenobia (Menozzi, 1926), syn. n. and Colobopsis trieterica (Menozzi, 1926), syn. n. are synonymized with Colobopsis corallina Roger, 1863, a common endemic species of the Philippines. Colobopsis saginata Stitz, 1925, stat. n., hitherto a subspecies of C. badia, is raised to species level.

Keywords: Camponotini; Colobopsis; Formicidae; Southeast Asia; autothysis; behavioural ecology; integrative taxonomy; male morphology; molecular biology; morphometry; new species; new status; new synonymy; phylogeny; taxonomy.