Romblonella

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Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Family:Formicidae
Romblonella
Romblonella opaca worker
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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

Romblonella is a genus of myrmicine ants.

Romblonella is probably the sister taxon to Stereomyrmex. Closely related genera are Leptothorax and Cardiocondyla.[2]

Biology

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

R. opaca: a) lateral view; b) head, dorsal view; c) thorax and petiole, dorsal view

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

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

The genus is named after the locality where the type species was found.[citation needed]

Species

Images

Footnotes

References

Further reading

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