''Romblonella'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

myrmicine Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent and ...

ants.

Systematics

''Romblonella'' is probably the

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to '' Stereomyrmex''. Closely related genera are ''

Leptothorax ''Leptothorax'' is a genus of small ants with mainly Holarctic distributions. The genus is notable for its widespread social parasitism, i.e. they are dependent on the help of workers from other ant species during a part or the whole of their lif ...

'' and ''

Cardiocondyla ''Cardiocondyla'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Distribution Approximately 70 species are currently recognized as belonging to this genus, most of which are distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics, b ...

''.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
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/ref>

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.Australian Ants Online

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Description

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 Romblon, officially the Municipality of Romblon, is a 3rd class municipality and capital of the province of Romblon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,554 people. The town comprises the entire Romblon Island, ...

, Philippines, by Wheeler (1935). However, the species had already been described by F. Smith in 1861 as ''Myrmica opaca'', which had been collected at

Tondano Tondano is the capital of Minahasa Regency, mainly in the district of West Tondano (Kecamatan Tondano Barat), in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The city is located in the highlands on the shores of Lake Tondano near Mount Tondano, and enjoys cool tempe ...

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace (8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He is best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural se ...

.Smith 1861: 47 ''R. elysii'' workers are 2 mm long. They were originally described as '' Crematogaster'' from a few workers from the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

. ''R. heatwolei'' workers are almost 4 mm long. Only for ''R. palauensis'' and ''R. heatwolei'' have males been described.

Distribution

''Romblonella'' is found from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

south through

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, with one species known from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The distribution stretches to the islands of the western South Pacific.

Name

The genus is named after the locality where the type species was found.

Species

* '' Romblonella elysii'' (Mann, 1919) — Malapina, Big Nggela:

* '' Romblonella heatwolei'' Taylor, 1991 — Wyer Island:

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

: Australia * '' Romblonella opaca'' (F. Smith, 1861) — Philippines, Indonesia * '' Romblonella palauensis'' M. R. Smith, 1953 — Auluptagel, Urukthapal, Babelthaub:

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

: Caroline Islands * '' Romblonella scrobifera'' ( Emery, 1897)length c. 3 mm, as '' Tetramorium scrobiferum'', Emery 1897: 587 —

Aitape Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the ...

, Manus Province, East Sepik Province,

Morobe Province Morobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital and largest city is Lae. The province covers 33,705 km2, with a population of 674,810 (2011 census), and since the division of Southern Highlands P ...

, East New Britain Province:

* '' Romblonella townesi'' M. R. Smith, 1953 — Mount Lasso:

Tinian Island Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of th ...

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...

* '' Romblonella vitiensis'' M. R. Smith, 1953 — Wakaya Island:

Fiji Islands Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

* '' Romblonella yapensis'' M. R. Smith, 1953 — Yap Island: Caroline Islands

Images

Image:Romblonella opaca casent0178525 profile 1.jpg, Specimen of a '' Romblonella opaca'' Image:Romblonella palauensis casent0172306 profile 2.jpg, Specimen of a '' Romblonella palauensis'' Image:Romblonella scrobifera casent0010806 profile 1.jpg, Specimen of a '' Romblonella scrobifera''

Footnotes

References

* 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
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* Mann, William M. (1919): The ants of the British Solomon Islands. ''Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard College'' 63: 273-391
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* 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
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* ITIS
Genus ''Romblonella''

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1941326 Myrmicinae Ant genera Hymenoptera of Asia Hymenoptera of Australia