Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler, 1929

Hamer, Matthew T., Lee, Jonathan Hon Chung, Tse, Cheung Yau Leo, Silva, Thiago S. R. & Guénard, Benoit, 2022, Remarkable diversity in a little red dot: a comprehensive checklist of known ant species in Singapore (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with notes on ecology and taxonomy, Asian Myrmecology (e 015006) 15, pp. 1-152 : 69-70

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.20362/am.015006
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B68783-3111-FFE0-FD4B-79A3FEC9FD57
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler, 1929
status

Treatment

Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler, 1929 View in CoL

Material examined. Icube , National University of Singapore ( NUS), 1.29347, 103.77633, 29 Jul-5 Aug 2015, M.S. Foo & W. Wang leg., malaise trap, NUS00074, ZRC _ BDP0042671 View Materials GoogleMaps ; Prince George’s Park Residences ( NUS), 1.29239, 103.77869, 24 Mar-1 Apr 2015, M.S. Foo & W. Wang leg., malaise trap, NUS0001, ZRC _ BDP0044284 View Materials , ZRC _ BDP0044334 View Materials GoogleMaps ; same locality and collectors as previous, 29 Apr-6 May 2015, malaise trap, NUS0021, ZRC _ BDP0044156 View Materials GoogleMaps ; University Hall ( NUS), 1.297111, 103.77658, 1-8 Apr 2015, M.S. Foo & W. Wang leg., malaise trap, NUS0008, ZRC _ BDP0045349 View Materials GoogleMaps ; University Town ( NUS), 1.30622, 103.77458, 5-12 Aug 2015, M.S. Foo & W. Wang leg., malaise trap, NUS0079, ZRC _ BDP0042640 View Materials GoogleMaps .

Material not physically examined. Unknown.

Literature. Wang et al. (2018a).

Localities. National University of Singapore campus (Clementi/Kent Ridge).

Habitat/Ecology. This is an accomplished tramp species presumably native to Southeast Asia, mainly associated with disturbed secondary forest fragments in urban or semi-urban settings in Singapore; it can also be found in urban cultivated grass- or parklands. While the species is known to nest in dead twigs or branch cavities of bushes/trees/shrubs, formal records of local occurrences comprise mostly alates collected via malaise traps. Like its close relative (similarly also a tramp species) C. wroughtonii , C. obscurior nests in vegetation above the surface rather than in soil. Polygynous colonies with multiple queens are known to be common.

Remarks. Given the morphological similarities with the congener C. wroughtonii , which has been recorded from Singapore since 1892, it is possible that at least some historical records of C. wroughtonii were actually misidentified C. obscurior .