Philidris cordata ( Smith, 1859 )

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 : 25-26

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.20362/am.015006
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B68783-314D-FFBC-FD4B-7B5CFEB7FDD7
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Philidris cordata ( Smith, 1859 )
status

Treatment

Philidris cordata ( Smith, 1859) View in CoL

Material examined. Rifle Range Road , 6 Dec 2017, W. Wang leg., WW-SG17- Phil 1, ZRC _ ENT00028313 View Materials ; Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve , 28 Mar 2018, W. Wang leg., WW-SG18- Phil 1, ZRC _ ENT00000958 View Materials ; Bukit Timah Nature Reserve , BT05, 1.35386°N, 103.77988°E, 28 Dec 2016, W. Wang leg., WW-SG16-010, ZRC GoogleMaps _ HYM_0000503; Bukit Batok East Avenue 6, BB8, 1.34304°N, 103.76235°E, 28-30 Aug 2016, G.W. Yong leg., trunk pitfall trap, ZRC GoogleMaps _ HYM_0001544; Upper Thomson Nature Park , UT5, 1.38311°N, 103.79839°E, 11-13 Sep 2016, G.W. Yong leg., pitfall, ZRC GoogleMaps _ HYM_0001545; Kent Ridge Park , 7 Dec 2017, W. Wang leg., WW-SG17-043, hand collection (day), ZRC _ ENT00014138 View Materials .

Material not physically examined. CASENT0909511, ANTC31950 ( MHNG) [type of ‘ Philidris cordata fuscus jactans ’].

Literature. Forel (1911) [as type of ‘ Philidris cordata fuscus jactans ’].

Localities. Bukit Batok East; Upper Thomson Nature Park.

Habitat/Ecology. Found mostly in young secondary habitat in Singapore, including disturbed scrub in parks and abandoned plantation forests, also sometimes in primary forest and mangroves. Nests have been found in fallen twigs and behind bark of dead trees; semi-carton nests were frequently found linked to extensive trunk trails made of similar substrate.

Remarks. Due to taxonomic ambiguities at the time of writing, two subspecies — P. cordata fusca and P. cordata protensa — have been included in this section. It is possible that these subspecies may be raised to species status in future if more empirical evidence are made available. Philidris cordata fusca appears limited to primary and disturbed secondary forests, while P. cordata protensa has only

been found in mangroves. First local record of this species is as type of ‘ Philidris cordata fuscus jactans (Forel, 1911)’ - now considered an unavailable quadrinomial.

These ants are typically found in extreme abundance, sometimes in semi-carton nest extensions or satellites on tree trunks or base of trees, often linked by pervasive/extensive trunk trails. Arguably, such trunk trails and carton nest building behaviour may be only demonstrated by one subspecies — P. cordata fusca .