Morphology of External Genitalia in the Genus Acanthoponera Mayr, with Redescription of A. mucronata (Roger) Male (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ectatomminae)

TL;DR

This paper describes the male Acanthoponera mucronata's external genitalia and other unique features using advanced imaging techniques.

Contribution

The study provides the first detailed description of Acanthoponera mucronata male morphology using modern taxonomic methods.

Findings

The external genitalia morphology of Acanthoponera mucronata male was described for the first time.

The peculiar antennal cleaning and absence of the metapleural gland orifice were documented.

Diagnostic male features like pretarsal claws and gaster ventral excavation were imaged for the first time.

Abstract

In this work, we describe the male Acanthoponera mucronata using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. We present new findings, including the morphology of the external genitalia, the antennal cleaning, and the absence of the metapleural gland orifice.

In this study, using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscopy, we give a detailed description of the Acanthoponera mucronata male, supplementing the former male-based genus diagnoses. In particular, we described for the first time the following characters: the morphology of the external genitalia, the peculiar antennal cleaning and the absence of the metapleural gland orifice. In addition, we show the pretarsal claws and the ventral excavation in the gaster that represent diagnostic male features of all Acanthoponera species, never imaged before. The use of modern taxonomic standards is particularly important in order to make these data available to future comparative analyses.

Figures