Uwari
| Uwari | |
|---|---|
| A worker ant specimen | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Camponotini |
| Genus: | Uwari |
| Species: | U. keihitoi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Uwari keihitoi (Forel, 1913)
| |
| Uwari keihitoi range | |
Uwari is a monotypic genus of Camponotine ant distributed in East Asia, mainly Japan. It was established by Ward et al. 2025, its sole valid species Uwari keihitoi being previously classified under Camponotus subgenus Myrmentoma.
Taxonomy
The genus was described in 2025 by Ward et al.[1] The type species is Uwari keihitoi, originally named Camponotus keihitoi by Auguste Forel in 1913. The generic name is derived from the Japanese words uwa ("wow") and ari ("ant").[1]
Distribution
The genus is distributed in East Asia. Uwari occurs mainly in Japan, with records also from China and Korea. Colonies are arboreal, typically nesting in twigs and dead wood within forest and forest-edge habitats.[2] It was first reported in India in 2023, in the state of Uttarakhand.[3]
Description
Workers show limited size variation and are characterized by mandibles with five teeth, a broadly convex clypeal margin without indentation, and a clypeus that is wider than long and lacks a median carina. The frontal carinae expand posteriorly, and the antennal scapes are relatively short. The mesosoma is somewhat flattened, with a weakly raised metanotum and a rounded junction to the propodeum. The petiole is slender and scale-like, tapering to a point at the top. Standing hairs are sparse, absent from the mesosoma and petiole, and present only in small numbers on the head and gaster. The body is lightly sculptured, shiny, and blackish brown with lighter appendages.[2] Uwari keihitoi is morphologically close to Camponotus quarinotatus, but has a more distinct metanotal depression, has the absence of pilosity on the mesosoma and petiole, and the anterior clypeal margin is straight.[4] It is regarded as a truly arboreal species.[5] Workers show limited polymorphism, with major workers having a relatively broad head and minors being smaller and more oval-headed. Queen ants resemble workers but possess ocelli and a more robust mesosoma adapted for flight. Males are slender, with 13-segmented antennae, large eyes, and distinctive genitalia. The body is generally blackish with reddish-brown mandibles and darker brown antennae and legs. The integument is glossy with weak sculpturing. Appressed hairs cover the body, with long erect hairs present on the gaster, clypeus, and mandibles.[6]
References
Citations
- ^ a b Ward et al. 2025, p. 646.
- ^ a b Ward et al. 2025, p. 665.
- ^ Dhadwal & Bharti 2023, p. 23.
- ^ Dhadwal & Bharti 2023, p. 22.
- ^ Nakamura, Abe & Iwata 2017, p. 41.
- ^ Dhadwal & Bharti 2023, pp. 22–23.
Works cited
- Ward, Philip S.; Fisher, Brian L.; Wernegreen, Jennifer J.; Blaimer, Bonnie B. (2025). "Evolutionary history, novel lineages and symbiont coevolution in the ant tribe Camponotini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Systematic Entomology. 50 (3): 646–676. doi:10.1111/syen.12678. ISSN 0307-6970.
- Dhadwal, Tarun; Bharti, Himender (3 November 2023). "Two new species of the genus Camponotus Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with five new records from India". European Journal of Taxonomy (901). doi:10.5852/ejt.2023.901.2317. ISSN 2118-9773. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- Hisasue, Yu (2019). "愛媛県におけるアリ類数種の有翅虫採集記録" [Some distributional records of winged ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan]. Heriguro (in Japanese) (40): 13–15. ISSN 2436-3812.
- Nakamura, Asahi; Abe, Hiroshi; Iwata, Ryutaro (28 February 2017). "神奈川県藤沢市近郊の小規模孤立林における樹上で活動するアリ類" [Arboreal Ants in a Small, Isolated Forest Near Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture]. Kanagawa Natural History Materials (in Japanese) (38): 41–48. doi:10.32225/nkpmnh.2017.38_41.
- Yamaguchi, Takeshi (2004). "Influence of urbanization on ant distribution in parks of Tokyo and Chiba City, Japan I. Analysis of ant species richness". Ecological Research. 19 (2): 209–216. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1703.2003.00625.x. ISSN 0912-3814. Retrieved 1 September 2025.