Myopopone castanea explained

Myopopone castanea is a species of ant in the genus Myopopone. It was described by Smith in 1860.^[1]

Distribution

Myopopone castanea is distributed in several Asian countries (such as Borneo and Indonesia^[2]) and in Australia, where they prefer to nest in rotten wood or bark.^[3]

Ecology

Myopopone castanea is a predator of Coleoptera larvae that has been studied for potential use as a biological pest control insect of Oryctes rhinoceros larvae.^[4] The species is the only species known that has workers engage in larval hemolymph feeding.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Xu, Z.-H. & He, Q.-J. 2011. Description of Myopopone castanea (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Himalaya Region. Entomotaxonomia 33: 231-235.PDF
2. Ito . Fuminori . Notes on the biology of the Oriental amblyoponine ant Myopopone castanea: Queen-worker dimorphism, worker polymorphism and larval hemolymph feeding by workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Biology of amblyoponine ant . Entomological Science . 16 June 2010 . 13 . 2 . 199–204 . 10.1111/j.1479-8298.2010.00384.x. 82263442 .
3. Wilson, E. O. 1958c. Studies on the ant fauna of Melanesia. I. The tribe Leptogenyini. II. The tribes Amblyoponini and Platythyreini. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 118: 101-153 (page 144, Senior synonym of picea, rossi, similis, smithi and wollastoni)
4. Tobing . Maryani Cyccu . Kuswardani . Retna Astuti . Fudholi . Ahmad . Biological aspects of Myopopone castanea on prey Oryctes rhinoceros larvae . Journal of Insect Physiology . August 2020 . 125 . 104089 . 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2020.104089. 32687849 . 220669158 .