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Myrmecina eowilsoni Liu, sp. nov. Figure 3. Type material. Holotype, pinned worker, China, Yunnan, Gaoligong Shan Mountains, Baihua Lin, 25.30865N, 098.79369E, 1505 m, secondary forest, leaf litter, 05.VII.2019 (C. Liu & G. Fischer) (ISAS: MCZENT00763515). Diagnosis. The identification of M. eowilsoni in China can be easily performed with the updated identification key provided above. The new species is morphologically most similar to M. guangxiensis Zhou, 2001. However, M. eowilsoni can be immediately separated from it by the extremely broad postpetiole (PPI = 300), the shape of the anterior portion of the first gastral tergite, and the dense punctation on head and gaster. Worker measurements. (N=1). TL 2.02; HL 0.56; HW 0.5; MaL 0.23; SL 0.43; EL 0.05; WL 0.65; PNW 0.38; PNH 0.25; MW 0.23; PSL 0.10; PTL 0.18; PTW 0.13; PTH 0.18; PPL 0.10; PPW 0.30; PPH 0.15; CI 105, SI 81, MaI 43, PI 125, PPI 300. Worker description. Head. In full-face view, head subrectangular, as long as broad (CI 105); median portion of occipital margin concave; occipital corners rounded, not projected posteriorly. Mandible triangular; masticatory margin with large apical tooth and strong third tooth, followed by 6 denticles; anterior margin of clypeus almost straight, with a small median tooth; lateral portion raised into a sharp ridge of shield wall on each side, in front of antennal insertions. Anterior dorsal surface of the labrum with very small paired denticles. Frontal carinae virtually absent, indistinguishable from rugae on the dorsum of the head. Eyes relatively small with 6 ommatidia and maximum diameter 0.05 mm; antennae 12-segementd, with 3-segmented club; antennal scape reaching the posterolateral corner of head. Mesosoma. Mesosoma convex in profile view; pronotum without denticles; propleuron angular and forming a small tooth; eumetanotal spine (the spines in front of the propodeal ones, see Okido et al. 2020) reduced or vestigial, visible only as a small denticle; propodeal spines triangular, shorter than broad at their bases and pointing posteriorly; propodeal declivity strongly concave; propodeal lobes with distinct lateral projection. Propodeal spiracle large, situated near the base of propodeal spine, separated from margin of the propodeal declivity by a distance of its diameter. Metapleural bulla well developed and covering most of the propodeal lobe. Metasoma. Petiole in dorsal view rectangular, broader than long; anterodorsal slope of petiole in profile view almost straight with posterodorsal face weakly concave, both faces separated by a sharp little peak and ridge; sternopetiolar process with a convex lobe medially and small point anteriorly; postpetiole in dorsal view much broader than long, broader than petiole; sternopostpetiolar process weakly present. Anterior margin of first gastral tergite strongly concave, with anterolateral corner angled. Sculpture. Head densely punctured with weak and irregular rugae, Occipital corners reticulate; clypeus and lateroventral area posterior of eyes smooth and shiny; mesosoma with deep longitudinal rugae; forecoxae smooth and shiny; petiole and postpetiole smooth with weak punctation; first gastral tergite and sternum shiny with weak punctation in the middle. Pilosity and pubescence. Body covered with abundant erect hairs. Antenna with abundant suberect and erect hairs. Mandible with numerous thin and long hairs, basal masticatory margin with few spatulate hairs. Head and Mesosoma with dense and short erect pilosity on dorsum. Petiole and Postpetiole without hairs on ventral surface. All legs with numerous suberect to erect hairs. Gaster with dense and short erect pilosity on both dorsum and ventral. Coloration. Body black with reddish brown mandibles, antennae, and legs. Etymology. The species is named in honor of Prof. Edward O. Wilson and his invaluable contributions to biodiversity science and conservation. We thank him for setting up the E. O. Wilson Biodiversity Postdoctoral Fellowship which enabled the discovery of this and many other new species from China’s Hengduan Mountains. Distribution and ecology. At present, this species is only known from the Gaoligong Shan Mountains in Yunnan, China. The type locality is a montane secondary forest on Baihua Lin, situated at an elevation of 1500 m. Only one single worker of the new species was collected through leaf litter extraction. There is no additional information about its ecology due to the limited available material.

Myrmecina gaoligongensis Liu, sp. nov. Figure 4. Type material. Holotype, pinned worker, China, Yunnan, Gaoligong Shan Mountains, Tiantan Shan, 25.30460N, 098.79349E, 1815 m, mountain forest, leaf litter, 03.VII.2019 (C. Liu & G. Fischer) (ISAS: MCZENT00759990). Paratypes. 6 pinned workers, China, Yunnan, Gaoligong Shan Mountains, Tiantan Shan, 25.30460N, 098.79349E, 1815 m, mountain forest, leaf litter, 03.VII.2019 (C. Liu & G. Fischer) (ISAS: MCZ-ENT00759803; CAS: MCZ-ENT 00759804; MCZ: MCZ-ENT00759805); China, Yunnan, Shan Gaoligong Mountains, Tiantan Shan, 25.31004N, 098.79469E, 1472 m, temperate mountain forest, leaf litter, 05.VII.2019 (C. Liu & G. Fischer) (ISAS: MCZ-ENT00759824; CAS: MCZ-ENT 00759889; MCZ: MCZ-ENT00759890). Diagnosis. Myrmecina gaoligongensis differs from other Chinese members of Myrmecina by the following combination of characters: propodeal spine triangular, shorter than broad at the base and pointing posteriorly; petiole node in dorsal face-view subrectangular, 1.5 times longer than wide; postpetiole as long as broad; head with dense punctation and weak longitudinal rugae; ventrolateral area of head strongly punctate; gaster smooth and shiny. Worker measurements. (N=7). TL 2.25–2.27; HL 0.53–0.55 HW 0.53–0.55; MaL 0.30–0.32; SL 0.40–0.43; EL 0.05–0.07; WL 0.65–0.68; PNW 0.40–0.43; PNH; 0.28–0.31; MW 0.20–0.25; PSL 0.10–0.12; PTL 0.23–0.25; PTW 0.15–0.17; PTH 0.13–0.15; PPL 0.18–0.2; PPW 0.18–0.2; PPH 0.18–0.2; CI 100–103; SI 76–81; MaI 57–61; PI 67–70; PPI 100–103. Worker description. Head. Head subrectangular, as long as broad in full-face view (CI 100 - 103); median portion of occipital margin concave; occipital corners rounded, not projected posteriorly. Mandible triangular; masticatory margin with large apical tooth and robust third tooth, followed by 7 denticles; anterior margin of clypeus concave, with three distinct processes; lateral portion of clypeus lacking a sharp ridge in front of antennal insertions. Anterior dorsal surface of labrum with two small denticles. Frontal carinae virtually absent, indistinguishable from rugae on dorsum of head. Eyes relatively small with 6 ommatidia and maximum diameter 0.05 mm; antennae 12- segementd, with 3-segmented club; antennal scape short, reaching the posterolateral corner of the head. Mesosoma. Dorsum of mesosoma slightly convex in profile view; pronotum without denticles; propleuron angular without forming a distinct small tooth; eumetanotal spine reduced or vestigial, visible only as a small denticle; propodeal spines triangular, shorter than broad at their bases and pointing posteriorly; propodeal declivity strongly concave; propodeal lobes with high lateral walls. Propodeal spiracle large, situated near the base of propodeal spine. Metapleural bulla well developed and covering most of the propodeal lobe. Metasoma. Petiole in dorsal view rectangular, 1.5 times longer than broad; anterodorsal slope of petiole in profile view almost straight with posterodorsal face concave, both faces separated by a sharp little peak and ridge; Sternopetiolar process with a convex lobe medially and small point anteriorly; postpetiole in dorsal view as broad as long, shorter than petiolar node. Sternopostpetiolar process weakly present with a small denticle pointing anteriorly. Anterior margin of first gastral tergite weakly concave in dorsal view. Sculpture. Head in full-face view densely punctate, with weak, longitudinal rugae; lateroventral area of head densely punctate; mandible and clypeus smooth and shiny; in profile view, mesosoma with irregular, longitudinal, and posteriorly converging rugae; forecoxae smooth and shiny; petiole, and postpetiole with longitudinal rugae; mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole in dorsal view with longitudinal rugae; gaster smooth and shiny. Pilosity and pubescence. Body covered with abundant erect hairs. Antenna with abundant suberect and erect hairs. Mandible with numerous thin and long hairs, basal masticatory margin with few spatulate hairs. Head and Mesosoma with dense and short erect pilosity on dorsum. Petiole and Postpetiole without hairs on ventral surface. All legs with numerous suberect to erect hairs. Gaster with dense and short erect pilosity on both dorsum and ventral. Coloration. Body mostly black with yellow-brown mandibles, antennae, and legs. Etymology. The species is named after the mountain range where it was collected. Distribution and ecology. At present, the new species is known only from the Gaoligong Shan Mountains in Yunnan, China. The type locality is a montane forest on Tiantan Shan Mountain, situated at an elevation range from 1400 to 1800 m. Four workers of the new species were collected from a leaf litter extraction at 1800 m altitude, and the other three from a leaf litter sample at 1400 m. Nothing specific is known about its ecology., Published as part of Liu, Cong, Fischer, Georg, Liu, Qing, Peng, Yan-Qiong, Economo, Evan P. & Guénard, Benoit, 2022, Updating the taxonomy of the ant genus Myrmecina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in China with descriptions of three new species, pp. 152-164 in Zootaxa 5182 (2) on pages 158-160, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7049481

Myrmecina pierceae Liu, sp. nov. Figure 5. Type material. Holotype, pinned worker, China, Yunnan, Gaoligong Shan Mountains, Tiantan Shan, 25.40230N, 98.71899E, 2180 m, mountain forest, leaf litter, 05.VII.2019 (C. Liu & G. Fischer) (ISAS: MCZ-ENT00759962). Paratypes. 3 pinned workers (same data as holotype) (ISAS: MCZ-ENT00759959; CAS: MCZ-ENT 00759960; MCZ: MCZ-ENT00759961). Diagnosis. The new species is morphologically distinct from all the other species in China. Myrmecina pierceae differs from other members of Myrmecina by the following combination of characters: propodeal spines triangular, in lateral view shorter than broad at their bases and pointing posteriorly; petiole node in dorsal view subrectangular, 1.5 times longer than wide; face with thin longitudinal rugae curving towards occipital corners; posterior ventrolateral area of head smooth and shiny, with 1 or 2 longitudinal rugae visible in lateral view; gaster smooth and shiny. Worker measurements. (N=4). TL 2.49–2.56; HL 0.58–0.6; HW 0.58–0.6; MaL 0.28–0.30; SL 0.50–0.55; EL 0.08–0.08; WL 0.78–0.83; PNW 0.45–0.46; PNH 0.33–0.34; MW 0.30–0.40; PSL 0.15–0.18; PTL 0.25–0.27; PTW 0.18–0.18; PTH 0.20–0.25; PPL 0.15–0.20; PPW 0.23–0.25; PPH 0.20–0.23; CI 100; SI 87–92; MaI 48–49; PI 72–88; PPI 123–150. Worker description. Head. In full-face view, head subrectangular, as long as broad (CI 100); median portion of occipital margin weakly concave; occipital corners rounded, not projecting posteriorly; mandible triangular; masticatory margin with large apical tooth and robust third tooth, followed by 5 denticles; anterior margin of clypeus concave, with a median process; lateral portion of clypeus lacking a sharp ridge in front of antennal insertions. Anterior dorsal surface of labrum with two small denticles. Frontal carinae virtually absent, indistinguishable from rugae on dorsum of head. Eyes relatively small with 10 ommatidia and maximum diameter 0.08 mm; antennae 12- segmented, with 3-segmented club; antennal scape short, not reaching the posterolateral corner of head. Mesosoma. In profile view, mesosomal dorsum convex; pronotum without denticles; propleuron angular without forming a distinct small tooth; eumetanotal spine reduced or vestigial, visible only as a small denticle; propodeal spines triangular, shorter than broad at their bases and pointing posteriorly; propodeal declivity strongly concave; propodeal lobes with high lateral walls. Propodeal spiracle large, situated near the base of propodeal spine. Metapleural bulla well developed and covering most of the propodeal lobe. Metasoma. In profile view, petiole in dorsal view rectangular, longer than broad; anterior slope of the petiole almost straight with posterodorsal face concave; dorsal outline of postpetiole flat to weakly convex; petiole longer than postpetiole; in dorsal view, postpetiole 1.5 times broader than long; sternopostpetiolar process weakly present with a small denticle pointing anteriorly. Anterior margin of first gastral tergite weakly concave. Sculpture. Head in full-face view with distinct longitudinal rugae posteriorly curving towards occipital corners; ventrolateral area of head smooth and shiny, with 1 or 2 longitudinal rugae; clypeus smooth and shiny; mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole with coarse longitudinal rugae dorsally and some oblique or irregular rugae laterally; forecoxae smooth and shiny; first gastral tergite and sternum smooth and shiny. Pilosity and pubescence. Body covered with abundant erect hairs. Antenna with abundant suberect and erect hairs. Mandible with numerous thin and long hairs, basal masticatory margin with few spatulate hairs. Head and Mesosoma with dense and short erect pilosity on dorsum. Petiole and Postpetiole without hairs on ventral surface. All legs with numerous suberect to erect hairs. Gaster with dense and short erect pilosity on both dorsum and ventral. Coloration. Body black with yellowish-brown mandibles, antennae, and legs. Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Prof. Naomi Pierce and her contributions to entomology and myrmecology. We appreciate her great support of the first author’s studies on the ant biodiversity in China’s Hengduan Mountains. Distribution and ecology. At present, the new species is only known from one collection site in the Gaoligong Shan Mountains in Yunnan, China. The type locality is a montane forest on Tiantan Shan Mountain, situated at an elevation of about 2200 m. Five workers of the new species were collected from one leaf litter sample. Unfortunately, there is no additional information about its ecology.

Species synopsis of Chinese Myrmecina Curtis Myrmecina asiatica Okido, Ogata & Hosoishsi, 2020 Myrmecina asthena Okido, Ogata & Hosoishsi, 2020 Myrmecina curvispina Zhou, Huang & Ma, 2008 Myrmecina eowilsoni Liu sp. nov. Myrmecina gaoligongensis Liu sp. nov. Myrmecina guangxiensis Zhou, 2001 Myrmecina hamula Zhou, Huang & Ma, 2008 Myrmecina pauca Huang, Huang & Zhou, 2008 Myrmecina pierceae Liu sp. nov. Myrmecina raviwonghei Jaitrong, Samung, Waengsothorn & Okido, 2019 Myrmecina sauteri Forel, 1912 Myrmecina sinensis Wheeler, W.M., 1921 Myrmecina striata Emery, 1889 Myrmecina taiwana Terayama, 1985 Updated key to Myrmecina species from China based on worker caste The updated identification key to the Chinese species is collated and modified from the original Chinese key (Zhou et al. 2008) and the recent key to Southeast Asian species (Okido et al. 2020). 1. Antennae with 11 segments............................................................... Myrmecina pauca - Antennae with 12 segments............................................................................. 2 2. Lateral portions of clypeus raised into a sharp ridge or shield wall in front of the antennal insertions (Figure 1A, B)....... 3 - Lateral portions of clypeus not raised into a sharp ridge or shield wall in front of the antennal insertions (Figure 1C, D).... 4 3. Postpetiole expanded laterally, more than 2 times broader than petiole................... Myrmecina eowilsoni sp. nov. - Postpetiole not expanded laterally, slightly broader than petiole............................. Myrmecina guangxiensis 4. Propodeal spines not straight in dorsal view (Figure 2B, C).................................................... 5 - Propodeal spines straight, not curved outwards at the apex in dorsal view (Figure 2A)............................... 6 5. Propodeal spines distinctly curved outwards at the apex in dorsal view (Figure 2B)............... Myrmecina curvispina - Propodeal spines with small hooks at their apex (Figure 2C)................................... Myrmecina hamula 6. First gastral tergum with dense punctation............................................. Myrmecina raviwonghei - First gastral tergum smooth and shiny..................................................................... 7 7. Ventrolateral portion of head with punctures, without longitudinal rugae.......................................... 8 - Ventrolateral portion of head with only longitudinal rugae, or smooth and shiny.................................... 9 8. Head in full-face view with dense punctation, and clearly visible longitudinal rugae medially. Anterior margin of clypeus weakly concave to almost straight........................................... Myrmecina gaoligongensis sp. nov. - Head in full-face view with dense punctation, without longitudinal rugae medially, but with weak irregular rugae laterally. Anterior margin of clypeus strongly concave with three distinct processes......................... Myrmecina asthena 9. Anterior clypeal margin without median process............................................................ 10 - Anterior clypeal margin with median process.............................................................. 12 10. Eye small, comprising less than 10 ommatidia (7-8); body yellowish orange or yellow............... Myrmecina taiwana - Eye moderately large, with more than 10 ommatidia, body dark brown or black................................... 11 11. Ventrolateral portion of head sculptured with longitudinally rugose.............................. Myrmecina sinensis - Ventrolateral portion of head smooth and shiny............................................... Myrmecina sauteri 12. Eye large and oval, comprising more than 20 ommatidia....................................... Myrmecina striata - Eye small and circle, comprising 10 ommatidia or less...................................................... 13 13. Head in full-face view sculptured with longitudinal rugae posteriorly curving towards occipital corners, ventrolateral portion of head smooth and shiny......................................................... Myrmecina pierceae sp. nov. - Head in full-face view with straight to weakly oblique longitudinal rugae not curving towards the occipital corners, ventrolateral portion of head with longitudinal rugae..................................................... Myrmecina asiatica, Published as part of Liu, Cong, Fischer, Georg, Liu, Qing, Peng, Yan-Qiong, Economo, Evan P. & Guénard, Benoit, 2022, Updating the taxonomy of the ant genus Myrmecina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in China with descriptions of three new species, pp. 152-164 in Zootaxa 5182 (2) on pages 154-156, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7049481, {"references":["Huang, J. H., Huang, Y. & Zhou, S. Y. (2008) A new species of the genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Hunan Province, China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 33, 275 - 278.","Zhou, S. Y. (2001) Ants of Guangxi. Guangxi Normal University Press, Guilin, China, 255 pp.","Jaitrong, W., Samung, Y., Waengsothorn, S. & Okido, H. (2019) A new species of the ant genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from Thailand. Far Eastern Entomologist, 383, 1 - 7. https: // doi. org / 10.25221 / fee. 383.1","Forel, A. (1912) H. Sauter's Formosa - Ausbeute: Formicidae. Entomologische Mitteilungen, 1, 45 - 81. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 25894","Terayama, M. (1985) Two new species of the ant genus Myrmecina (Insecta; Hymenoptera; Formicidae) from Japan and Taiwan. Edaphologia, 32, 35 - 40.","Zhou, S. Y., Huang, J. H. & Ma, L. B. (2008) Two new species of the ant genus Myrmecina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key to Chinese species. Sociobiology, 52, 283 - 291.","Okido, H., Ogata, K. & Hosoishi, S. (2020) Taxonomic revision of the ant genus Myrmecina in Southeast Asia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Kyushu University Museum, 17, 1 - 108."]}

Myrmecina raviwonghei Jaitrong, Samung, Waengsothorn & Okido, 2019 Figure 6. Material examined. China, Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, 1 pinned worker in the botanical garden, 21.912N, 101.282E, 640 m, limestone rainforest, 06.VI.2013 (B. Blanchard, B. Guénard, & C. Liu) (MCZ: CASENT0713298); 1 pinned worker near Menglun town, 21.888N, 101.266E, 620 m, rubber plantation, 14.VI.2013 (B. Blanchard, B. Guénard, & C. Liu) (MCZ: CASENT0713537, MCZ: CASENT0713540); 1 pinned worker near Man Sai Village, 21.858N, 101.276E, 675 m, rainforest, 12.VI.2013 (B. Blanchard, B. Guénard, & C. Liu) (MCZ: CASENT0713303) Diagnosis. See Jaitrong et al. 2019. Worker measurements. (N=4). TL 2.19–2.31; HL 0.58–0.60; HW 0.53–0.58; MaL 0.23–0.25; SL 0.43–0.45; EL 0.07–0.08; WL 0.65–0.68; PNW 0.43; PNH; 0.30–0.32; MW 0.25–0.28; PSL 0.15–0.17; PTL 0.20–0.22; PTW 0.13; PTH 0.15–0.17; PPL 0.15–0.17; PPW 0.18; PPH 0.18; CI 91–96; SI 78–81; MaI 43; PI 59–62.5; PPI 106 –117. Distribution and ecology. In China, this species is only known from Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province. One worker was collected within limestone rainforest in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, situated at an elevation of 640 m. Another worker was collected from a leaf litter extraction in a rainforest near Man Sai village at 675 m. Two additional workers were collected from leaf litter in a rubber plantation at 620 m. There is no additional information about its ecology., Published as part of Liu, Cong, Fischer, Georg, Liu, Qing, Peng, Yan-Qiong, Economo, Evan P. & Guénard, Benoit, 2022, Updating the taxonomy of the ant genus Myrmecina (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in China with descriptions of three new species, pp. 152-164 in Zootaxa 5182 (2) on page 163, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7049481, {"references":["Jaitrong, W., Samung, Y., Waengsothorn, S. & Okido, H. (2019) A new species of the ant genus Myrmecina Curtis, 1829 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from Thailand. Far Eastern Entomologist, 383, 1 - 7. https: // doi. org / 10.25221 / fee. 383.1"]}