Leptogenys academica, López-Muñoz & Villarreal & Lattke, 2018

López-Muñoz, Román A., Villarreal, Erick & Lattke, John E., 2018, Two new species of Leptogenys from southern Brazil (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 4410 (3), pp. 559-566 : 560-562

Leptogenys academica , n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6615CDA8-C9DE-4622-AF4C-59EE4400A348 Fig. 1

Worker diagnosis. With diagnostic features of the crudelis -group of species; distinguished from other species in this group by the scrobiculate metanotal sulcus. Mesonotum forms low but distinct convexity in lateral view, metanotal sulcus scrobiculate or with at least 3–4 longitudinal costulae, propodeal teeth low and blunt, protibial strigil lacking accompanying translucent lobe (velum); petiolar node subtriangular in lateral view with convex anterodorsal margin.

Examined material. Holotype: Brazil, Paraná, Curitiba. Mata Viva, Centro Politécnico—UFPR. 21.I– 18.III.2009. M. Mausselen. Pitfall. One point-mounted worker deposited in DZUP with Numero de Tombo (= unique specimen identifier) DZUP 548773 . Paratypes: Five individually point-mounted workers, each with identical locality data as the Holotype, except for one worker, DZUP 548774 (which differs only in the sampling period, 15.X–10.XII.2008). This last worker is deposited in DZUP. The remaining four workers are to be deposited, one each, in the following institutions : DZUP 548775 in CASC, DZUP 548776 in MZSP, DZUP 548777 in RBINS, and DZUP 548778 in DZUP. The Mata Viva forest is located at -25.4463° -49.2338°, 925 m.

Worker dimensions, Holotype (Paratypes, n=5): HL 1.66 (1.56–1.63); HW 0.94 (0.89–0.97); ML 0.75 (0.66–0.75); EL 0.31 (0.28–0.31); SL 1.78 (1.69–1.78); PW 0.88 (0.83–0.91); WL 2.53 (2.47–2.72); PH 0.97 (0.88–0.97); PL 0.97 (0.94–1.00); DPW 0.53 (0.50–0.58). CI 0.57 (0.57–0.61); MI 0.80 (0.74–0.77); OI 0.33 (0.31–0.33); SI 1.90 (1.81–1.89); LPI 1.00 (0.90–0.97); DPI 0.55 (0.52–0.58).

Worker. Head elongate in dorsal view, wider anterad than posterad, lateral margin weakly convex, posterior margin (defined by occipital carina) weakly convex, median clypeal process triangular with blunt apex, lateral clypeal process narrow. Cephalic dorsum mostly smooth and shining with scattered punctulae, clypeus with coarse longitudinal striae. Eye dorsolaterally placed on head, weakly convex, eye length occupies less than one-fourth of lateral cephalic margin with head in frontal view. Scape densely punctate and projecting beyond posterior cephalic margin by one-fourth its length; length of pedicel slightly more than twice its greatest width; length of third antennomere more than three times its greatest width; length of fourth antennomere more than twice its greatest width. Scape, with head in dorsal view, bearing abundant subdecumbent short hairs, some hairs slightly longer but never longer than half the maximum scape width. Mandible elongate with external and basal margins mostly parallel to each other, basal margin broadly convex, basal angle blunt and obtuse; masticatory margin weakly concave, edentate; mandibular surface smooth with scattered punctae. Palp formula: 4,3.

Dorsal promesonotal margin forms single convexity in lateral view of mesosoma, punctuated by promesonotal articulation, and separated from very broadly convex dorsal propodeal magin by well-impressed metanotal groove. Dorsal propodeal margin in lateral view curves onto jagged declivitous margin; propodeal tooth blunt and low, poorly developed. Mesosternum with anteromedian, longitudinal keel-like process that extends posterad to same distance as metanotal groove; keel in lateral view mostly convex with small but distinct posterior pointing denticle just anterad of posterior end of keel. Promesonotum and dorsum of propodeum mostly smooth and shining with sparse punctulae. Propleuron mostly smooth and shining. Mesopleuron with slightly irregular transverse striae in anterolateral area of anepisternum and along posteroventral area of katepisternum. Metapleuron and propodeal side mostly smooth and shining, with rugulae posteroventrad. Declivity with 5–6 transverse rugae. Mesonotum subrectangular in dorsal view, width 0.61–0.71 its length, promesonotal articulation anteriorly convex, metanotal groove straight and smooth. Mesometapleural suture well-impressed, scrobiculate; metapleuro-propodeal suture indistinct; propodeal declivity transversely striate. Metathoracic spiracle with small bulla; propodeal spiracle oval, posterolaterally directed. Anteroventral mesopleural carina distinct and gradually widening anterad, ending as blunt angle close to mid-length of anepisternum.

Petiolar node subtriangular in lateral view, highest posterad, anterior and dorsal margins joined into single convex curve, posterior margin vertical, mostly straight to very weakly convex, apex bluntly curved; subpetiolar process small and hook-like. Node elongate in dorsal view with slightly convex anterior margin, straight lateral margin, and straight to weakly convex posterior margin; width of anterior margin less than half that of posterior margin; imaginary transverse section at node mid-length would have straight, V-shaped sides. Node and gaster mostly smooth and shining with sparse punctulae. Procoxa mostly smooth and shining; apex of meso- and metatibia with or without small apical extern—a seta, apex of protibia without setae. Body in general with abundant, erect to subdecumbent golden hairs of various lengths. Head capsule, most of mesosoma, petiole, and most of anterior gastral segments black; scape, posterior metapleuron, and coxae dark ferruginous brown; funiculus, mandible, tibiae, tarsi, and most of gastral apex brown to ferruginous brown.

Gyne and male. Unknown.

Etymology. The species name is a nominative feminine singular of the Latin academicus, which refers to an academic or academician. This name was chosen in recognition of the type locality being within the Campus Politécnico of the Federal University of Paraná.

Discussion. Leptogenys academica fits into the crudelis group of species ( Lattke 2011) with the exception of having a scrobiculate metanotal sulcus. This fair-sized species will key without difficulties to couplet 37 in Lattke (2011), whereupon the reader may use the modification to the key provided below. The anteromedial eye margin of all the studied specimens of L. academica have the ommatidia along rows 1–3 black, contrasting with grey-silver color of the rest of the eye, giving it a more elongate appearance upon first glance. This feature was not considered in the description as it could be an artifact.

This species was found during a series of pitfall sampling campaigns in a patch of forest next to the Zoology Department on the Campus Politécnico of the Universidade Federal do Paraná, within the metropolitan area of the city of Curitiba. The vegetation in the reserve is mostly secondary forest with emergent Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze within a humid subtropical mesothermic climate, or Cfb according to the Köppen classification scheme ( Reginato et al. 2008). The discovery of these ants underline how little we know about the ant diversity in the Atlantic Forests of Brazil despite their relatively long history of ant collecting, and their proximity to large urban centers such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Curitiba. In the case of L. academica , the type series was collected in the landscape immediately surrounding one of the largest entomological collections in the country and home to Brazil’s oldest entomology graduate school. The fact that the specimens representing both species are the product of sampling using pitfall traps proves the usefulness of this technique for collecting these mostly nocturnal predatory ants.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Leptogenys academica sp. nov. Holotype. A: Head, dorsal view. B: Body, lateral view. C: Body, dorsal view. All scale bars = 1 mm.