Eurhopalothrix cimu Longino

Longino, John T., 2013, A review of the Central American and Caribbean species of the ant genus Eurhopalothrix Brown and Kempf, 1961 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with a key to New World species, Zootaxa 3693 (2), pp. 101-151 : 114-116

Eurhopalothrix cimu Longino , sp. nov.

( Figs 2 I, 5A, 16)

Type material. Holotype worker: Cuba, Granma: Parque Nacional Pico Turquino, Aguada de Joachin, 20.015 - 76.84, ± 150 m, 1370 m, 3 Feb 2012, dry mixed forest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. S. Anderson #2012-023) [CAS, unique specimen identifier CASENT0639338]. Paratype workers: same data as holotype [USNM, CASENT0630188; MCZC, CASENT0639337; MZSP, CASENT0639339; UCDC, CASENT0639340; JTLC, CASENT0639341].

Geographic range. Cuba.

Diagnosis. Mandible with double tooth row; face with transverse ridge; face lacking specialized spatulate setae.

Description. Worker. HW 0.84–0.89, HL 0.73–0.79, SL 0.45–0.49, SLL 0.12–0.13, CI 112–115, SLI 26–28 (n=3). Labrum as in Fig. 2 I, planar, U-shaped, with a discrete patch of short, non-capitate whitish setae; mandible triangular, dorsal surface convex, uniformly and feebly punctate, rounding into ventral surface; interior surface concave, smooth and shining; masticatory margin with two tooth rows, an outer row of 10 flattened, elongate, sharply acute teeth; an inner row of 3 long needle-shaped teeth, behind outer teeth 3–6 and projecting beyond them, nearly 2x length of flanking outer teeth; scape with very strongly developed basal lobe; dorsal surface of scape roughened; anterior edge of scape almost sulcate, with steep anterior face meeting laminar, translucent leading edge at nearly right angle; scrobe deep, delimited dorsally and posteriorly with sharp, high carina, delimited dorsally by lower carina, dorsal margin abutting deep antennal socket; surface of scrobe largely smooth and shiny, with a few rugulae anteriorly; eye with about 5 ommatidia across greatest diameter; clypeus smooth, sublucid, shallowly convex medially, with shallow concavities anterolaterally, juncture with frons very weakly marked; sides of head above eyes angulate; surface of face evenly divided into anterior and posterior portions by arcing transverse ridge, ridge terminates near compound eyes; anterior portion flat, feebly rugulose, with median longitudinal carina; posterior portion convex, feebly rugulose, with smooth shiny patch anterior to occipital carina (on posterior vertex, not visible in full-face view); occipital carina distinct; occiput delimited dorsally and ventrally by encircling carina, occiput foveolate (strongly differentiated from rugulose sculpture of surrounding sclerites); undersurface of head rugulose; postgenal suture a longitudinal groove overlain with transverse rugae.

Profile of promesonotum, dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum forming single convex curve, metanotal groove not impressed, dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum not differentiated (except in sculpture); propodeal spine laminar, translucent beyond base, triangular, acute, ventral margin rounding into moderately developed infradental lamella that extends down posterior face to propodeal lobe; propodeal spiracle small, directed somewhat posteriorly; dorsal promesonotum, dorsal face of propodeum, mesometapleuron, and side of propodeum rugulose; side of pronotum punctate, puncta confluent; posterior face of propodeum foveolate; metapleural gland bulla somewhat inflated, nearly smooth, matte; no transverse carinae between bases of propodeal spines.

Petiolar peduncle joins anterior face of petiolar node at rounded obtuse angle; anterior face of node meets dorsal face at rounded right angle; posterior face of node short; ventral margin of petiole lacking anteroventral tooth; postpetiole low and broad, with a feeble longitudinal sulcus dorsally; first gastral sternite lacking anterior sagittal keel; dorsa of petiolar node and postpetiole feebly rugulose; first gastral tergite shallowly foveolate anteriorly, grading to dense, small, confluent puncta posteriorly; first gastral sternite similar but sculptural elements larger.

Dorsal surface of scape with sparse, short, thin, appressed ground pilosity; leading edge of scape with about 10 long, straight, clavate projecting setae, gradually lengthening basad, with penultimate before basal the longest; ground pilosity on clypeus, face, and undersurface of head of very sparse, very fine, short, fully appressed setae, inconspicuous; face entirely lacking any projecting specialized setae; dorsal promesonotum and dorsa of petiolar node and postpetiole with similar ground pilosity of moderately abundant, short, thin, curved (not fully appressed), amber setae; ground pilosity on first gastral tergite similar but sparser; mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole lacking projecting specialized setae; legs with sparse, stiff, decumbent ground pilosity on apices of femora, posterior face of foretibia, entire midtibia, anterior face of hindtibia, sparser on other surfaces; apices of tibiae each with single larger clavate seta; basitarsus and remaining tarsomeres with elongate clavate setae; specialized setae present on first gastral tergite, erect, elongate, narrowly clavate, full complement 4 pairs in two longitudinal rows, posterior row flanked by additional pair (4 setae along posterior border).

Color dark brown to black.

Queen. Unknown.

Biology. This species is known from 6 workers in a single Winkler sample of sifted litter and dead wood, in "dry mixed forest" at 1370 m elevation.

Etymology. The name is based on the Taino word for front or forehead. It is a noun in apposition and thus invariant.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Eurhopalothrix labra. A. E. bolaui (Nicaragua, CASENT 0619922). B. E. semicapillum (Costa Rica, CASENT 0639342). C. E. ortizae (Costa Rica, LACM ENT 143281). D. E. gravis (Costa Rica, INB 0003212299). E. E. sepultura (Mexico, CASENT 0639334). F. E. mabuya (Cuba, CASENT 0630193). G. E. xibalba (Costa Rica, INB 0003698926). H. E. floridana (USA, LACM ENT 143276). I. E. cimu (Cuba, CASENT 0639337). A – H are dissected labra imaged in fluid. I is dry-mounted specimen, basal portion is not visible, and maxilla are visible in background. With the exception of E. cimu, specimen codes are for dry-mounted specimens from the same series, not the dissected specimen. Images are not to scale.