Nylanderia zaminyops, Kallal, 2019

Kallal, Robert J., 2019, Nylanderia of the World Part III: Nylanderia in the West Indies, Zootaxa 4658 (3), pp. 401-451 : 444-445

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4658.3.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:140EC233-D961-4705-AAF6-A6874C2B52E9

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E88797-FFD1-FFA9-FF50-FE531E53B62A

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Nylanderia zaminyops
status

sp. nov.

Nylanderia zaminyops , sp. nov.

Figs. 103–104 View FIGURES 103–104 (worker)

Holotype worker, TRINIDAD: Mt. Harris , 18 km mark, 21 Nov 2003, J. Wetterer #244 ( NMNH). 1 paratype worker same locality as holotype (specimen is from the same nest as holotype); 1 paratype worker, TRINIDAD: Arena Forest, W. Wild Dog Ride, 31 Oct 2003, J. Wetterer #219 ( MCZC); 1 paratype worker, TRINIDAD: Aripo Village, 1 km SSW, 12 Sept 2003, J. Wetterer #33 ( MCZC), 1 paratype worker, TRINIDAD: Blanckisseuse Road, 1 km S Asa Wright, J. Wetterer #211( NMNH).

Worker diagnosis: Eyes distinctly small ( EL ≤ 0.1 mm; REL 13–17; SI2: 11–14); uniformly brownish-yellow. Compare with: N. microps , N. myops WORKER. Measurements (n=5): TL: 2.10–2.60; HW: 0.54–0.57; HL: 0.58–0.65; EL: 0.08–0.10; SL: 0.69– 0.76; WL: 0.73–0.85; GL: 0.70–1.10. SMC: 17–30; PMC: 3–5; MMC: 2–4. Indices: CI: 83–88; REL: 13–17; SI: 135–149; SI2: 11–14.

Head: sides of head in full face view nearly parallel; posterolateral corners rounded; posterior margin rounded, slightly emarginate medially; anterior clypeal margin slightly emarginated to nearly straight; ocelli absent; eye small. Mesosoma: in lateral view, pronotum convex; anterior margin of mesonotum raised slightly above posterior pronotal margin; metanotal area without a short flat area before spiracle; dorsal face of propodeum slightly convex; dorsal face of propodeum and mesonotum approximately the same height in lateral view. Color and pilosity: body brownish-yellow; legs sometimes slightly lighter in color; macrosetae distinctly darker than body; scapes and legs with abundant pubescence, dorsum of first and second gastral tergites with scattered pubescence; pubescence sparse to absent across remainder of body.

Etymology: Species epithet is a combination of za- (L. = very), mini- (L. = minute), and –ops (L. = eye), referring to the markedly small eyes of this species.

Notes: This is the third small-eyed Nylanderia known from the West Indies (after N. microps and N. myops ). Superficially on first examination this species resembles N. guatemalensis , but the eyes are much too small and overall the cuticle is distinctly smooth and shiny. Additionally, the SI2 is much lower in N. zaminops (measured range: 11–14; N. guatemalensis measured range: 18–26). Given this species is known from Trinidad it would not be surprising if it also occurred in northeastern South America, but to date we have not seen specimens of N. zaminyops from that region of the Neotropics.

NMNH

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

SMC

Sedgwick Museum

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

Genus

Nylanderia

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