Wadeura guianensis, Weber, N. A., 1939

Weber, N. A., 1939, New ants of rare genera and a new genus of ponerine ants., Annals of the Entomological Society of America 32, pp. 91-104 : 103

Wadeura guianensis , gen. et sp. nov.

(Figs. 5 and 6)

Worker.-Length, 4.1 mm. Head, excluding mandibles, barely wider than long, roughly quadrangular with rounded corners and feebly concave occipital margin, eyes absent; clypeus obtusely angulate, produced posteriorly as a slight, rounded gibbosity; antennae 12-jointed, antennal scapes curved towards the head, clavate, not quite reaching occipital margin, joints 1-5 of funiculus distinctly longer than broad, 2nd joint as long or longer than 3rd, joints 6-10 nearly as broad as long; mandibles long and narrow, terminating in a slender, acute tooth, their outer margin feebly sinuate, their inner margin on the distal three-fifths armed with two large but obtuse teeth with a much smaller tooth between; near the base and distal to the subapical tooth a slight rounded tubercle suggests a rudimentary tooth. Pronotum from above lunate, with backwardly directed horns, distinctly wider than mesonotum and about one and one-half times as wide as epinotum; pro-mesonotal impression not distinct; meso-epinotal suture laterally impressed; basal (dorsal) surface of epinotum straight and distinctly lower than thorax, with rounded angles. Petiole cuneiform with rounded apex and a nearly vertical posterior surface, from above transversely trapezoidal with rounded angles. 1st gastric segment from above broader than long, 2nd gastric segment one and three-fourths times broader than long and distinctly the widest segment. Legs of moderate proportions.

Integument feebly shining. Head densely and finely reticulate, thorax, gaster, and appendages with shallow and sparse setigerous punctations which are coarsest on the antennal scapes; mandibles shining with sparse setigerous punctations.

Pilosity of long, fine and upright hairs, sparsest on posterior part of head and on thqrax, and moderately abundant appressed pubescence which is thickest on head and appendages.

Color yellowish brown with golden-yellow pilosity.

Described from one worker taken by myself Aug. 2, 1936, near the Oronoque River of the Courantyne River basin in British Guiana in about Latitude 2° 42' North. A small colony consisting of a half dozen workers, a queen and larvae was found a few centimeters down in sandy loam in high rain forest with many Brazil-nut trees ( Bertholletia excelsa or nobilis ). The nest was in the form of irregular chambers. The queen had a larger thorax than the workers and had evidently borne wings. The entire colony was gathered and the worker here described was preserved. The remainder of the colony with queen and brood was taken by airplane and steamer to New York safely alive. Here they were turned over to Dr. Caryl P. Haskins for study but during his unavoidable absence at one time the entire colony died and was lost.