Hylomyrma macielae Ulysséa, 2021

Ulysséa, Mônica Antunes, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical ant genus Hylomyrma Forel, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), with the description of fourteen new species, Zootaxa 5055 (1), pp. 1-137 : 68-71

Hylomyrma macielae Ulysséa new species

Figures 46 , 47 , 86 (map)

Holotype: COLOMBIA: Nariño: Orito, Territorio Kofan , 00°30′N, 77°13′W, 1000m, 25.ix.1998, E.L. González leg., winkler 3 (1W) [ IHVL] . Paratypes: same data as holotype (1Q covered with gold) [ IHVL]; same except winkler 6 (1W) (MZHY208) [ MZSP]; 1430m, 23.ix.1998, winkler 1 (1Q) ( MZSP67387 ) [ MZSP] . ECUADOR: Pastaza: 22km SW Puyo , 15 July 1976, B-362, S. & J. Peck (1W) (MCZENT00525515) [ CASC]; same data (1W) (MCZENT00525513) [ DZUP] ; (1W) (MCZENT00525509) [IHVL]; (1W) (MCZENT00524684 MZSP67390) [MZSP]; (7W 1Q) (MCZENT00524682, MCZENT00524683, MCZENT00525508, MCZENT00525511, MCZENT00525512, MCZENT00525514, MCZENT00525516, MCZENT00525507) [MCZC]; (1W) (MCZENT00525510) [USNM].

Diagnosis. Head dorsum with regular and longitudinal striae, mesial striation in part directed to posterior margin and in part anteriorly divergent and posteriorly convergent, interspaces indistinguishable; mesosoma covered with irregular striae of variable thickness, assuming multiple directions, interspaces indistinguishable; metanotal groove discernible by a slight depression (LV) and altered sculpture (DV); propodeal spine long; dorsal margin of petiole discontinuous, dorsum with the same striation of mesosoma lateral; subtriangular projection on mesoventral surface of petiole; subpostpetiolar process weak, convex; profemur and protibia mostly smooth, few irregular to regular striae on basal and apical regions; short striae on tergum of first gastral segment, shorter than postpetiole length.

Description. WORKER (n=3) ( Fig. 46A–C ): HL (0.88–0.91); HW (0.82–0.84); ML (0.54–0.56); SL (0.58–0.60); MOD (0.18–0.22); PNW (0.58–0.60); WL (1.10–1.14); PSL (0.28–0.34); PL (0.52–0.54); PW (0.20–0.23); PPL (0.32); PPW (0.31–0.32); GL (0.88–1); TL (4.28–4.42); CI (90.11–95.45); SI (70.73–73.17); OI (21.95–26.83). Small-sized. Subopaque integument, except for the shiny gaster. Brown body, lighter appendices. Many thin and unbranched setae, long to midsized, suberect to subdecumbent.

Head subquadrate; posterior margin slightly concave at middle. Mandible masticatory margin with 5 teeth. Anterior margin of clypeus straight medially, with a pair of small teeth laterally; median area of clypeus with regular and longitudinal striae, interspaces indistinguishable. Frontal triangle with 1 sagittal stria. Short scape, not reaching head posterior margin; apical antennomere shorter than previous 3 antennomeres together. Frontal carina slightly concave posterior to antennal socket. Eye oval, small-sized, larger diameter with 10 ommatidia. Head dorsum, lateral and laterodorsal regions with longitudinal, regular to irregular striae, mesial striation in part directed to posterior margin and in part anteriorly divergent and posteriorly convergent, interspaces indistinguishable. Head lateral and laterodorsal striae converging to eye margin; gena striate, irregular and semicircular striae circumscribe the torulus, approaching eye margin, being 5–7 thicker striae, interspaces indistinguishable. Interspaces between striae on head ventral surface indistinguishable.

Mesosoma covered with irregular striae of variable thickness, interspaces indistinguishable; striation assumes multiple directions, transverse on pronotum anterior region, longitudinal on pronotum posterior region and mesonotum, semicircular on metanotal groove and propodeum dorsum. Promesonotal junction indistinct. Metanotal groove discernible by a slight depression (LV) and altered sculpture (DV). Transverse carina inconspicuous. Dorsal margin of mesosoma slightly discontinuous, convex. Propodeal lobe bidentate, acute dorsal tooth longer than blunt ventral tooth; dorsal tooth length 1 / 2 of propodeal spine length. Propodeal spine long, straight (LV), divergent (DV), sculptured on base. Procoxa striae of uniform thickness; regular and transverse striae on C2 and C3. Profemur and protibia mostly smooth, few irregular to regular striae on basal and apical regions, transversely on profemur posterior surface, longitudinally on protibia extensor surface.

Dorsal margin of petiole discontinuous; ventral surface smooth. Convex node; regular and transverse striae on ventral surface, interspaces indistinguishable; irregular and transverse striae of variable thickness on other surfaces, interspaces indistinguishable; striae on anterior surface and on anterior region of dorsal surface continuing on lateral surface; semicircular-sinusoid striae on middle and posterior region of dorsal surface. Postpetiole and subpostpetiolar process with regular and longitudinal striae; subpostpetiolar process weak, convex, striation weakly marked.

First gastral segment striation similar to postpetiole striae; short striae on tergum, shorter than postpetiole length; sternite smooth.

QUEEN (n=3) ( Fig. 47A–C ): HL (0.90–0.95); HW (0.88–0.92); ML (0.58–0.62); SL (0.62–0.70); MOD (0.26– 0.28); PNW (0.68–0.76); WL (1.32–1.42); PSL (0.34–0.38); PL (0.54–0.64); PW (0.25–0.28); PPL (0.34–0.40); PPW (0.38–0.40); GL (1.10–1.26); TL (4.78–5.29); CI (94.44–96.84); SI (71.59–76.09); OI (29.54–30.59). Medium to large-sized. Color, pilosity, and some sculpture characters shared with conspecific workers, only slightly larger. Larger diameter of eye with 13 ommatidia. Longitudinal striae on scutum, irregular to vermicular anteriorly, regular to irregular posteriorly, striae going from an anterior central point towards transcutal suture, interspaces distinguishable. Longitudinal, regular to irregular striae on anepisternum and katepisternum, interspaces indistinguishable. Axilla and scutellum with same sculpture of scutum. Scutoscutellar sulcus inconspicuous. Transverse striae on propodeum (DV). Lateral of mesosoma with irregular to vermicular striae directed partly to propodeal dorsum and partly to propodeal spine, interspaces distinguishable. Wings unknown.

MALE Unknown.

Etymology. The epithet macielae is a Latin noun in the genitive case created by adding the singular Latin genitive case suffix -ae to the middle name of a female person. The specific epithet is named after Miraildes Maciel Mota, a black Brazilian woman and footballer, popularly known as “ Formiga ” (= ant in Portuguese). Formiga holds many international records; she is the only player present in all female football editions in the Olympic Games (the first edition happened in 1996), and has participated in seven different FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Comments. This species is similar to H. blandiens , H. dentiloba , and H. jeronimae , sharing the adjacent striation on the mesosoma, but can be distinguished from these three species in the long propodeal spine (vs. short).Also, H. macielae can be distinguished from H. blandiens (characteristic in parentheses) in the striae on the mesosomal dorsum that assumes multiple directions (vs. longitudinal); from H. dentiloba in the oval eye (vs. drop-shaped), and the convex dorsal margin of mesonotum (vs. straight); and from H. jeronimae in the oval eye (vs. reniform), and the discontinuous dorsal margin of petiole (vs. continuous). Hylomyrma jeronimae and H. dentiloba are restricted to Central America ( Figs. 84 , 86 ), co-occuring in Panamá, whereas H. blandiens has a broad distribution in northwestern South America, from Bolivia to French Guiana ( Fig. 84 ), overlaping in part with the area of distribution of H. macielae (south Colombia and the center-north of Ecuador) ( Fig. 86 ).

Distribution. This species occurs in Northern Andes, from northern Peru to southern Venezuela ( Fig. 86 ).

Natural history. This species was collected at elevations between 96 and 1430 m (Letícia and Territorio Kofán, both in Colombia) with winkler extractors or Berlese-Tüllgren funnels, which suggests that nests are located in leaflitter, fallen logs, rotten wood, or inside natural cavities of the superficial soil layers.

Additional material examined (10 workers): COLOMBIA: Amaz . [ Amazonas ]: 7km NW Letícia, 20-25 Feb 1972, #230, forest litter, berlesate (6W, one covered with gold) ( MZSP67388 , MZSP67389 ) [ MZSP]; same data (2W) [ MCZC] . ECUADOR: Pastaza: 25km N of Puyo , 1000m, 13.vii.1976, B361, S. & J. Peck (1W) [ MCZC] ; Pichincha: Tinalandia, 16km SE of S. Domingo de los Colorados , 4.vi.1976, S. & J. Peck (1W) [ MCZC] .

Figures

FIGURE 46. Holotype worker of Hylomyrma macielae (COLOMBIA: Nariño: Orito, Territorio Kofan, 00°30’N, 77°13’W, 1000m, 25.ix.1998, E.L. González leg., winkler 3 [IHVL]). A) frontal view; B) dorsal view; C) lateral view. Photos by Ricardo Kawada.

FIGURE 47. Paratype queen of Hylomyrma macielae (MZSP67387). A) frontal view; B) dorsal view; C) lateral view. Photos by M.A. Ulysséa.

FIGURE 84. Distribution records of Hylomyrma balzani, H. blandiens, H. jeronimae, and H. lispectorae.

FIGURE 86. Distribution records of Hylomyrma dentiloba, H. macielae, H. reginae, H. villemantae, and H. wachiperi.