Carebara mukkaliensis, Bharti & Akbar, 2014

Bharti, H. & Akbar, S. A., 2014, New Additions To Ant Genus Carebara Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) From India, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 60 (4), pp. 313-324 : 315-316

Carebara mukkaliensis sp. n.

(Figs 1–3)

Typematerial. Holotype (majorworker) and 4 paratypes (majorworker): INDIA: Kerala, SilentValleyNationalpark, 11°5`N, 76°26`E, 897m, 26.ix.2011, Winklermethod (coll. ShahidA. Akbar). HolotypeandparatypeinPUAC; oneparatypewillbedeposited in BMNH and one in CASC.

Description – Majorworkers. Measurements (holotypeinbrackets): HL (0.61)-0.63, HW (0.48)-0.49, SL (0.23)-0.25, ED (0.04)-0.05, ML (0.14)-0.15, MSL (0.41)-0.44, PW (0.22)- 0.25, PTL (0.14)-0.16, PPTL (0.11)-0.14, PTW (0.12)-0.15, PPTW (0.11)-0.13, PTH (0.11)-0.14, PPTH (0.08)-0.10, HHL (0.01), CI 77-(78), SI (47)-51, EI (8)-10 (n = 5).

Headlongerthanbroad, rectangularinfullfaceview. Occipitalmargintransverseto slightlyconcaveinthemiddlewithoccipitalcornersgentlyroundly, lateralsidesslightly convex. Mandiblewith 4-teeth. Medianportionofclypeuslongitudinallydepressed, bi- carinateanddivergentforward, anteriormarginstronglyconcave. Antennae 9-segments witha 2-segmentedclub, scapesshortandclavate; reachingupto 1/2 ofposteriormarginof head. Eyeswith 2–3 ommatidia. Inprofileview, vertexwithapairofsmallwelldeveloped acutehorns. Dorsumofheadstraight.

Promesonotumhighandroundlyconvex. Promesonotalsutureobsoleteonthedor- sum. Metanotumobsolete. Metanotalgroovedeeplyimpressed. Propodeumwithapair ofprotrudingdents, dorsumstraightandtruncate, declivitystraightwithoutthinlateral laminae. Petiolepedunculateanteriorly. Petiolenodeconeshapedwiththickanteriorand posteriorfaces. Postpetiolenoderoundlyconvexandlowerthanpetiolarnode. Indorsal viewpostpetiolarnodeasbroadaspetiolarnode.

Mandiblesandclypeussmoothandshiny. Headfinelyandlongitudinallystriate throughout. Transversestriationspresentondorsumofoccipitallobesandbetweenver- texalhorns, withlateralsideshavingrugose- reticulations. Mesosoma, petioleandpost- petioleuniformlypunctuatethroughout. Gastersmoothandshining.

Headandbodywithabundanterecttosuberecthairs. Scapesandtibiaewithdense decumbentpubescence.

Bodydarkyellowishincolour.

Etymology. ThespeciesisnamedafteritstypelocalityMukkali, partofSilentValley

NationalPark.

Differentialdiagnosis. C. mukkaliensis somewhatresemblestotheChi- nese C. obtusidenta (Xu, 2003) butcanbeeasilydistinguishedfromthelatter. In caseof C. mukkaliensis cephalicdorsumisstronglyanduniformlysculptured throughout, posterodorsalcornerofpropodeumbluntlyangled, eyesconsists of 2–3 ommatidia, masticatorymarginofmandibleishaving 4-teeth, metanotalgrooveisdeeplyimpressedandpetiolewithstraightventralface; anteroventralcornerisnotdentatewhilstincaseof C. obtusidenta cephalicdorsumis havinganteriorandposteriorportionsmoresculptured, propodeumwitha pairofrightlyangledteeth, eyesconsistingofsingleommatidium, masticatory marginofmandibleswith 5-teeth, metanotalgrooveislessdeeplyimpressed andpetiolewithconcaveventralface; anteroventralcorneracutelydentate. C. mukkaliensis alsosharessomeaffinitieswith C. wheeleri Ettershank, 1966 . However, thetwospeciescanbeeasilyseparated. Incaseof C. mukkaliensis anteriormarginofclypeusisdeeplyconcave, posteriorcephalicmarginwith small, acutespines, eyesconsistsof 2–3 ommatidiaandmesosomauniformly punctuatethroughoutwhilstincaseof C. wheeleri anteriormarginofclypeus isstraight, posteriorcephalicmarginwithwellprominentupcurvedspines, eyesconsistsofsingleommatidiumandmesosomashagreenedorreticulate.

Ecology. Thespecimenswerecollectedfromleaflitterapproximatelyof 2 cmthickness. Thestudyareaissituatedatanaltitudeof 897 meters. Itisa shadyplacewithminimumofsunlightpenetration. Meanannualtempera- tureis 20.2 °C. Averageannualrainfallis 6,066 mmwith 95% relativehumid- ity. Itisaprimaryundisturbedtropicalmoistevergreenforest.

Figs 1–3. Carebara mukkaliensis sp. n., major worker: 1 = head in full- face view, 2 = body in lateralview, 3 = bodyindorsalview.