Eurhopalothrix sepultura 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 : 141-142

Eurhopalothrix sepultura Longino , sp. nov.

( Figs 2 E, 6C, 31, 35)

Type material. Holotype worker: Mexico, Chiapas: Sierra Morena, 16.15289 -93.60055, ± 50 m, 1330 m, 12 May 2008, second growth mesophil forest, ex sifted leaf litter (LLAMA Wa-A- 01-2-42) [CAS, unique specimen identifier CASENT0603545]. Paratype workers, queen: same data as holotype but 16.15296 -93.60042 (LLAMA Wa-A- 01-2-45) [CAS, CASENT0603550 (dealate queen)]; same data but 16.1602 -93.60572, ± 100 m, 1322 m, Liquidambar forest litter, ex sifted leaf litter (R. S. Anderson 2008-001) [ECOSCE, JTLC000014118]; same data but 16.16121 -93.60024, ± 100 m, 1367 m, 15 May 2008 (R. S. Anderson 2008-008) [USNM, JTLC000014128]; same data but 16.1595 -93.6053, ± 300 m, 1360 m, 12 May 2008, second growth mesophil forest, ex sifted leaf litter (LLAMA Wm-A-01-1) [MCZC, JTLC000014129; MZSP, JTLC000014130; UCDC, JTLC000014131].

Geographic range. Mexico (Chiapas).

Diagnosis. Mandible with double tooth row; face with 4 or 5 pairs erect setae, arranged as medial rectangle of 2 pairs flanked anterolaterally by 1 or 2 pairs; pronotum lacking specialized setae; ground pilosity of face very sparse, thin, inconspicuous. Similar to E. apharogonia , E. floridana , E. speciosa , E. vulcan .

Description. Worker. HW 0.68–0.71, HL 0.73, SL 0.43–0.44, SLL 0.08–0.09, CI 93–97, SLI 20–22 (n=2). Labrum as in Fig. 2 E, longer than broad, anterolateral gibbosities of basal portion developed as acute, ventrallydirected teeth, apical portion distinctly bilobed apically; apex of labral lobes with fringe of thick translucent setae, apical setae capitate and strongly flattened; mandible triangular, dorsal surface convex, punctulate, rounding into ventral surface; interior surface concave, smooth and shining; masticatory margin with two tooth rows, an outer row of 10 teeth and 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; tooth 1 of outer row broader than others, bluntly rounded; remaining teeth narrow and sharply acute; teeth 2, 7 and 10 longer than others; scape with strongly developed basal lobe; scrobe deep, sharply delimited dorsally and ventrally, abutting deep antennal socket; surface of scrobe foveolate anteriorly, smooth and opalescent posteriorly; eye with about 5 ommatidia across greatest diameter; clypeus approximately planar posteromedially, sloping to anterior apron and shallow concavities anterolaterally, punctulate, sublucid; juncture of clypeus and frons deeply impressed; sides of head above eyes strongly angulate; surface of face uniformly convex, coarsely rugose, sublucid, with prominent medial longitudinal carina that extends from posterior border of clypeus nearly to vertex margin; posterior face of vertex broad, concave, meeting dorsal face at blunt angle; occipital carina a short carina dorsally, obsolete laterally; undersurface of head shallowly and inconspicuously punctate, much smoother than dorsal sculpture; postgenal suture a well-developed longitudinal trough.

Profile of promesonotum and dorsal face of propodeum forming more or less continuous convexity; metanotal groove impressed; anterior border of dorsal face of propodeum delimited with small, raised rim; dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum distinct, meeting at obtuse angle, dorsal face shorter than posterior face; propodeal spine laminar, translucent, acute, ventral margin curving into narrow infradental lamella that extends down posterior face to propodeal lobe; propodeal spiracle distinct, directed posteriorly; promesonotum punctate anteriorly, grading to irregularly rugulose posteriorly, a prominent median rugule forms a short elevated longitudinal keel on posterior mesonotum between posteriormost pair of spatulate setae (similar to E. hunhau ) (absent on some specimens); lateral pronotum, dorsal face of propodeum, upper side of propodeum punctate; posterior face of propodeum feebly foveolate; anepisternum, katepisternum, and lower side of propodeum smooth, matte, a single ruga arches across katepisternum; lacking transverse carinulae between propodeal spines.

Petiolar peduncle joins anterior face of petiolar node at obtuse angle; petiolar node subquadrate, anterior face meets flat-topped dorsal face at rounded right angle, sloping dorsal face rounds into short posterior face; ventral margin of petiole with spiniform anteroventral tooth; postpetiole low and broad, with a shallow longitudinal sulcus dorsally; first gastral sternite lacking anterior sagittal keel; petiole, postpetiole, first gastral tergite covered with dense, small, puncta, interspaces less than width of puncta; first gastral sternite similar, but puncta and interspaces larger.

Dorsal surface of scape with a few flattened, decumbent setae on basal lobe and along leading edge, obsolete elsewhere; leading edge of scape with projecting setae, shortest near apex, gradually lengthening and becoming more strongly spatulate toward base; ground pilosity on face nearly obsolete, very sparse, short, thin, fully appressed, uniformly distributed across face, frontal lobes, and clypeus, those on clypeus longitudinally oriented; ground pilosity more prominent on undersurface of head, of conspicuous, flattened, decumbent setae; projecting specialized setae spatulate, 3x longer than wide, full complement 8–10, a medial rectangle of 2 pairs, an additional 2 or 3 between medial rectangle and compound eye; ground pilosity obsolete on dorsal mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole, and first gastral tergite; specialized setae absent on pronotum, full complement, when present, 2 pairs on mesonotum; legs with moderately abundant, flattened, decumbent setae on posterior face of foretibia, entire midtibia, anterior face of hindtibia, somewhat sparser on other surfaces; apices of tibiae with 1 larger spatulate seta; basitarsus and remaining tarsomeres with abundant, clavate to spatulate setae; two clavate setae on hind margin of dorsal face of petiolar node; row of 4 clavate setae on hind margin of postpetiole; specialized setae of first gastral tergite spatulate, full complement 4 pairs in two longitudinal rows, posteriormost row flanked by an additional pair (4 setae along posterior border of tergite).

Color red brown.

Queen. HW 0.73, HL 0.77, SL 0.47, SLL 0.11, CI 95, SLI 23 (n=1). Similar to worker in most respects; ocelli present; compound eye much larger than worker eye; anepisternum separated from katepisternum by U-shaped groove; metapleuron separated from propodeum by broad U-shaped groove; pronotum punctate; anepisternum with elongate, partially confluent puncta dorsally, smooth and sublucid ventrally; katepisternum largely smooth and shining, with narrow rim of puncta posteriorly; lower side of propodeum smooth, matte; upper side of propodeum punctate; mesoscutum punctatorugose; scutellum coarsely rugose; pronotum with 1 pair spatulate setae; mesoscutum with 6 setae, outermost spatulate, inner 4 smaller, clavate; axilla with spatulate seta; scutellum with 1 pair spatulate setae; petiolar node, postpetiole, and first gastral tergite with specialized setae similar to worker.

Biology. This species occurs in the cloud forests and montane Liquidambar , oak, and pine forests of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, from 1300–1800 m elevation. All collections are from Winkler or Berlese samples of sifted leaf litter and rotten wood. The species occurred in 9–15% of quantitative miniWinkler samples.

Etymology. The name is in reference to La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. 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.