Leptogenys parensis Lattke, 2011

Tozetto, Leonardo, Chaul, Júlio C. M., Lattke, John E. & Boudinot, Brendon E., 2022, Review of the Leptogenys unistimulosa species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with the description of a new Amazonian species, Revista Brasileira de Entomologia (e 20220045) 66 (3), pp. 1-17 : 10-12

Leptogenys parensis Lattke, 2011

( Figures 8 , 9 , and 11C)

Leptogenys paraense Lattke 2011: 215 , fig. 71 (w) Brazil, Pará. Leptogenys parensis Lattke. Gender agreement established.

Male diagnosis

Uniquely identified among the unistimulosa species complex by its comparatively large body size: (1) Body size very large (WL> 3.00 mm; HW> 1.40 mm). Further recognized by the following conditions: (2) ocelli large but not grossly so, with the distance between compound eye and lateral ocellus in full face view somewhat> 1 lateral ocellus width; (3) ocelli close to or slightly surpassing posterior head margin in full face view; (4) compound eyes not grossly enlarged, distance between them slightly less than one eye length in full-face view; (5) scape robust, about 1.5–2x pedicel length, and slightly longer than clypeal length; (6) mesoscutum longer than broad; (7) mesoscutum distinctly sculptured posterad of notauli; (8) vein M+Cu-f1 one third Cu-f2 length; (9) 2r-rs longer than Rs-f4; (10) petiolar node without bulge anterad of posterodorsal corner; (11) abdominal sternites IV–VIII (gastral II–VI) sparsely hairy, without appearance of dense shaggy pads.

Male measurements

EL 0.80–0.90; OL 0.12–0.19; OES 0.13–0.26; CML 0.47–0.51; ML 0.4–0.52; SL 0.55–0.61; HL 1.25–1.40; HW 1.43–1.48; MeL 1.35–1.45; MeW 1.13–1.21; WL 3.25–3.46; PetW 0.58–0.62; PetH 1.03–1.06; PetL 0.86–0.98; OI 55.9–61.0; MI; 27.6–35.8; CI 105.4–115.5; SI 38.4–42.1; DPI 61.2–72.8; LPI 108.2–120.5; (n = 5).

Head in full-face view longer than wide excluding eyes; mostly rugulose to punctate. Mandible slightly shorter than antennal scape, rounded apically, edentate, dorsal surface smooth.Clypeus convex on antero-midline, anterolateral margin straight with thin lamella, apex truncate, weakly rugose.Frontal carinae reduced.Antenna: Scape robust, 1.5–2 x pedicel length and slightly longer than clypeal length; pedicel longer than wide. Compound eyes large; minimum distance between compound eyes in full-face view slightly more than 1.5 x maximum eye width.Ocelli equal in size, sometimes protruding beyond posterior border of head; distance between compound eye and lateral ocellus may vary, but always greater than maximum diameter of medium ocellus.

Mesosoma with dorsal profile broadly convex in lateral view. Pronotum punctate to rugulose laterally. Mesoscutum in dorsal view longer than wide; anteriorly and laterally smooth, sometimes striate or rugulose between parapsidal lines, striae may be longitudinal or almost transverse. Notauli strongly impressed, scrobiculate. Parapsidal lines extend about half of mesoscutal length.Mesoscutellar disc longitudinally striate. Upper mesopleural area (= anepisternum) punctate and medially striate. Longitudinal mesopleural sulcus broad and scrobiculate.Lower mesopleural area (= katepisternum) punctate.Mesometapleural suture well-marked. Upper metapleuron rugulose to punctate, sculpturing shallower than on lower metapleuron. Propodeum in lateral view with angle between dorsal and descending margin; dorsally rugulose, declivity shining and with few carinae. Sculpture: Propodeum and metapleuron mostly rugulose in lateral view.

Wings. As in L. bohlsi , but vein M+Cu-f1 is one-third Cu-f2 length, and 2r-rs is longer than Rs-f4.

Metasoma. Petiole subtriangular in lateral view, anterior profile broadly convex, summit broadly convex to truncate.Subpetiolar process rounded. Petiolar node trapezoid in dorsal view, longer than wide; lateral surface rugulose mostly halfway up, posterior face smooth with striae ventrally. Cinctus well marked.Gaster mostly smooth with sparse punctulae. Abdominal sternum IX posteriorly rounded.

Genitalia. Cupula (= basal ring) weakly broadening posterad, with sides almost parallel in dorsal view; dorsal surface much longer than ventral surface, being about 3x ventral surface length; ventral surface deeply emarginate medially. Gonopod (= paramere) about three times as long as tall; gonocoxa and gonostylus about equal in length, as measured from their ventral inflection point. Gonocoxa (= basimere) dorsomedial margins evenly and weakly curving to gonostyli, but with dorsal proximomedial margins distinctly parallel for some distance; ventromedial margins short, with length of parallel margins about distinctly less than width of gonocoxal base in ventral view. Gonostylus (= telomere/harpe) long but narrowly rounded apically. Volsellae appearing stout and short. Penite (= penisvalva) with lateral process at base of valvura; lateral penital carina (= lateral apodeme) with acute and narrowly rounded proximal process; penital apex long, comparatively narrow; serrations of ventral margin of variable stature, but with serrations between ventral curve and apical concavity distinctly projecting.

Setation. Head with some long erect hairs and sometimes with fine decumbent hairs; clypeus with fine sub-decumbent hairs, anterad with long suberect hairs; antenna with some long sub-erect and short sub-decumbent hairs. Mesosoma, petiole, and gaster covered with erect hairs and sometimes with short sub-decumbent hairs.

Color. Body black to brown; clypeus antenna, legs, and gaster ferruginous brownish; petiole ferruginous ventrally and dark brown dorsally.

Comments

Described by Lattke (2011), L. parensis was known only from four workers from Pará, Brazil. Recently six workers were collected in the Nouragues Natural Reserve in French Guiana, about 780 km northwest of the type locality and 77 km southwest from Saül, where males were collected. This geographic proximity and the large size of the males support their identification as L. parensis . As in the workers, the males of L. parensis males are much larger (WL> 3.2 mm) compared with the other males of the group, and the eye is not as bulging as in L. unistimulosa and L. elzasoarez new species. The L. parensis males also differ from the other two species by their robust scape and sometimes sculpted mesoscutum. However, they vary in eye size: in the French Guiana specimens the distance between the compound eye and lateral ocellus is more than the width of the medial ocellus, while in the Brazilian specimens the distance is about the same. Another difference is in the mesoscutal sculpture, in specimen DZUP 550880 it is transversely striate, while in other specimens the mesonotum is smooth with punctures. This species has a subtriangular petiole, but the summit in DZUP 550880 is rounded, while it is truncate or pointed in the other specimens studied.

Leptogenys paraensis was named by Lattke (2011) for a geographic place, the Brazilian State of Pará, for which the species epithet should be considered a Latin adjective in the nominative case that must reflect the gender of the genus name.The suffix “-ense” is neuter, but the genus name Leptogenys is feminine, therefore the species name is emended to the feminine “parensis ” to establish gender agreement.

Material studied

Brazil. Pará: Serra Norte , 3-5.xi.1985, J. Dias , 1 male “N1.Mata” MPEG03034810 , 1 male “ Manganês ” MPEG03034824 , [ MPEG] . French Guiana. Cayenne: Regina, Nouragues Natural Reserve, Inselberg , lat 4,09569, lon-52.68319, Rainforest, AntCourse 2018, ACF#44, 21.viii-1. ix.2018 , 3 workers DZUP 550883 , 2 workers DZUP 550884 , 1 worker DZUP 550885 . Saül, Bélvédère de Saül , 03°37’22”N 53°12’27”W, alt. 326m v05, S.E. A.G. team leg . 1 male 20.v.2011 DZUP 550882 , 1 male 30.vi.2011 DZUP 550881 , 1 male 14.iii.2011 DZUP 550880 [ DZUP] .

Figures

Figure 8. Leptogenys parensis male, DZUP 550881: (A) full-face, (B) lateral, mesosoma in (C) profile and (D) dorsal views, (E) fore wing and (F) hind wing.

Figure 9. Leptogenys parensis male genitalia,DZUP 550881:(A) genital capsule in dorsal,(B) ventral and (C) lateral views,(D) abdominal sternum IX in ventral view, (E) penisvalva and (F) tergum IX in lateral views. Scale bar = 0.1 mm. go: gonopod, pe: penisvalvae, vo: volsella.