Oxyepoecus daguerrei

Albuquerque, N. L. de & Brandão, C. R. F., 2009, A revision of the Neotropical Solenopsidini ant genus Oxyepoecus Santschi, 1926 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). 2. Final. Key for species and revision of the rastratus species-group., Papeis Avulsos do Departamento de Zoologia 49, pp. 289-309 : 294

Oxyepoecus daguerrei (Santschi, 1933) (Fig. 6)

Martia daguerrei Santschi , 1933:111 (S from Argentina, Buenos Aires: Rosas F.C. Sur); Kusnezov, 1952:717-8, 720 (biology; key to Argentine species).

Oxyepoecus daguerrei : Ettershank, 1966:146 (transfer to Oxyepoecus ); Kempf, 1972:173 (catalogue); Kempf, 1974:486; Figs. 05, 16 and 22 (work- er redescription and lectotype designation); Bolton, 1995:301 (catalogue).

Worker (Lectotype): t.l. = 2.60; h.l. = 0.63; h.w. = 0.52; s.l. = 0.40; m.l.e. = 0.12; m.w.pr. = 0.36; a.l. = 0.72; h.f.l. = 0.45; m.w.p. = 0.17; m.w.pp. = 0.23; c.i. 83. Body color fuscous brown, mandibles and legs reddish brown. Integument smooth and shining, except frontal carinae with longitudinal costulae, pro- longed caudad to vertexal margin, laterally not reach- ing posterad of compound eye; genae with short lon- gitudinal rugae that reach anterior margin of clypeus close to mandibular insertion; postero-lateral corner of the pronotum dorsum longitudinally costulate that do not reach the anterior margin; side of pronotum smooth and shining; katepisternum, anepisternum, side of propodeum and metapleuron longitudinally costulate; posterior face of postpetiole with some su- perficial and irregular rugae. Hairs moderately abun- dant, short, subdecumbent and decumbent on head dorsum; most hairs on cephalic dorsum inclined mes- ad, anteriorly curved on the sides, decumbent on the mandibles; mesosoma dorsal hairs suberect and erect, a little longer than head hairs, with some anterior ori- ented; petiolar node with some suberect and posterior oriented hairs, postpetiole with very scarce hairs; nu- merous decumbent hairs present on gaster.

Mandible with basal border approximately equal chewing border, with broad and gently deep excision between basal and subbasal tooth. Anterior tooth of clypeus with lateral, almost indistinct, blunt denticle. Frontal carinae diverging posterad, maximum width be- tween their outer edges about one fourth of head width. Compound eye small, with about 6-7 facets r.g.d., max- imum diameter of compound eye smaller than oculo- malar distance: total number of ommatidia less than 25, circa 20. Antennal scape fails to reach vertexal margin by not more than maximum scape width. Funnicular segment I as long as II-IV combined, segments II-VII distinctly broader than long, VIII as long as broad. Head with vertexal margin sligthly convex (f.f.v.).

Mesosoma (p.v.) not forming an angle between dorsal and lateral surfaces of pronotum. Metanotal groove shallow to absent (p.v.), perceptible by differ- ence in level of propodeum relative to promesonotal dorsum level. Basal face of propodeum round on side posteriorly with two small, obliquely oriented teeth. Declivous face laterally carinate.

Petiole pedunculate, node antero-posteriorly not much compressed, nearly 2/3 as broad as postpetiole (d.v.); subpetiolar process mostly straight, anteriorly ending as a blunt and relatively small denticle (p.v.). Subpostpetiolar process subparallel to the ventrally projecting posterior socket.

Examined material: ARGENTINA: Rosas, F.C. Sur, Buenos Aires Province, Juan B. Daguerre # 1904 [35°57'S, 58°56'W] (1 [worker] lectotype, originally mounted on same pin with Solenopsis metanotalis var . pic- turata Santschi).

Comments: The exclusive character of O. daguerrei workers in relation to all other species in the genus is the straight costulae on the frontal carinae that pro- long caudad, attaining the vertexal margin but failing to laterally reach the compound eye, also the postpe- tiole (d.v.) is relatively narrower than of others species of the genus (Kempf, 1974: Figs. 05, 16 and 22).

Only three specimens of O. daguerrei are known, all collected in the same locality in Argentina (Fig. 6), by Juan B. Daguerre. Sanstchi received them already mounted on the same pin with a worker of Solenopsis metanotalis var. picturata Santschi (# 1904, lectotype) and with a worker of Solenopsis tetracantha Emery (# 666). This association led Sanstchi to infer a close relationship between the mentioned species and Sole- nopsis. Note: we were not able to ascertain to which collection the code number in the types label refers to.