Leptanilloidinae

Borowiec, Marek L. & Longino, John T., 2011, Three new species and reassessment of the rare Neotropical ant genus Leptanilloides (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Leptanilloidinae), ZooKeys 133, pp. 19-48 : 38-40

Leptanilloidinae male 3 Figure 8 A–F

Material examined.

MEXICO, Chiapas : Lago Metzabok, 17.12681°, −91.63094° ± 6m, 570m, 5-8 June 2008 (LLAMA#Ma-A-06-1-02); GUATEMALA, Petén: Cerro Cahuí, 17.00044°, −89.70346° ± 5m, 140m, 22-25 May 2009 (LLAMA#Ma-B-05-1-02); 4.5km WNW Machaquilá, 16.40112°, −89.48697° ± 13m, 415m, 27-30 May 2009 (LLAMA#Ma-B-06-2-02).

Measurements in mm and indices (3 measured): HW 0.42-0.43, HL 0.32-0.33, EL 0.16, SL 0.13-0.14, LAII 0.08-0.09, LAIII 0.07-0.09, LAIV 0.10-0.11, LAXIII 0.17-0.19, MH 0.45-0.48, ML 0.66-0.70, PrW 0.32-0.35, PW 0.08-0.10, PL 0.18-0.20, AIIIW 0.20-0.25, AIIIL 0.20-0.25, AIVW 0.25-0.34, AIVL 0.20, FFeW 0.06-0.07, FFeL 0.37, HFeL 0.41-0.43, HTiL 0.40-0.43, CI 127-136, PI 41-54, MI 65-72.

Description.

Headbroader than long, with large convex eyes that occupy almost half of the sides of head. Mandible slender, widest at midlength but without differentiated masticatory margin, tapering to pointed apex, edentate. External margin of mandible more or less straight along its length. Mandible tips crossing at closure, mandible length subequal to eye length. Lateroclypeal teeth and hypostomal teeth lacking, clypeus short and transverse, with narrow clypeal lamella (apron). Antennal sockets horizontal and exposed, located at the anterior clypeal margin that is not projecting anteriorly beyond ventral articulation with labrum. Antenna 13-segmented, each se gment longer than wide, with third segment the shortest. Scape of moderate length, subequal to the length of ultimate antennal segment. Scape length less than twice the length of the second antennal segment, and less than the combined length of the second and third antennal segments. Lateral ocellus separated from median ocellus by more than its diameter. Distance greater between lateral ocelli than between median and lateral ocellus and ocelli forming isosceles triangle. Mesosomawith distinctive pronotum: U-shaped in dorsal view and reduced anteromedially to a thin horizontal strip, set below the level of the dorsally protruding mesonotum and triangular in lateral view, with pointed posterior apex directed towards the wing base. Mesoscutum lacking notauli. Parapsidal lines present, long, running about the third of mesoscutum length. Axillae depressed, not meeting medially, connected by a narrow furrow; tegula very small and inconspicuous. Mesopleuron lacking oblique transverse sulcus and hence not divided into anepisternum and katepisternum. Mesoscutellum raised above level of mesoscutum and prominently bulging, as seen in lateral view. Metapleural gland not discernable. Propodeum with dorsal surface somewhat shorter than declivous. Propodeal spiracle small, circular, positioned slightly above midheight of propodeum and slightly posterior to the metanotum. Legs slender, mid tibia with one simple and hind tibia with one pectinate spur, pretarsal claw lacking preapical tooth. Wingwith relatively well developed venation. Fore wing with C present, tubular and pigmented. Sc+R approximated to the wing margin, very narrow, compressed vertically. Sc+R1in line with Sc+R, tubular. Pterostigma well marked. R1·f3 absent. M+Cu tubular, slightly curved towards posterior wing margin before division. Rs·f1 present, nebulous. M·f1 pigmented, tubular. Rs+M&Rs·f2&Rs·f3 tubular and pigmented. 1r-rs absent. 2r-rs present, tubular and pigmented. Rs·f4&Rs·f5 tubular, terminating before wing margin. Free abscissae of M nebulous, very weakly visible and not joining to Rs+M&Rs·f2&Rs·f3. Abscissae of Cu joined, nebulous throughout most of the length and continuing as spectral. Vein A tubular, joining cu-a at obtuse angle and confluent with Rs+M, apparently absent beyond cu-a. Posterior margin of fore wing with fold where hamuli attach narrow, conspicuous. Hind wing with C apparently present, narrow and faint except basal fourth of wing length. Sc+R present, tubular along fourth of wing length, continuing as nebulous. Sc+R1 a short nebulous stub. Rs·f1&Rs·f2 nebulous, terminating at about three fourth of wing length. Anterior margin of hind wing with little differentiated pigmentation. Three hamuli originate in the pigmented region. Jugal lobe absent. Metasoma slender in lateral view, obovate in dorsal view, widest at abdominal segment IV. Petiole (abdominal segment II) elongate-ovate in lateral view, more than two times longer than high or wide, and weakly constricted posteriorly, the helcium thus apparently quite broad. Petiolar spiracle located on anterior fourth of the segment, near anterodorsal extremity. Abdominal segment III larger than petiole, and not developed as postpetiole nor separated from abdominal segment IV by marked constriction. Abdominal spiracle III located on anterior third of tergite. Abdominal segments II and III with tergosternal fusion. Abdominal segment IV and succeeding segments lacking tergosternal fusion. Segment IV with weakly differentiated presclerites. Spiracle present on anterior third of tergite IV. Abdominal segments V and VI lacking well differentiated presclerites, and not separated from succeeding segments by constrictions. Abdominal spiracles V and VI not discernable in specimens examined but possibly present at anterior margins of respective tergites. Abdominal tergite VIII (pygidium) small and simple but visible dorsally, not wholly covered by abdominal tergite VII. Pygostyli absent. Abdominal sternite IX (subgenital plate) with posterior margin broadly and deeply concave but not bifurcate. Basal ring present, not hypertrophied. Paramere relatively broad, harpago evenly rounded at apex; paramere shorter than petiole length. Volsella a simple, broad and elongate lobe, lacking differentiated cuspis, distally pointed. Aedeagus about equal in length to paramere and volsella, simple, narrow, distally spatulate. Body size moderate. Integument mostly smooth and shiny, with scattered piligerous punctures. Pilosity common on most of body, suberect to decumbent. Color light brown, head and metasoma past abdominal segment III darker. Antennal segment II light, the rest light brownish. Other appendages (mandibles, legs) lighter than body.

Discussion.

This form has been collected at two sites in the Petén region of Guatemala and one locality in Chiapas, Mexico.

This relatively large male differs from Leptanilloidinae male 2 and Leptanilloides mckennae in the dorsal face of the propodeum being shorter than the declivity (subequal in male 2 and flattened in mckennae), longer petiole, and free abscissae of M not connected to Rs+M. Additionally, from mckennae it differs by the slender mandibles without well differentiated masticatory and basal margins (subtriangular in mckennae). We have examined an additional specimen from Barro Colorado Island, Panama ("Leptanilloidine genus 1 PM01"; CASENT0106194), already mentioned by Ward & Brady (2009) that may belong here. It is larger (ML 0.74) with wider head (HW 0.43) and larger eyes (EL 0.20) but with relatively shorter petiole (PW 0.10, PL 0.15). The wing venation is similar, except veins of radial sector being more approximated to the anterior wing margin and thus making the closed veins of the wing appear more flattened. There is also a stub of free abscissae of M, completely absent in the three males from Mexico and Guatemala. Genitalia in this specimen are retracted and partly obscured, but seem similar to the genitalia present in Leptanilloidinae male 3. In the absence of collections of males of similar morphotypes between Guatemala and Panama, we are unable to tell whether this form represents a geographical variant or a distinct species.