Cephalotes adolphi (Emery, 1906)

Oliveira, Aline Machado, Powell, Scott & Feitosa, Rodrigo Machado, 2021, A taxonomic study of the Brazilian turtle ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Cephalotes), Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 65 (3), No. e 20210028, pp. 1-52 : 10-11

Cephalotes adolphi

Figs. 6 a-c, 7a-c, 15

Holotype: BRAZIL,MT, Coxipó, ix.1900, typus (worker), -15.614986, -56.030674 [ MSNG] [examined byimages - AntWeb .org CASENT0904906 ].

Additional material examined: Brazil, MG, Uberlândia, Clube de caça e pesca Itororó, 20.vii.2007, -19.004404 -48.312329, S. Powell cols, Cerrado, / C05-192 (1 soldier) [ DZUP],Panga Ecological Reserve, 10.vii.2015, -19.174260 - 48.400940, S. Powell cols, Cerrado, / C15-45 (2 soldiers) [ DZUP], Panga Ecological Reserve, 10.vii.2015, -19.174260 - 48.400940, S. Powellcol, Cerrado, / C15-45 (1 gyne) [ DZUP].

Worker descriptioncan be found in De Andrade and Baroni Urbani, 1999, page 733.

Soldiermeasurements ( N =3): HL 1.95-2.12; HW 1.72-1.88; EL 0.33-0.35; PW 1.52-1.76; WL 1.60-1.69; PTL 0.64-0.72; PTW 0.20-0.24; PPL 0.70-0.76; PPW 0.20-0.26; GL 1.88-1.94; HBL 0.46-0.48; HBW 0.11- 0.13; TL 6.85-7.16; CI 87.1-89.7; OI 18.6-20; PI 266-327; HBI 23.1-27.2.

Soldier (first description): Head, dorsum of mesosoma and legs yellowish to ferruginous.Propleura predominantly black with the upper surface yellowish; meso- and metapleura predominantly yellowish with dark spots. First gastral tergite yellowish with a transverse dark macula. First gastral sternite brownish ( Fig. 6 ).

Mandiblesalveolate;ventralfaceofheadweaklyfoveate,spacebetween foveaemicroalveolate;dorsumofheadirregularlyfoveate( Fig.6a ).Dorsum of mesosomafoveate-microalveolate;lateralof mesosomafinelyrugosewith sparsefoveae.Petioleandpostpetiolesmooth.Gastermicroalveolate( Fig.6c ).

Mandibles with appressed canaliculate hairs and erect simple hairs. Head, mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole and legs with appressed canaliculate hairs; frontal carinae with erect simple hairs. Gaster with appressed simple hairs; posterior portion of first sternite and edges of each tergite and sternite of gaster with erect simple hairs ( Fig. 6b ).

Headlongerthanwide ( CI 87.1-89.7).Mandibleswithastronglongitudinal lateralangle.Clypeuswithapairofdenticles ( Fig.6a ).Dorsumofheaddisc shaped,slightlyconvexanteriorly ( Fig.6b ).Frontalcarinaecrenulateanteriorly. Antennae with a three-segmented club. Roof of antennal scrobes with a lateral carinae and a posterior rounded projection. Lateroventral margins of head without carinae. Vertexal corners forming pointed projections separated of the dorsum cephalic disc ( Fig. 6a, b ).

In lateral view, pronotum ascending, with a transversal carina raised ina crest; pronotalcrestnotcrenulate, witha mediandepression ( Fig.6c ). Indorsalview,anteriormarginof pronotumgentlyrounded,lateralmargins with twopairs of denticles,the anterior oneacute, thesecond oneobtuse. Mesonotumandpropodeumdiscontinuousandflat( Fig.6b ); mesonotum with a pair of blunt rounded denticles; propodeal groove impressed; dorsal and declivous faces of propodeum meeting in a distinct propodeal angle; indorsalview, lateralmarginsof propodeum witha pairof median spinesandobtuse denticlesstrongly bent dorsally, with theapices curved anteriorly ( Fig.6b ). Femoranotangulateddorsally,mid, andhindbasitarsi not flattened, with subparallel dorsal and ventral faces.

Indorsalview, petiolecompressedanteroposteriorly, anteriormargin with a discrete median concavity, lateral spines curved backwards, dorsum witha pairof denticles ( Fig.6b ), subpetiolarprocess broader and rounded anteriorly ( Fig.6c ). Postpetioleslightly wider andlonger than petiole, spines narrow andcurved forward, dorsum witha “v” sharped elevation ( Fig. 6b ), subpostpetiolar process pronounced ventrally and compressed anteroposteriorly ( Fig. 6c ).

Gaster elongate, with narrowanterior lamellar expansions ( Fig.6c ).

Gyne measurements ( N =1): HL 1.80; HW 1.64; EL 0.40; PW 1.60; WL 2.05; PTL 0.60; PTW 0.28; PPL 0.70; PPW 0.30; GL 2.56; HBL 0.56; HBW 0.14; TL 7.71; CI 91.1; OI 24.4; PI 214; HBI 25.

Gyne (first description): Body black; dorsumandlateralofhead, lateral marginsof pronotum and propodeum, centraldisc of anepisternum, and legs yellowish to ferruginous. First gastral tergite withan anterior and a posterior pair of yellowish spots, each one occupying more than one third of the first tergite length; posterior margins of each tergite and sternite yellowish ( Fig. 7 ).

Sculpture of head, petiole, postpetiole, legs and gaster as in the soldiers. Dorsum of mesosoma with sparse foveae, space between foveae microalveolate. Propleura deeply striate. Anepisternum deeply and denselyfoveate, withoutspacebetween foveae; katepisternum and metapleura finely rugose with some sparse foveae ( Fig. 7b ). Declivous face of propodeum finely rugose and microalveolate.

Pilosity of head as in thesoldier.Mesoscutum, axillaeand legs with some short erecthairs. First gastraltergitewith sparse appressed simple hairs and some short erect hairs; first gastral sternite with short and long appressed simple hairs, and short erect hairs ( Fig. 7c )

Head as in the soldier, but shorter ( HL 1.80) ( Fig. 7a ).

Indorsalview, anteriormarginofpronotumslightlyrounded, lateral margins with a pair of denticles pointed anteriorly, pronotal carina weakly developed, not crenulate, with a median depression ( Fig. 7c ). Dorsally, mesoscutum subtriangular, anterior margins rounded; notauli absent; parapsidial lines feebly visible and parallel; transscutal line impressed, reaching the lateral margins of mesosoma; scutoscutellar groove impressed, extending laterally, separating scutellum and axillae; axillae rounded posteriorly ( Fig. 7c ). Laterally, mesopleural groove dividing anepisternum and katepisternum; metapleura divided in upper and lower metapleura by a deep groove; metapleuropropodeal groove not impressed ( Fig. 7b ). In dorsal view, posterior margin of propodeum concave with a pair of short, blunt denticles ( Fig. 7c ). Wings unknown.

Indorsal view, petiole subquadrate, anteriormargin concave and lateral margins convex, without lateral or dorsalprojections, subpetiolar process narrow. Postpetiole wider than petiole, with a “v” sharped dorsal elevation and lateral blunt projections, subpostpetiolar process pronounced ventrally and compressed anteroposteriorly ( Fig. 7b ).

Gaster with anteriorly protruding lobes ( Fig. 7c ).

Figures

Figure 6 Soldier of Cephalotes adolphi. A:frontal view. B: lateral view. C:dorsal view. Brazil: MG, Uberlândia.

Figure 7 Gyne of Cephalotes adolphi. A: frontal view. B: lateral view. C: dorsal view. Brazil: MG, Uberlândia.