Oxyepoecus vivax Kempf, 1974

Albuquerque, Nicolas Lavor De & Brandão, Carlos Roberto F., 2004, A Revision Of The Neotropical Solenopsidini Ant Genus Oxyepoecus Santschi, 1926 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). 1. The Vezenyii Species- Group, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 44 (4), pp. 55-80 : 77-79

Oxyepoecus vivax Kempf

Oxyepoecus vivax Kempf, 1974:509 , Figs. 31, 32, 33, 38 and 39 (♀ Brasil).

Gyne (Holotype): t.l.= 3,8; h.l.= 0.75; h.w.= 0.67; s.l.= 0.58; m.l.e.= 0.29; m.w.pr.= 0.61; a.l.= 1.09; h.f.l.= 0.73; m.w.p.= 0.27; m.w.pp.= 0.32; c.i. 89. Color reddish brown. Integument smooth and shining, with the following exceptions: genae, and lateral portion of clypeus, finely costulate; inner region of the frontal carinae and frons finely costulate, the posterior portion rather indistinct, not reaching laterally the eyes nor posteriorly the ocelli; occiput with transverse costulae; dorsum of pronotum feebly and obliquely costulate; paraptera and scutellum regularly longitudinally costulate; dorsal face of propodeum with oblique, asymetrically disposed rugulae or costae; mesopleuron, metapleuron and sides of propodeum with patches of costulae; sides and posterior surface of petiolar and postpetiolar nodes, respectively horizontally and transverse costulate. Hairs abundant, suberect on the head, dorsum of the mesosoma, petiole, postpetiole, and gaster; on the head, decumbent and shorter hairs, inclined mesad dorsally on the disc, forwards oriented on sides; gaster without these interspersed shorter and decumbent hairs.

Head with the mandibles relatively elongate, with the small basal tooth separated from the subbasal by a broad but shallow diastema. Anterior teeth of clypeus blunt and scarcely prominent, with minute and inconspicuous lateral denticles. Frontal carinae, except the anterior curvature, absolutely straight and subparallel, with the posterior end after the level of the superior orbit of the compound eyes, the maximum width between their outer edges always less than one third of the head width. Compound eyes huge and prominent, with several hundred ommatidia, oval in outline. Ocelli small. Antennal scape almost fails to reach the occipital corner, when laid back over the head as much as possible. Funicular segments I, VIII, IX and X much longer than broad, II-VI somewhat broader than long, VII almost as long as broad. Occiput (f.f.v.) slightly concavous.

Mesosoma with the pronotum entirely declivous in the middle, the sides submarginate, the shoulders not marked, rounded. Dorsal face of the propodeum immarginate on sides, posteriorly with two pointed, but short teeth. Declivous face slightly excavate and laterally carinate. Wings varies in the same individual; the discoidal cell is reduced to a small solid rectangle, in the left fore wing, while it is normal in the right fore wing. Hind wing with 6 hamuli.

Petiole pedunculate, node scarcely compressed antero-posteriorly; subpetiolar process ends anteriorly in a small tooth; node globose, in dorsal view slightly shorter than broad. Postpetiole likewise little compressed antero-posteriorly and scarcely expanded laterad, not conspicuously broader than petiolar node; not as high as petiole; anterior portion of subpostpetiolar process prominent but not bidentate.

Worker unknown.

Male unknown.

Diagnosis, distribution and comments

The diagnostic characters of O. vivax gynes in relation to the other species in the Vezenyii group are the elongate mandibles, the blunt clypeal denticles and the relatively scarcely laterad expanded postpetiole. O. vivax is known only from the holotype collected in a locality in Minas Gerais State, Brasil (fig. 8).

Examined material: Brasil: Minas Gerais: Pedra Azul , xi. 1972, Dr. C.A.C. Seabra & Lt. - Cel Moacyr Alvarenga [col.] # 8108, [15°59’S 41°07’W] (♀ holotype) .