Nylanderia coveri, Kallal, 2019

Kallal, Robert J., 2019, Nylanderia of the World Part III: Nylanderia in the West Indies, Zootaxa 4658 (3), pp. 401-451 : 412-414

Nylanderia coveri , sp. nov.

Figs. 14–16 (worker); 17–18 (male)

Holotype worker, GRENADA: Saint Andrew Parish , 1.0 mi WNW of Lower Capital on road to Gouave (measured to junction of north-south road), 19-VI-1995, SP Cover, SPC G-148 ( MCZC); 7 paratype workers and 2 paratype males with same locality data as holotype ( NMNH & MCZC).

Worker diagnosis: Body bright yellow, with sharply contrasting brown macrosetae across body.

Compare with: N. guatemalensis

WORKER. Measurements (n=4): TL: 1.98–2.13; HW: 0.46–0.50; HL: 0.59–0.63; EL: 0.15–0.17; SL: 0.68– 0.72; WL: 0.69–0.78; GL: 0.85–0.93. SMC: 14–19; PMC: 2; MMC: 2–3. Indices: CI: 79–82; REL: 25–28; SI: 140–149; SI2: 22–25.

This appears to be a ground dwelling species, like many Nylanderia species. The type series was collected in a nutmeg-banana plantation in a rotten stick partly buried in the leaf litter in the shade.

Head: sides of head in full face view nearly parallel; posterolateral corner rounded; posterior margin straight; anterior clypeal margin evenly rounded; ocelli absent; eye well-developed. Mesosoma: in lateral view, pronotum convex; anterior margin of mesonotum raised slightly above posterior pronotal margin; metanotal area with short flat area anterior of spiracle; dorsal face of propodeum slightly convex; dorsal face of propodeum and mesonotum approximately the same height in lateral view. Color and pilosity: bright yellow; becoming slightly lighter to almost white distally on funiculus and legs; head, pronotum, mesonotum, propodeal dorsal face and gastral tergite I with abundant pubescence.

MALE. Measurements (n=2): TL: 2.15; HW: 0.39–0.44; HL: 0.49–0.50; EL: 0.22–0.21; SL: 0.72; WL: 0.76– 0.77; GL: 0.88. SMC: 3–7; PMC: 0; MMC: 11–20. Indices: CI: 78–88; REL: 41–44; SI: 184.

Head: sides of head in full face view rounded; posterior margin rounded; clypeus emarginate anteriorly; mandible with apical tooth and much smaller, often indistinct, subapical tooth adjacent to apical tooth; basal angle sharp and distinct. Mesosoma: in lateral view, dorsal margin of mesoscutum same as height as dorsal margin of mesoscutellum. Genitalia: gonopod apex nearly triangular in lateral view; gonopods in dorsal view distally divergent with remainder of gaster; digitus with pointed apex that bends away from penial sclerite; cuspis tubular, rounded at apex bending sharply toward digitus; anteroventral process of penial sclerite pointed; valvura of penial sclerite placed slightly ventral to midline (fig. 105). Color and pilosity: bright yellow; becoming slightly lighter to almost white distally on funiculi and legs; head, pronotum, mesonotum, dorsal face of propodeum and gaster with abundant pubescence; on gaster macrosetae become more abundant posteriorly.

Other material examined: GRENADA: Grand Etang, South of Lake, 12 Nov 2003 #40, JK Wetterer.

Etymology: Named after myrmecologist Stefan P. Cover (Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology), collector of this species and whose field skills for finding new and unusual ant species are unmatched.

Notes: This species can be confused with N. guatemalensis when it is more yellow than brown, but preliminary molecular data clearly separates it from N. guatemalensis . The molecular results place N. coveri within a clade containing N. guatemalensis and N. steinheili . This species is another example of a small yellow species having workers that are difficult to separate from the widespread sometimes yellow, but color variable N. guatemalensis (the other example being N. lucayana ). Overall once you have looked at enough N. guatemalensis the bright yellow color of N. coveri is actually distinctly different, contrasting sharply with the dark brown macrosetae. Generally, N. guatemalensis is never this bright yellow.Additionally, even in yellow specimens of N. guatemalensis the mesocoxae and metacoxae are always lighter than the remainder of the body. In N. coveri , the entire body, including the mesocoxae and metacoxae is bright yellow. Other than molecular data the penial sclerites also support recognition of this species with the proximal ventral extension coming much more to a point than it does in both N. guatemalensis and N. steinheili .

Figures

FIGURES 14–16. Nylanderia coveri worker MCZENT00525580. Lateral, full-face, and dorsal view of the body.