Dinoponera hispida Lenhart, Dash & Mackay, 2013

Dias, Amanda Martins & Lattke, John Edwin, 2021, Large ants are not easy - the taxonomy of Dinoponera Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 784 (1), pp. 1-66 : 33-35

Dinoponera hispida Lenhart, Dash & Mackay, 2013

Figs 19 , 28B

Dinoponera hispida Lenhart, Dash & Mackay, 2013: 141 , figs 1c, g, 2 (☿).

Diagnosis

Female

Body covered by thick and stiff hairs. Ventral surface of head posteriorly with transverse strigulae. Anteroventral pronotal corner in lateral view rounded or forming obtuse angle, never toothed. Dorsum of pronotum and abdominal tergite III mostly smooth and with bluish iridescence. Petiolar node in dorsal view usually slender (DPI <0.71).

Material examined

Holotype BRAZIL – Pará • 1 ☿; Tucuruí ; Jan. 1979; coll. M. Alvarenga; examined by images; MCZC.

Non-type specimens (21 ☿☿)

BRAZIL – Pará • 1☿; Curionópolis, Faz. Serra Grande ; 9 Jul. 1991; C. Melo and F. Melo leg.; 1385/1/79; DZUP • 1 ☿; FloNa Carajás, Parauapeba ; Mar. 2016; V.C. Rocha leg.; UFSC • 1 ☿; Marabá ; 2017; DZUP • 1 ☿; Marabá, Gruta do Gavião ; 5 Oct. 1986; GEP; MZSP • 1 ☿; Melgaço, Caxiuanã , ECFPn ; 1.7815° S, 51.5919° W; 5–7 Nov. 2003; A.Y. Harada, E.P. Fagundes and C. Renato leg.; VI: transecto 16-900; MPEG • 1 ☿; Melgaço, Caxiuanã, Estação Científica Ferreira Penna ; 1°45′ S, 51°31′ W; 30 Oct. 2003; J. Souza and C. Moura leg.; plote VI transecto 5-600, pitfall 05; INPA • 1 ☿; Novo Repartimento, Fazenda Arataú ; 25–26 Jun. 2003; A.M. Elizabeth leg.; CPDC • 1 ☿; Parauapebas , FLONA de Carajás ; 24 Feb. 2010; A.A. Matias leg.; “ isca de sardinha, 10 trilha F Canga Controle – solo ”; INPA • 1 ☿; same collection data as for preceding; “5 trilha F Canga Controle – solo ”; INPA • 1 ☿; Portel, Igarapé Banã ; 2.0522° S, 50.7313° W; 26 Jan. 2016; MPEG • 1 ☿; Serra dos Carajás ; J.C. Freitas leg.; 1501, Coleção Diniz; DZUP • 1 ☿; Serra Norte, Carajás ; Jul.–Aug. 1985; Brandão and Benson leg.; Unicamp Ecol. Campo exped.; N3 mata trilha; MZSP • 1 ☿; same collection data as for preceding; N3 canga Arrm. Berlese; MZSP • 1 ☿; same collection data as for preceding; N1 Canga gramínea; MZSP • 1 ☿; same collection data as for preceding; N1 Canga gramínea #4; MZSP • 1 ☿; Serra Norte, Manganês ; 16 Aug. 1984; W. França leg.; lote 2550; MPEG HYM11506519 • 1 ☿; same locality as for preceding; 17 Jun. 1985; R.D. Thomaz leg.; lote 2552; MPEG HYM11506521 • 1 ☿; Serra Norte, N-1 Canga ; 24 Oct. 1984; Márcio Zanuto leg.; lote 2537; MPEG HYM11506495 • 1 ☿; Serra Norte , N-3 mata ; 6 Oct. 1986; M. Martins leg.; lote 2536; MPEG HYM11506496 • 1 ☿; Tucuruí ; 7 Jul. 1978; P. Maurício leg.; MPEG HYM11513011 • 1 ☿; same locality as for preceding; 8 Jul. 1978; W. França leg.; MPEG HYM11513016 .

Redescription

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Non-types (n = 10): HL 4.8–6.17; HW 4.6–5.73; MDL 3.95–4.66; SL 5.67–6.42; MSL 7.52–8.7; HFL 7.24–8.5; HBL 6.08–7.1; PL 2.17–2.51; PH 2.75–3.5; PW 1.36–1.64; ATS 6.96–8.4; BL 25.4–30.12 (mm); CI 0.87–0.96; SI 1.13–1.27; DPI 0.6–0.71.

HEAD. Malar area with longitudinal to oblique striae which gradually fade posteriorly, sometimes not reaching anterior eye margin. Gena smooth or weakly microareolate, with bluish iridescence, usually without rugulae. Appressed pubescence present between eye and frontal lobe, extending posteriorly to frons. Frons smooth to weakly microareolate, with bluish iridescence; integument slightly irregular close to hair insertions; decumbent to suberect thick, stiff hairs; pubescence densest laterally. Occipital corner smooth and with bluish iridescence. Antennal scape weakly microareolate and shining; antenna with suberect, thick, stiff hairs except for 4–5 apical segments. Ventral surface of head weakly microareolate to smooth; arched, weakly impressed strigulae present on anterior half; well-marked transverse strigulae posteriorly. Hypostomal tooth with longitudinal strigulae. Labrum with weak median longitudinal sulcus that extends from anterior margin to half its length; with transverse rugulae. Mandibular dorsum with longitudinal strigulae along inner margin, gradually fading apicad.

MESOSOMA.Dorsal margin of pronotum in lateral view broadly convex, with no pronounced dorsoposterior swelling; anteroventral corner of pronotum rounded or forming obtuse angle, never toothed. Pronotal dorsum smooth, with bluish iridescence. Metapleural-propodeal suture well-marked and straight, rarely sinuous.

METASOMA. Petiolar node in lateral view elongate (DPI<0.8); anterodorsal corner usually higher than posterodorsal corner; anterior margin slightly concave, forming blunt angle with dorsal margin; dorsal and posterior margins each broadly convex and forming rounded angle. Node lateral face smooth or weakly microareolate with bluish iridescence. Node anterior margin in dorsal view strongly convex; posterior margin broadly convex; lateral margins broadly convex, slightly converging anterodorsally. Abdominal tergite III smooth or weakly microareolate, with bluish iridescence; punctulae sparse, slightly denser laterally than dorsally; covered by suberect thick, stiff hairs on entire surface; appressed pubescence very sparse on dorsum, denser laterally.

Male

Unknown.

Remarks

The diagnostic characters easily separate D. hispida from any other Dinoponera . This species occurs in sympatry with D. gigantea , which differs by having a microareolate and opaque integument with slender, flexous hairs. It may be confused with either D. longipes , D. mutica , or D. nicinha sp. nov., which also have a shining integument and occur in northern Brazil. Dinoponera mutica and D. nicinha sp. nov. can be separated by not having the petiolar node with a blunt anterodorsal angle or a rounded posterodorsal angle in lateral view. Dinoponera longipes may have the node slightly similar to that of D. hispida , but it lacks strigulae on the head venter and has flexible golden hairs throughout the body. Another species with smooth and shining integument is D. lucida , but it differs by having the anterodorsal node angle lower than the posterodorsal angle in lateral view. Dinoponera lucida only occurs in the Atlantic forest of eastern Brazil.

The holotype of D. hispida was examined by images available in the online database of the MCZC (https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu, Identifiers: Entomology, 36191) and additional images. Besides that, the description of Lenhart et al. (2013) is very complete and detailed, permitting a clear recognition of the species.

Biology

The life history of this species is unknown. It is restricted to the Amazon, characterized by humid forests and large trees (IBGE 2012). According to the Köppen classification system, the predominant climate in southeastern Pará is Tropical Monsoon, with the average temperature of the coldest month over 18°C and high annual precipitation ( Alvares et al. 2013).

Distribution ( Fig. 28B )

Dinoponera hispida has a relatively restricted distribution, known only from a few sites in Pará that are being affected by large-scale mining, a large hydroelectric plant (Tucuruí Hydroelectric Power Plant) and extensive deforestation. This combination of habitat disturbance makes the species a likely candidate for being considered as threatened. However, its distribution could be greater if there are more specimens in collections presently misidentified as the sympatric D. gigantea .

Figures

Fig. 19. Dinoponera hispida Lenhart, Dash & Mackay, 2013, ☿ (specimen from Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil; UFSC). A. Full-face view. B. Full body in lateral view. C. Full body in dorsal view.

Fig. 28. Distribution maps for species of Dinoponera Roger, 1861. Red symbols indicate type specimens examined here. A. D. gigantea (Perty, 1833) and D. grandis Guérin-Méneville, 1838. B. D. hispida Lenhart, Dash & Mackay, 2013, D. mutica Emery, 1901 and Dinoponera morphospecies 1.