Hylomyrma marielleae Ulysséa, 2021

Ulysséa, Mônica Antunes, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical ant genus Hylomyrma Forel, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), with the description of fourteen new species, Zootaxa 5055 (1), pp. 1-137 : 77-80

Hylomyrma marielleae Ulysséa new species

Figures 51 , 52 , 80C , 85 (map)

Holotype: BRAZIL: PA[Pará]: Primavera , PBA-Projeto Primavera, 1°02′48″S, 47°9′25″W, 16–26.xi.2013, M. Souza col., Área / Winkler A /01 (1W) ( MZSP67394 ) [ MZSP] . Paratypes: AC[Acre]: Mâncio Lima, P.N. da Serra do Divisor , 245m, 7°26′58.81″S, 73°39′37.83″W, 15–18.xi.2016, R.M. Feitosa, T.S. Silva & A.C. Ferreira cols. (1W) [ DZUP] ; TO[Tocantins]: Araguacema, Senhor do Bonfim , 08°40′20″S, 49°25′53″W, 16–30.xi.2005, Semidecídua, Silva R.R. & Feitosa R.M., Winkler (1Q) ( MZSP67395 ) [ MZSP] ; same except Winkler 7 (1W) ( MZSP67396 ) [ MZSP] ; Winkler 6 (1W) ( MZSP67397 ) [ MZSP] ; Babaçulândia, 07°02′19″S, 47°52′03.4″W, 01–09.vi.2005, Silva R.R. & Feitosa R.M., Winkler 13 (1W) ( MZSP67398 ) [ MZSP] ; same except Winkler 16 (1W covered with gold) ( MZSP67399 ) [ MZSP] ; Winkler 12 (1Q) ( MZSP67400 ) [ MZSP] ; Winkler 4 (1W) [ USNM] ; RO[Rondônia]: Porto Velho, Área Abunã , A9P4, 09°38′03.3″S, 65°26′23.9″W, 17–27.vii.2013, Mazão G.R. & Probst R.S. cols. (2W) [ DZUP] ; same except Área Mutum , M7P2, 09°35′41.6″S, 65°03′54.2″W, 03.iii.2015, winkler 1 (1W) (MZHY106) [ MZSP] ; MT[Mato Grosso]: Diamantino, Faz. Junqueira Vilela , 11km NE casa, 17–18.july.1973, W.L. Brown col. (1W) [ MCZC].

Diagnosis. Regular and longitudinal striae on head dorsum, parallel towards posterior margin; long scape; vermicular striae on mesosoma; dorsal margin of petiole discontinuous; ventral surface entirely striate; transverse striae; postpetiole covered with thick, regular and longitudinal striae, slightly anastomosed; subpostpetiolar process sculptured on laterobasal region, midbasal region smooth; long striae on tergum of first gastral segment; body with many thick and unbranched setae.

Description. WORKER (n=6) ( Fig. 51A–C ): HL (0.90–0.96); HW (0.80–0.88); ML (0.60–0.64); SL (0.75–0.86); MOD (0.24–0.27); PNW (0.60–0.65); WL (1.20–1.30); PSL (0.31–0.34); PL (0.52–0.54); PW (0.20–0.22); PPL (0.30–0.32); PPW (0.29–0.32); GL (1.06–1.20); TL (4.58–4.93); CI (88.89–92.63); SI (88.37–100); OI (27.90– 30.68). Small to midsized. Shiny integument. Bicolored body, brownish, lighter head and gaster, yellowish appendices. Many thick and unbranched setae ( Fig. 80C ), long to midsized, erect to decumbent.

Head subquadrate; posterior margin straight. Mandible masticatory margin with 6 teeth. Anterior margin of clypeus straight medially, with a pair of small teeth laterally; median area of clypeus with 8–10 striae, regular and longitudinal, converging to a point on the anterior margin, interspaces distinguishable. Frontal triangle with 1 sagittal stria. Long scape, surpassing head posterior margin; apical antennomere slightly shorter than previous 3 antennomeres together. Frontal carina slightly concave posterior to antennal socket. Eye drop-shaped, midsized, larger diameter with 11 ommatidia. Regular and longitudinal striae on head dorsum, parallel towards posterior margin, interspaces between thicker striae filled with thinner striae; anastomosed striae on posterior region. Sculpture on head lateral and laterodorsal regions converge to eye margin; longitudinal striae predominate on laterodorsal region; anastomosed striae predominate on lateral and lateroventral regions; gena striate, 6–9 regular and semicircular striae circumscribe the torulus, almost reaching eye margin. Interspaces between striae on head ventral surface distinguishable.

Mesosoma covered with vermicular striae of uniform thickness, interspaces smooth. Promesonotal junction distinguishable by a slight depression (LV); metanotal groove indistinct. Transverse carina well-marked. Dorsal margin of mesosoma discontinuous, convex. Propodeal lobe bidentate, dorsal tooth slightly longer and sharper than the shorter and blunt ventral tooth; dorsal tooth shorter than 1 / 3 of propodeal spine length. Propodeal spine long, straight (LV), divergent (DV), sculptured on base. Procoxa striae of uniform thickness; irregular and transverse striae on C2 and C3. Profemur with transverse to inclined striae weakly marked. Protibia smooth.

Dorsal margin of petiole discontinuous; transverse striae on its entire ventral surface. Node with regular and transverse striae on anterior surface, striation on anterior surface continuing transversely on lateral surface to ventral surface, striae weakly marked; vermicular striae on dorsal surface. Postpetiole covered with thicker, regular and longitudinal striae, slightly anastomosed; subpostpetiolar process weak, straight, with the same sculpture of laterobasal region of postpetiole, sculpture weakly marked, midbasal region smooth.

First gastral segment striation similar to postpetiole striae; longitudinal striae on tergum 1 / 3 longer than postpetiole length; sternite striation weakly marked, restricted to laterobasal region.

QUEEN (n=3) ( Fig. 52A–C ): HL (0.94–1); HW (0.85–0.88); ML (0.62–0.64); SL (0.78–0.84); MOD (0.30); PNW (0.72–0.74); WL (1.42–1.48); PSL (0.34–0.36); PL (0.62–0.64); PW (0.23–0.24); PPL (0.37–0.38); PPW (0.33–0.35); GL (1.30–1.44); TL (5.29–5.52); CI (88–91.66); SI (88.63–95.45); OI (34.09–35.29). Large-sized. Color, pilosity, and some sculpture characters shared with conspecific workers, only slightly larger. Larger diameter of eye with 15–16 ommatidia. Striae on scutum anastomosed anteriorly and irregular posteriorly, going from an anterior central point towards transcutal suture. Longitudinal and regular striae on anepisternum, logitudinal and irregular to vermicular striae on katepisternum, interspaces distinguishable in both. Axilla and scutellum with the same sculpture of scutum. Scutoscutellar sulcus inconspicuous. Transverse striae on propodeum (DV). Lateral of mesosoma with irregular to vermicular striae directed in part to propodeal dorsum and in part to propodeal spine. Wings unknown.

MALE Unknown.

Etymology. The epithet marielleae is a Latin noun in the genitive case created by adding the singular Latin genitive case suffix -ae to the first name of a female person. This species is named in honor of Marielle Franco (1979–2018), born Marielle Francisco da Silva, a black Brazilian woman, politician, feminist, and human rights activist, whose assassination, motivated by her positions and actions against all forms of discrimination, happened during her mandate as a representative in Rio de Janeiro local Assembly.

Comments. Hylomyrma marielleae is similar to H. longiscapa regarding the body size and the sculpture pattern. However, H. marielleae can be easily distinguished from H. longiscapa (characteristic in parentheses) in the thick and dark setae (vs. thin and light), and the transverse striae on the ventral surface of petiole weakly marked (vs. well-marked). Both species have broad distribution in the center-north of South America, however H. longiscapa occurs in many localities in eastern portions of Brazil (from northeast to southeast regions) ( Fig. 83 ) where H. marielleae does not occur ( Fig. 85 ). One queen collected in French Guiana [USNMENT00536047] has lighter setae when compared to the other specimens evaluated here.

Distribution. Hylomyrma marielleae is known from Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Peru ( Fig. 85 ).

Natural history. This species inhabits sites at elevations between 120 and 590 m in tropical rainforest, semideciduous forest, bamboo forests, crops, and pastures. There is no further information available regarding the H. marielleae biology, besides nesting in the leaf-litter or inside natural cavities of the superficial soil layers, given that specimens were collected with winkler extractors.

Additional material examined (31 workers, 3 queens): BOLIVIA: Cochabamba: Villa Tunari , 67.5k E Valle Sajta, 6.ii.99, R. Anderson, #18525, 17°06′19″S, 64°46′57″W, Lowland rain forest, litter, #18525 (3W) [ UTEP, CASC, MZSP]. ECUADOR: [Sucumbíos]: Cuyabeno , 12/10-05/11/94, J.P. Caldwell, #10349 (1W) [ CEPLAC] ; Napo: Limoncocha , 250m, 18.vi.1976, B-348, S. & J. Peck (6W 1Q) [ MCZC] ; same except 25.vi.1976, B-355 (2W) [ MCZC]. FRENCH GUIANA: [Cayenne]: Nouragues Field Station, H Trail , 153m, 52°40.834′W, 4°5.196′N, 1.viii.2005, T.R. Schultz, J.S. LaPolla, D. Price, 1° forest, litter sample, Winkler sample, TRS050801-03-LS07 (1W) (USNMENT00536053) [ USNM] ; same data (2Q) (USNMENT00536047, USNMENT00536048) [ USNM] ; Nouragues, Fourmis de litière, 4°04′58″N, 52°40′28″O, 120-160m, 29.iii.2006, Jérôme Orivel (+ autres), FL-WTr25 (1W) [ MZSP]. PERU: Cusco: Estación Biológica Villa Carmen, 590m, -12.902437° -71.407672° + 300m, bamboo forest, 2° vegetation, 5-15.viii.2013, Ant Course cols. (2W) [ DZUP] ; same except w03 (3W) (MZHY68, MZHY103) [ MZSP] ; successional vegetation, crops and pasture (2W) [ DZUP] ; 525m, -12.888005° -71.401526° + 300m, riparian successional vegetation, 8.viii.2013, Lattke 3385 (6W) [ MZSP] ; Madre de Dios: Los Amigos Field Station, Trail 3, Huangana , 277m, 70°6′3.1W, 12°34′8.4S, 9.x.2004, T.R. Schultz, C. Marshall, J. Sosa-Calvo, 1° forest, litter sample, =JSC041009-02, TRS041009-01-LS02 (1W) [ USNM] ; same except Trail 6, =JSC041006- 12, TRS041006-01-LS12 (1W) [ USNM] ; 180m, Sachavacayoc Center , 34.39k SW Puerto Maldonado, 21.vii.2012, W. & E. Mackay, #24994, 12°51′10.9″S, 69°22′2.5″W, litter extraction, Tropical rain forest, seasonally flooded reddishbrn clay (2W) [ MZSP, IHVL] ; same except AW10S (1W) [ UNMSM] ; Pasco: nr. Pozuzo, steep 1° for. above farms, 1000m, 4-6.vi.81, berl. lf. lit., C. Kugler & R.R. Lambert cols. (1W) [ MCZC] .

Figures

FIGURE 51. Holotype worker of Hylomyrma marielleae (MZSP67394). A) frontal view; B) dorsal view; C) lateral view. Photos by Ricardo Kawada.

FIGURE 52. Paratype queen of Hylomyrma marielleae (MZSP67400). A) frontal view; B) dorsal view; C) lateral view. Photos by M.A. Ulysséa.

FIGURE 80. Types of setae found in the species of Hylomyrma. Unbranched setae: A) Hylomyrma adelae, H. blandiens, H. macielae; B) H. immanis; C) H. marielleae. Branched setae: D) H. dentiloba, H. lispectorae, H. mitiae, H. peetersi, H. virginiae; E) H. balzani, H. lopesi; F) H. blandiens, H. jeronimae, H. versuta; G) H. dolichops; H) H. transversa; I) H. longiscapa; J) H. balzani, H. lopesi, H. primavesi, H. reitteri, H. versuta; K) H. plumosa.

FIGURE 83. Distribution records of Hylomyrma adelae, H. dandarae, H. longiscapa, H. montana, and H. sagax.

FIGURE 85. Distribution records of Hylomyrma columbica, H. marielleae, H. plumosa, and H. reitteri.