Carebara brevipilosa Fernandez

Fischer, Georg, Azorsa, Frank & Fisher, Brian L., 2014, The ant genus Carebara Westwood (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): synonymisation of Pheidologeton Mayr under Carebara, establishment and revision of the C. polita species group, ZooKeys 438, pp. 57-112 : 74

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Formicidae

Carebara brevipilosa Fernandez Figure 10

Carebara brevipilosa Fernández, 2004: 210. Holotype worker: COLOMBIA: Caquetá, San José de la Fragua, La Esmeralda, Yuruyaco River, 1500m, 7-10.ix.2002 (E.L. González) (IAvH), [examined].

Diagnosis.

Antennae with 11 segments. Major workers: unknown. Minor worker: Head almost as wide as long, with longitudinal rugulae and reticulations, except for smooth and shiny frons, petiole anteroventrally with small anteriorly directed tooth, dorsal promesonotum weakly to superficially rugoreticulate, and sometimes with a few weak to superficial rugulae present and metatibiae with short appressed to decumbent pilosity.

Description of minor workers.

Measurements (n=5): HW 0.31-0.32 (0.31), HL 0.32-0.33 (0.32), SL 0.20-0.21 (0.21), MDL 0.20-0.21 (0.20), EL 0.01-0.02 (0.01), WL 0.35-0.37 (0.35), PNH 0.14-0.16 (0.15), PNW 0.19-0.20 (0.19), MNH 0.20, PDH 0.14, PTL 0.13-0.14 (0.14), PPL 0.07-0.08 (0.08), PTH 0.09-0.11 (0.10), PPH 0.05-0.06 (0.05), PTW 0.05, PPW 0.08-0.09 (0.08), PSL 0.04-0.05 (0.04), MFL 0.23-0.25 (0.24), MTL 0.17-0.19 (0.18), CI 95-98 (97), SI 65-68 (67), MDI 65-67 (66), EI 4-5 (5), FI 74-80 (77), PSLI 12-15 (14), LPpI 136-143 (139), DPpI 100-116 (108), PpWI 157-190 (170), PpLI 53-58 (55), PpHI 50-67 (56).

Head in full-face view almost as wide as long (CI 95-98), narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, posterior margin straight or feebly concave medially, posterolateral corners bluntly angulate, sides convex. Mandibles with four teeth, apical and preapical tooth larger than following teeth. Clypeus anteriorly concave, bicarinate, subangulate toward sides. Antennae with eleven segments, scapes failing to reach posterior margin of head by about the length of the preapical funicular segment. Eyes reduced to a single ommatidium. Frontal carinae present, usually feebly developed but long, in some specimens almost reaching posterior head margin.

In profile, promesonotum convex or weakly convex, metanotal groove broadly concave and deeply impressed. Dorsum of propodeum almost straight in profile and sloping posteriorly, anterodorsal corner convex, propodeal spines relatively short, triangular and upwardly directed, declivity of propodeum concave. Propodeal spiracle near posterior border of propodeum.

Petiole moderately long, peduncle in profile about as long as petiole node, ventral face convex, anteroventral corner with a small triangular tooth which, in some specimens, can be reduced and inconspicuous, petiole node broadly wedge-shaped and rounded dorsally. Postpetiole in profile weakly convex dorsally, almost straight ventrally, about 1.4 times longer than high (LPpI 136-143) and much lower than petiole (PpHI 50-67). In dorsal view, petiole node almost as wide as long, and roundly convex, postpetiole on average 1.7 times wider than petiole (PpWI 157-190), with convex sides and posteriorly wider than anteriorly.

Head with some irregular, longitudinal striations and rugosities, except for smooth and shiny frons. Mandibles and median portion of clypeus smooth and shiny with scattered punctures, face with scattered punctuations. Mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole areolate-rugose, except for smooth spot on anteroventral pronotum, and smooth and shiny petiole and postpetiole dorsum. Gaster smooth and shiny.

Head and body with relatively few long, suberect standing hairs and with decumbent to subdecumbent short pilosity. Scapes with abundant decumbent pilosity. Four longer hairs on clypeal margin extending close to the anterior border of mandibles. Color dark orange, legs and antennae lighter colored orange.

Distribution and biology.

Carebara brevipilosa is relatively widespread in the Neotropical Region, found in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama. This species was collected mainly in the rainforest and at elevations ranging from 50-1050 m. Individuals and nest series were collected from the leaf-litter and soil, using Winkler extractors and pitfall traps.

Comments.

Carebara brevipilosa can be confused with Carebara urichi , but is easily distinguished by the lack of long suberect hairs at the outer edge of the metatibiae and the sculpture on the dorsal promesonotum, which is typically irregularly longitudinally rugose to rugoreticulate with few irregular longitudinal rugae in Carebara urichi and weakly to superficially reticulate without or with very few short rugulae in Carebara brevipilosa . Also, Carebara brevipilosa (HW minor workers 0.41-44, WL 0.48-0.57) seems to be distinctly smaller than Carebara urichi (HW minor workers 0.31-0.32, WL 0.35-3.37). These are the only two species in the polita group recorded from the Neotropical Region. Major workers of Carebara brevipilosa have not been collected or identified yet.

Material examined.

COLOMBIA: Caquetá, San José de la Fragua, La Esmeralda, Yuruyaco River, 1500 m, 7-10.ix2002 (E.L. González); Magdalena, 4km N San Pedro, 10.95, -74.05, 550m, 14.viii.1985 (P.S. Ward); PANAMA: Darieni Cana, 7.716667, -77.2, 800m, 23.viii.1987 (D.M. Olson).