Eurhopalothrix guadeloupensis Longino

Longino, John T., 2013, A review of the Central American and Caribbean species of the ant genus Eurhopalothrix Brown and Kempf, 1961 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with a key to New World species, Zootaxa 3693 (2), pp. 101-151 : 121-123

Eurhopalothrix guadeloupensis Longino , sp. nov.

( Figs 9 B, 11A, 11C, 20)

Type material. Holotype worker: Guadeloupe, Basse Terre: Soufrière, 16.03406 -61.66786, ± 50 m, 992m, 22 May 2012, wet cloud forest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. S. Anderson 2012-134) [CAS, unique specimen identifier CASENT0627438]. Paratype workers, queens: same data as holotype but 15 May 2012, R. S. Anderson 2012-113 [MZSP, CASENT0630320]; Soufrière, 16.03293 -61.67527, ± 50 m, 867 m, 17 May 2012, wet montane forest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. S. Anderson 2012-119) [MCZC, CASENT0630374, CASENT0630378 (dealate queen)]; Soufrière, 16.0338 -61.67707, ± 50 m, 821m, 17 May 2012, old coffee forest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. S. Anderson 2012-118) [USNM, CASENT0630799, CASENT0630803 (dealate queen)]; Soufrière, Sentier a la Cisterna, 16.0318 -61.6673, ± 50 m, 968 m, 29 May 2012, wet cloud forest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. S. Anderson 2012-161) [UCDC, CASENT0630754]; Soufrière, Road to Baines Jaunes, 16.03398 -61.67529, ± 50 m, 850 m, 29 May 2012, montane forest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. S. Anderson 2012-163) [FMNH, CASENT0630704]; Soufrière, 16.03406 - 61.66786, ± 50 m, 992 m, 17 May 2012, wet cloud forest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. S. Anderson 2012-117) [CAS, CASENT0630367 (dealate queen)].

Geographic range. Guadeloupe, Dominica.

Diagnosis. Masticatory margin of mandible with double row of teeth, outer series of lower triangular teeth, inner row of 3 long, spiniform teeth; erect setae on face strongly spatulate; basal lobe of scape weakly developed, SLI 8–10; head narrow, CI 97–99; smaller than E. gravis , HW 0.71–0.74. Similar to E. gravis .

Description. Worker. HW 0.71–0.74, HL 0.72–0.76, SL 0.46–0.49, SLL 0.04–0.05, CI 97–99, SLI 8–10 (n=3). Labrum as in Fig. 2 D, anterolateral gibbosities of basal portion developed as small, ventrally-directed denticles, apical portion short, flexed dorsally, distinctly bilobed, anterior lobes well separated; apex of each lobe with a fringe of translucent setae; mandible triangular, dorsal surface convex, punctulate on basal half, smooth and shining at apex, rounding into ventral surface; interior surface concave, smooth and shining; masticatory margin with two tooth rows, an outer row of 10 flattened, acute teeth; an inner row of 3 longer needle-shaped teeth, behind outer teeth 3–6 and projecting beyond them, about 1.5x length of flanking outer teeth; scape with moderately developed basal lobe, dorsal surface roughened; scrobe deep, sharply delimited dorsally and ventrally, abutting deep antennal socket; surface of scrobe weakly foveolate anteriorly, smooth and shiny posteriorly; eye with about 5 ommatidia across greatest diameter; clypeus approximately planar posteromedially, sloping to slightly concave anterior apron, uniformly punctulate; juncture of clypeus and frons strongly impressed; sides of head above eyes moderately angulate; surface of face uniformly convex, rugulose; occipital carina developed as a short carina dorsally, obsolete laterally; undersurface of head uniformly rugulose; postgenal suture a well-developed longitudinal trough.

Pronotal profile convex, evenly curved; promesonotal suture weakly impressed; mesonotal profile flat, in same plane as dorsal face of propodeum; metanotal groove broad, shallowly impressed, anterior margin of dorsal face of propodeum delimited by low raised rim; dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum distinct, meeting at obtuse angle, dorsal face shorter than posterior face; propodeal spine laminar, translucent, triangular, acute, ventral margin curving into narrow infradental lamella that extends down posterior face to propodeal lobe; propodeal spiracle distinct, directed posteriorly; dorsal promesonotum rugulose; anterior and lateral pronotum, dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum punctate; anepisternum, katepisternum, and side of propodeum confluent, sparsely punctate, with a prominent oblique ruga from anterior margin of katepisternum to just above midcoxa; bulla of metapleural gland smooth and shiny; with feeble transverse carinulae between propodeal spines.

Petiolar peduncle relatively long and narrow compared to other species, joins anterior face of petiolar node at rounded obtuse angle; anterior face of petiolar node meets sloping dorsal face at rounded right angle; low transverse carina separates dorsal face and short, concave posterior face; ventral margin of petiole with strongly developed, spiniform anteroventral tooth; postpetiole low and broad, with a shallow longitudinal sulcus dorsally; first gastral sternite lacking anterior sagittal keel; petiole, postpetiole, first gastral tergite covered with dense, small, puncta, interspaces less than or equal to width of puncta; first gastral sternite similar, but puncta and interspaces larger.

Dorsal surface of scape uniformly covered with short, decumbent, spatulate setae; leading edge of scape with projecting setae, all similar in length, only slightly increasing in length basally; ground pilosity of face comprising short clavate decumbent setae densely distributed on posterolateral vertex lobes, across anterior frons, and onto frontal lobes; ground pilosity very sparse on medial frons and vertex; ground pilosity on clypeus smaller, thinner, more appressed, longitudinally-oriented, densely and evenly distributed; projecting specialized setae strongly spatulate to pompon-like, about 3x longer than wide, much larger than ground pilosity and highly differentiated from it, full complement 18, with curved anterior row of 8, transverse median row of 4, and posterior row of 6 on vertex margin; sparse ground pilosity of small flattened setae on promesonotal dorsum and first gastral tergite, denser on dorsal petiolar node and postpetiole; 3 pairs projecting spatulate setae on promesonotum; legs with dense, strongly flattened, appressed to decumbent setae on apices of femora, posterior face of foretibia, entire midtibia, anterior face of hindtibia, somewhat sparser on other surfaces; apices of fore, mid and hind tibia with 1–2 larger spatulate seta; basitarsus and remaining tarsomeres with abundant, spatulate setae; two large spatulate setae on hind margin of dorsal face of petiolar node; row of 4 spatulate setae on hind margin of postpetiole; specialized setae of first gastral tergite strongly clavate to spatulate (narrower than those on face and mesosoma), full complement 14–20, more or less evenly distributed over entire tergite.

Color dark brown.

Queen. HW 0.76, HL 0.77, SL 0.50, SLL 0.05, CI 99, SLI 9 (n=1). Similar to worker in most respects; ocelli present; compound eye much larger than worker eye; anepisternum separated from katepisternum by U-shaped groove; metapleuron separated from propodeum by broad U-shaped groove; pronotum punctate; anepisternum punctate posterodorsally, smooth and shining anteroventrally; katepisternum almost entirely smooth and shining; side of propodeum punctate, bulla of metapleural gland smooth and shining; mesoscutum and scutellum longitudinally rugose; axilla separated from scutellum by broad transverse trough with coarse longitudinal rugae; pronotum with 1 pair spatulate setae; mesoscutum with 6 smaller and thinner clavate setae; axilla with clavate seta; scutellum with 1 pair spatulate setae; first gastral tergite with number and arrangement of erect setae similar to worker.

Biology. This species occurs in a variety of forested habitats on Guadeloupe and there is one record from Dominica. On Guadeloupe, Anderson collected specimens in a series of 9 Winkler samples in montane sites, from 800–1100 m elevation, in wet cloud forest, montane forest, and "old coffee forest." One specimen was collected at low elevation, 100 m, in deciduous forest.

Comments. The original syntype series of Octostruma lutzi (Wheeler) , from Dominica, contained both Octostruma and E. guadeloupensis .

Etymology. The name is in reference to the type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Eurhopalothrix labra. A. E. bolaui (Nicaragua, CASENT 0619922). B. E. semicapillum (Costa Rica, CASENT 0639342). C. E. ortizae (Costa Rica, LACM ENT 143281). D. E. gravis (Costa Rica, INB 0003212299). E. E. sepultura (Mexico, CASENT 0639334). F. E. mabuya (Cuba, CASENT 0630193). G. E. xibalba (Costa Rica, INB 0003698926). H. E. floridana (USA, LACM ENT 143276). I. E. cimu (Cuba, CASENT 0639337). A – H are dissected labra imaged in fluid. I is dry-mounted specimen, basal portion is not visible, and maxilla are visible in background. With the exception of E. cimu, specimen codes are for dry-mounted specimens from the same series, not the dissected specimen. Images are not to scale.

FIGURE 9. A. Eurhopalothrix mabuya, showing narrow setae on face. B. E. guadeloupensis, showing more spatulate setae on face.