Studies of neotropical Amblyopone Erichson (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

7 Pages·1991·5.5 MB·English

by  John E Lattke

Studies of Neotropical Amblyopone Erichson
(Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
John E. Lattice1
ABSTRACT. Two new species ofneotropical Amblyopone are described: A. falcata from Puerto Rico
andA. lurilabes fromnorthern SouthAmerica,southeastern Peru,and northernArgentina.Amblyopone
tropicalis Brown issynonymizedunderA. orizabana Brown,and thepreviouslyunknown workerofA.
mystriops Brown is described. Amblyopone degenerata Borgmeier is reported from southeastern Peru.
A key forthe identification ofthe workers and females ofNew WorldAmblyopone is included.
RESUMEN. SedescribendosnuevasespeciesdeAmblyoponedel neotropico:A. falcata dePuertoRico
yA.lurilabesdelnortedeSudAmerica,surestePeruanoyelnortedeLaArgentina.Amblyoponetropicalis
Brown se convierte en un sinonimo menor de A. orizabana Brown y se describe la casta obrera de A.
mystriops Brown, previamente desconocida. Se reporta la presencia de A. degenerata Borgmeier en el
surestedel Peru. Seincluyeunaclavepara la identification delas obrerasyhembras deAmblyopone del
Nuevo Mundo.
INTRODUCTION CASC—California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco,
Amblyopone is a cosmopolitan genus of primitive CFFBC—aliCfoolrencicai,oUn.SF.eAr.nando Fernandez, Bogota,Colom-
ants belonging to the subfamily Ponerinae. It con- bia
—
sists, at present, of 50 species, 13 of which occur IZAV InstitutodeZoologiaAgricola,UniversidadCen-
intheNewWorld.Brownrevisedthegroupin1960 tral de Venezuela, Maracay, Venezuela
and described an additional neotropical species in JTLC—JackT. LonginoCollection,TheAllyn Museum,
s1e9n6t2e.dAisnpGeocttswaolfd AanmdblLyeovpioeunxe(1b9i7o2l)o,gyBararoenipUrre-- LACMSa—rasNoattau,raFllorHiidsat,orUy.SM.uA.seumofLosAngelesCoun-
bani (1978), Masuko (1986), and Ward (1988). Re- MCZtCy,—LMosusAneguemleso,fCaCloimfopranriaa,tiUv.eS.AZ.oology, Harvard
cent improvements in collecting methods such as
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
leaf litter sifting and the use of Berlese funnels or MZUSP—MuseudeZoologia,UniversidadedeSaoPau-
Winklersacks have permitted the capture of more lo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
specimensofAmblyoponeandothercrypticground USNM—-U.S. National Museum of Natural History,
nestingantsthanwaspreviouslypossible.Newspe- Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
cieshave been discovered and the status ofknown
taxa can be better evaluated. The measurements
u83s0e)d,ienxctehpistsfotrudHyWa,rewahsicdhefhienreedibnyclTuadyelsotrhe(1g9u7l8a:r Amblyopone falcata Lattke,
new species
teeth.
(Fig. 1)
SPECIMENS EXAMINED TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype worker: PUER-
TO RICO, Guayama, carr. 7740, km 4 (8 km N
During the course of this study I have studied material Guayama, 18°04'N 66°07'W, 985 m), San Lorenzo,
from the following collections: 22-IV-1980,J.A. Torres, col., no. 33. Deposited in
BMNH-—British Museum of Natural History, London, the LACM. Paratypes: (1) Eight nidoparatypic
England workers with same collection data as holotype.
Three deposited in the LACM, 2 in IZAV, 1 in
MCZC,1 in BMNH, 1 in MZUSP.(2)Oneworker:
1. InstitutodeZoologiaAgricola,UniversidadCentral PUERTO RICO, Aguas Buenas Forest at Aguas
de Venezuela, Facultad de Agronomia, Maracay, Vene- Buenas Cave, 18°14'N 66°07'W, 250 m, 7-17 May
zuela. 1973, S. Peck, leg. Deposited in MCZC.
Contributionsin Science,Number428, pp. 1-7
Natural History Museum ofLos Angeles County, 1991
WORKER. Holotype(paratypes)dimensions:HL Pygidium denselypunctate,withsomelongitudinal
ML HW
1.12 (0.73-1.10), 0.98 (0.41-0.98), 1.00 rugae. Subpetiolar process is translucent rounded
WL
(0.57-1.00), SL 0.63 (0.37-0.65), 1.32 (0.85- lobe anteriorly directed. Petiole and postpetiole
1.32)mm,Cl0.89(0.75-0.91),MI0.98(0.72-0.98), dorsally broader than long. Tibiae and femora
SI 0.63 (0.65-0.66); n = 6. smoothand shiningwith abundantpunctures. Em-
Head in full face view with concave posterior podia present, claws simple. Large pectinate spur
margin,sidesweaklyconvexanddiverginganterad. on protibialapex, none on mesotibiaand one long
Anterior clypeal margin convex, with 6-8 teeth: 2 pectinate spurplus smaller, slenderstraight spurat
median teeth may be separate or fused to variable metatibial apex.
degree,2intermediateteethand2 lateraltriangular Most of body covered with short and dilute ap-
teeth. Gularteeth small and sharplypointed. Man- pressedpubescence;antennae,tibia,andgastricapex
dibles elongate with concave outer margins: apical with some decumbent hairs, erect hairs present on
tooth long and sharp, preapical tooth very small gastric apex. No pubescence on mes- and metepi-
and subquadrate (sometimes slightly emarginate sterna. Color mostly ferruginous-yellow, legs and
mediallyand in small specimens tubercle-like),fol- gaster slightly paler.
lowed by 5 double teeth fused basally, and a large QUEEN, MALE. Unknown.
andtriangularinnermosttooth. Mandiblesinsmall ECOLOGY.Theholotypeserieswastakenfrom
specimensrelativelybroaderandwithmoreconvex leaf litter in the Carite subtropical wet forest.
inner preapical border; double teeth tend to be DISCUSSION.Amblyoponefalcatamaybecon-
more fused basad. fused with the Cuban A. bierigi Santschi, a species
Frontal carinae contiguous, separated only by known only from the holotype. Amblyopone bier-
slightsuture.Apexofantennalscapereachingback igi, however, lacks the yellow spot on gastric ster-
2A of head and narrowest medially. Funiculus 10- nite II of A. falcata and has 12-merous antennae
merous,each segmentconstrictedonefromanoth- ratherthan 11, and sparserpunctulae on the body.
erand incrassateapicad, not forming distinct club. The combination of 11 antennal segments and the
Funicularsegments I-V, X longer than broad; VI- distinctive spot on the gastric ventrum sets A. fal-
IX longas broad. Anteriorone-thirdto one-fourth cata apart from all other known species of the
ofheadwithparallellongitudinalrugaethatdiverge genus. Reducedantennalsegmentationisknownin
slightly posterad, very weakly impressed median A. degenerata Borgmeier (6 or 7) from SE Brazil
longitudinal sulcus reachesvertex ora little before and SE Peru,and A. gnoma Taylor(10) from Gua-
it. Eyes absent. Dorsum of head densely punctate- dalcanal Island. SEM examination of the unique
reticulate,eachpuncturewithcentralpiligeroustu- gastric spot at 150x failed to reveal openings or
bercle. Punctures slightly less dense on lateral and othersculpturingoftaxonomicinterest,onlysmooth
ventral sides of head. Occiput shining and with integument.
sparse shallow punctures. ETYMOLOGY. The species epithet falcata is
Mesosoma laterally with pronotum convex and derived from the Latin adjective falcatus and al-
separated by deep suture from straight and slightly ludes to the sickle-shaped mandibles of the ant.
descending mesonotum. Metanotum and dorsal
Amblyopone lurilabes Lattke,
propodeal faceslightlyconvex,gentlycurvingdown
to feebly convex declivitous face. Most of meso- new species
somasmoothandshiningwithnumerouspiligerous (Fig. 2)
punctures except for narrow median longitudinal
Amblyopone armigera Lattke 1985:82, 84 (mis-
band thatextendscaudad overmesosomal dorsum
identification).
with fewer punctures, appearing smoother. Meso-
notum transverse and dorsally narrowest part of TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype worker: VENE-
mesosoma; metanotal suture sometimes impressed ZUELA, Portuguesa, 6 km SE Biscucuy, 9°18'N
as fine shallow transverse sulcus. Propodeum with 70°01'W, 1000 m, 18-VIII-l983,J. Lattke, leg. no.
posterolateral striae, declivitous face with almost 438. Deposited in IZAV. Paratypes: (1) Eleven ni-
glabrous inferomedian area and with superolateral doparatypicworkers and queen with the same col-
punctures and inferolateral transverse striae. Mes- lection data as the holotype. One worker each in
episternum with horizontal rugulae. Sides of pro- MCZC, LACM, MZUSP. (2) COLOMBIA, Gua-
coxawithobliquerugulaeanddispersedpunctures. jira, Serrama de Macuira, 6-8 km S Nazareth, 70-
Sides of metepisternum and propodeum with few 200 m, 13-VI-75, W.L. Brown & C. Kugler, leg.
punctures. Propodeal spiracle oval. MCZC. (3) COLOMBIA, Magdalena, Parque Tay-
Petiolelaterallywith fairlystraightanteriormar- ronanearPueblito,200 m, 15-X-77,C. Kugler,leg.
gin,meetingtheweaklyconvexfaceatsharpangle. CASC. (4) COLOMBIA, Antioquia, Providence Bi-
Gastersmooth and shining,with numerouspiliger- ological Station, Zona Buenos Aires, 600-800 m,
ous punctures; acrotergitewith very fine transverse 30-XII-77,C.Kugler,leg. MCZC.(5)COLOMBIA,
&
striae; base ofgastric segment II scrobiculate;post- Meta, Villavicencio, 3-III-72, S. J. Peck, leg.
petiolar sternite with larger punctures and appear- MCZC. (6) ECUADOR, Pichincha, Tinalandia, 16
ing roughened. Gastric sternite II with boomerang- km SE Santo Domingo de los Colorados, 4-VI-76,
shaped, beige to yellow patch, outlined in brown. S. &J. Peck, leg. MCZC. (7) ECUADOR, Manabi,
2 Contributions in Science, Number 428 Lattke: Neotropical Amblyopone
Figures 1 and 2. Amblyoponespecies. 1. Amblyoponefalcata frontalview ofhead.2. Amblyoponelurilabes frontal
view ofhead. Scale bar equals0.5 mm.
Contributionsin Science,Number428 Lattke: Neotropical Amblyopone 3
73 km NE Chone, 300 m, 12-VI-76, S. &J. Peck, Petiole laterally with straight to slightly concave
leg- anterior face, meeting the flat to slightly convex
Additional studied material (not types): (1) dorsal face at right angle. Petiole dorsally longer
TRINIDAD, Tortuga Estate, 1943, Strickland & than wide, postpetiole transverse. Subpetiolarpro-
Mc.C. Calley, leg. MCZC, (2) ARGENTINA, cesselongate,withslightlyconcaveinferiormargin.
Buenos Aires, Zelaya, III-1956, J. Daguerre, leg. Gastersmoothandshiningwithscatteredpiligerous
USNM. (3) COLOMBIA, Magdalena, Canaveral, punctures. Femoraand tibia, especiallymiddleand
200 m, 11°19'N 73°56'W, ll-VII-85, J. Longino hind, laterally compressed. Apex offore tibia with
708-15.JTLC. large pectinate spur, mesotibia with small slender
S.P. Cover(pers. comm.) reportsa dealate queen spurand metatibiawith largecurvedpectinatespur
from: PERU, Tambopata, Cuzco Amazonico, 15 and an accompanying smaller, more slender one.
km NE Puerto Maldonado, 23-VI-89, S. Cover & Empodia present, claws simple.
J. Tobin, leg. CA-423. MCZC. Headverydarkbrown;antennae,mandibles,pet-
WORKER. Holotype(paratypes)dimensions: HL iole, and posterior pronotal margins dark ferrugi-
0.76 (0.72-0.80), ML 0.54 (0.50-0.56), HW 0.60 nous yellow. Mesosoma mostly black; gaster light
WL
(0.57-0.70), SL 0.34 (0.35-0.40), 0.90 (0.94- to dark yellowish-brown. Legs ferruginousyellow.
1.00) mm, Cl 0.79 (0.79-1.00), SI 0.57 (0.57-0.63); Lateroposteriorcornersofpropodeumwithoblong
n = 5. patchusuallytestaceoustodarkferruginousyellow.
Head in full face view with straight to gently Body with short standing hairs on mesosoma, lon-
convexposterior border, sides slightly convex and geron anteriorface ofpronotum,posteriormargin
diverginganterad. Gularteeth smallandacute. An- ofpropodealdorsalfaceandtowardapexofgaster.
terior clypeal border convex, usually with 6 teeth: Pubescence mostly sparse and appressed.
median pair may be separate orfused to a variable QUEEN. HL 0.72, 0.71; ML 0.44, 0.47; HW
degree,singletoothoneachside,andheavy,usually 0.58, 0.56; SL 0.35, 0.35; ED 0.10, 0.11; WL 1.00,
bidentate lateral teeth. Sometimes a single tooth 1.00 mm; Cl 0.81, 0.79; MI 0.76, 0.84; SI 0.60,
may be present between median teeth and lateral 0.63.Twoparanidotypeswithsamecollectiondata
tooth; one specimen with small denticle between as holotype. Deposited in IZAV. Significant differ-
median teeth. Inner mandibular margin with large ences from the workers are the usual: presence of
basaltriangulartooth,smallersubbasaltooth,series compound eyes, ocelli, and more mesosomal de-
offour basally fused double teeth. A small preapi- velopment,pluswingstumps.Puncturesofcephalic
cal,usuallybicuspidtoothpresentbeforelong,sharp dorsum are shallowerthan in worker, and the lon-
apical tooth. Dorsal and ventral mandibular sur- gitudinalrugulaearemorenoticeable.Pilositymore
faceslongitudinallyrugose.Scapewithlongitudinal abundant than worker.
rugulae and low oval depressions. MALE. Unknown.
Cephalicdorsum denselyreticulate-punctateand ECOLOGY.Theholotypenestconsistingoftwo
with noticeable longitudinal rugulae on anterior queens and 17workers was found beneath a stone
one-fourth to one-third of head, much weakerru- in a coffee plantation. Beneath the same stone and
gulae,sometimes barelydiscernible,extendcaudad apparently with overlapping nest limits was a col-
toward vertex. Some oblique striae on gular area. ony of Basiceros discigera (Mayr). Other samples
A narrow longitudinal median strip of smoother comefromleaflittersamplestakenmostlyinhumid
sculpture present, extending from behind frontal and wet forests, between elevations of70-1000 m.
carinae to vertex. Microsculpture on posterior ce- The Peruvian specimen was captured in claysoilat
phalic dorsum coriarious. Head ventrum smooth, the base of a large tree growing in mature “tierra
withscatteredpiligerouspunctures;occiputsmooth firme” forest.
and shining with some punctures. Eyes consisting DISCUSSION. The dense anterior sculpturing
of single ommatidium situated behind cephalic on the cephalic dorsum separatesthis species from
midlength. A.elongata(Santschi)andA. monrosiBrown,which
Mesosoma laterally with nearly flat dorsal mar- are predominantly smooth and shining. Ambly-
gin,promesonotalsuturemarked,metanotalsuture opone lurilabes is apparently sympatric with A.
totally effaced. Propodeal dorsum slightly higher elongata in northern Argentina, and A. monrosi is
than rest of mesosomal dorsum, broadly curving an endemic Chilean ant. Amblyopone armigera
intogentlyconvexdeclivitousface. Propodealdor- Mayr is larger in size, with proportionally much
sum smooth and shining,with scatteredpunctures, larger gular teeth, and larger punctures and more
declivitousfaceglabrous.Mesosomawidestatpro- prominent rugae on the cephalic dorsum than A.
notum, narrowest at mesonotum, which is trans- lurilabes. An apparently exclusive character that
verse; propodeum has broadly convex sides that separatesA. lurilabes from the rest ofNew World
diverge caudad. Pronotal sides smooth and shining Amblyoponeisthespotoneachposterolateralpro-
with scatteredpunctures. Metepisternaland lateral podeal face.
propodeal facesglabrous, exceptforinferoposteri- Most ofthe records for this species are concen-
ortransversestriaewithsomepuncturesbelowpro- trated in northern South America, with the excep-
podeal spiracle. Katepisternum with transverse ru- tion of a specimen from northern Argentina and
gulae, anepisternum smooth and shining. the Peruvian record. The large gaps in its distri-
4 Contributions in Science, Number 428 Lattke: Neotropical Amblyopone
bution is unexpected considering the fact that this face broadly convex. Subpetiolar process an ante-
species isapparentlynot uncommon, judging from riorly directed rounded lobe with oval fenestra.
the number of specimens available for study. Gaster smooth and shining with sparse punctures.
ETYMOLOGY. The name of this species is a Legs mostly smooth and shining, but with numer-
conjugation ofthe Latin adjective forpale yellow- ouspunctures.Apexofprotibiawithpectinatespur,
ish,luridus,andtheLatinnounforspot,labes. The mesotibia with 2 simple spurs and metatibia with
name alludes to the unique propodeal spots. pectinate spur and simple spur.
Head,legs,antennae,andventralmandibularface
Amblyopone degenerata Borgmeier with abundant decumbent pubescence, thinner on
restof body. Suberect hairs on interiormandibular
Amblyopone degenerata Borgmeier, 1957:111. margin, antennae, and to a lesser degree on legs.
S.P. Cover (pers. comm.) reports capturing this Abundant subdecumbent hairs on tarsi. Sparse de-
rarespecies,previouslyknownonlyfromSEBrazil: cumbent pilosity on mesosoma, gaster and longer
PERU, Tambopata, Cuzco Amazonico, 15 km NE suberect hairs on pygidium. Mandibles, antennae,
lPeuge.rtSoamMpalledsonCaAd-o1,2913-aInVd-8C9A,-S1.1C9o.veBro&thJ.sTaombpilne,s legQsUrEedEdNis.hAbsroiwnnB,rroewsnt’osfobroigdiynablldaecskc.ription ex-
weretakenfromclaysoilatthebaseofalargetree, cept that space between the dorsal mandibular Ca-
and each sample yielded two workers. All are de- rina and teeth is mostly convex.
posited in MCZC. These specimens compare well COMMENTS. The Gorgona locality is a new
awintthentnhoemedreegse,nearnadtanottyp7e,ashdooweesvethreatlylpe4. have 6 sisoluotchaetrendraapnpgreoexxitmeantseiloyn5o6fkthmisNspNeciWes.ofThtheeitsolawnnd
ofGuapionthesouthwesternColombiancoastand
has extensive forest cover.
Amblyopone mystriops Brown MATERIAL EXAMINED. COSTA RICA, Re-
servaBiologicaHitoy-Cerese,9°40'N83°02'W,200
Amblyopone mystriops Brown, 1960:185-188, fig. m, 29-VIII-85, Longino no. 942-s. Five workers
J.
19 (female). and 1 queen from wet forest littersample. Depos-
WORKER.Dimensions:HL1.18-1.35,ML1.14- itedinJTLC.COLOMBIA,IslaGorgona, l-X-1987,
1.29, HW 1.08-1.24, SL 0.72-0.77, ED 0.06-0.08, G. Andrade, leg. Amblyopone mystriops was pre-
WL1.63-1.88 mm,Cl0.92,MI 1.03-1.07,SI0.62- viously known only from the types seriesfrom Los
0.67; n = 3. Cephalic dorsum reticulo-punctulate Amates, Guatemala.
withshortsmoothandshinymedianstrip,bordered
laterally by longitudinal carinae that extend from Amblyopone orizabana Brown
betweenfrontalcarinaeand fusingatcephalicmid- Amblyopone orizabana Brown, 1960:198, worker
length.Anteriorcephalicmarginswithlongitudinal
and female (examined).
parallel rugulae that diverge from antennal fossae. Amblyopone tropicalis Brown, 1962:73, worker
Frontal carinae separated by smooth and shining NEW SYNONYMY.
(examined)
median depression, and also by small clypeal lobe.
Head withoutgular teeth, only blunt cornerspres- WORKER.Dimensions:HL0.58-0.62,ML0.38-
HW WL
ent. Mandibles between dorsal carinae and teeth 0.42, 0.48-0.55, SL 0.31-0.34, 0.70-0.79
with oblique rugulae, becoming smooth and shin- mm, Cl 0.81-0.90, MI 0.76-0.88, SI 0.58-0.65; n
ing apicad. About 7 denticles on anterior clypeal = 8
.
margin. Mandibles with 2 separate ranks of teeth, The recent increase of specimens in collections
a short apical tooth and a rounded preapical pro- has permitted a new assessment of the status ofA.
cess. Eyes small and situated behind cephalic mid- tropicalis as a valid species. Brown (1962:76) sep-
length. Antennae 12-merous. arated A. tropicalis from A. orizabana by the fol-
Promesonotal suture deep, mesometanotal su- lowing characters: (1) reduced number of clypeal
ture also well defined; mesonotum narrow, trans- teeth,(2)configurationofthemedianclypealtooth,
verserugulose to punctate. Rest ofnotatend to be (3) diminished dorsal members of the mandibular
smooth and shining, with sparse punctures. double teeth, (4) larger size, (5) broader head, and
Mesosoma laterally with anteriorpronotal mar- (6)longerandmoreslendermandibles.Thesechar-
gin convex and broadly convex dorsally; metano- acters, as well as others taken into account during
tumstraight;dorsalpropodeal faceslightlyconvex, the present studies, all show an overlapping con-
declivitous face straight to slightly convex. Pro- tinuum of variability. In particular, the use of the
podealspiracle oval and directed lateroposteriorly. dispositionandnumberofclypealteethasaspecies
Indorsalviewlateralpronotalmarginand metano- difference can be misleading if one is comparing
tum + propodeum form two broad convexities. only a few specimens; especiallyvariable is the de-
Anepisternum with some longitudinal rugulae, but gree of fusion of the median pair of teeth. The
rest of lateral mesosomal sculpture as on dorsum, number of mandibular teeth in the examined ma-
but with fewer punctures posteriorly. Declivitous terial is 7 (2 single basal teeth, 4 double teeth, and
propodealfacesmoothandshining.Anteriornodal areclinatepreapicaltooth),exceptfortheholotype
face of petiole straight to slightly concave, dorsal of A. orizabana, which apparently has 6 (as its
Contributions in Science, Number 428 Lattke: Neotropical Amblyopone 5
mandiblesare closedtightlyagainstthe clypeusan- nallystriatewith intermixedpuncturesand/or
other tooth could be hidden). posterolateralpropodealcornerseachwithtes-
MATERIAL EXAMINED. COLOMBIA, Cho- taceous to ferrugineous yellow spot; color of
co, 10kmSWSanJosedel Palmar, RioTorito,610 body mostly black or brown 9
m, 1-4June 1978, C. Kugler; COSTA RICA, Pun- - Cephalic dorsum densely and uniformlypunc-
tarenas, Monteverde, 1500 m, 10°18'N 84°48'W, tate or striolate-punctate (except for shining
10-XII-87,J. Longinono. 1972-s;ELSALVADOR, 9. borderofmedianfrontalgrooveinsomecases);
CerroVerde,1760m, 14-V-1971,S.Peck,Ber.201; longitudinal striae on anterior V3-3A of head
MEXICO, Veracruz, Pico Orizabana, 2750 m, 24- absent;yellowishposterolateralpropodealspots
VIII-53, E.O. Wilson; MEXICO, Veracruz, Cor- alwaysabsent; colorof bodymostlyyellowor
doba, Paraje Nuevo, El Nacimiento, 7-VIII-69, S. ferruginous 10
& J. Peck no. B-176; MEXICO, Oaxaca, 14.5 km Longitudinal striae on anterior Vi-3A of ce-
NE Oaxaca on Mex. 175, 1890 m, 20-VIII-1973, phalic dorsum well developed; sculpture on
A. Newton; PANAMA, Barro Colorado Island, remainderofcephalicdorsumconsistingofdis-
6-1-60, W.L. Brown; PANAMA, Barro Colorado tinctpuncturesonly,withspacesbetweenthem
Island, 11-14-76, A. Newton. smooth and shining; propodeum completely
black (SE Brazil-N Argentina)
KEY TO NEW WORLD SPECIES OF armigera Mayr
AMBLYOPONE—WORKERS AND FEMALES - Longitudinalstriaeusuallyconfinedtoanterior
ThefollowingkeyismodifiedfromBrown(1960: tVh4-eVr3toofwhaeradd,vesrotmeex,tismoemsetwiemaekslyveerxytefnedeibnlgyfduer--
191-192).
veloped and difficult to see; sculpture on re-
1. Antenna with 12 segments 3 mainder of cephalic dorsum consisting of
- Antenna with <12 segments 2 moderately dense punctures, the spaces be-
2. Antenna with 11 segments; HW > 0.70, WL tweenthem,ifpresent,shining;propodeumwith
> 1.10 mm (Puerto Rico) .... falcata n. sp. a testaceous to ferrugineous yellow spot on
- Antenna with 6 or 7 segments; HW < 0.70, each of its posterolateral corners (N South
WL < 1.10 mm (SE Brazil, SE Peru) America, SE Peru, N Argentina)
degenerata Borgmeier lurilabes n. sp.
3. Lobes of frontal carinae separated by a distinct 10. Mesosoma smooth, punctation sparse; pro-
gap 4 podeum with very few punctures on dorsum,
- Lobes of frontal carinae contiguous or fused and its lateral striation restricted to the lower
7 third; color yellow (Mexico-Choco, Colom-
4. Mandibles on inner surfaces each with 2 sep- bia) orizabana Brown
arate rows of small, sharp sparse teeth (C. - Punctures more abundant and distinct on
America-SE Colombia) mystriops Brown mesosoma;sculptureofpropodeallateralfaces
. . .
- Mandibles on inner surfaces with much larger covers one-half or more of surfaces .... 11
mm
teeth, those near midlength fused at bases to 11. Unique holotypeworker4.5 long(accord-
form heavy double teeth 5 ing to original description) (Cuba)
5. Innerbordersofmandibleangularlyproduced, bierigi (Santschi)
so that the blades are triangularin shapewith- - Worker TL 3.0-4.1 mm; female TL 4.1-4.5
outtheapices;largedoubleteethwithrounded mm (Chile) chilensis Mayr
apices; genal teeth reduced to inconspicuous 12. HW > 0.70mm;straightanteriorclypealmar-
obtuse angles (N. Carolina, U.S.A.) ginwith smallmediantooth, notadvanced be-
trigonignatha Brown yond the larger lateral teeth (Chile)
- Innerbordersofmandiblesstraight to convex, monrosi Brown
notangularlyproduced,thebladeslinear;large - HW < 0.70 mm; convexanteriorclypeal mar-
double teeth prominently acute; genal teeth ginwithmediantoothadvancedbeyondlateral
acute and projecting 6 teeth (SE Brazil-N Argentina)
6. Innerbordersofmandiblesandanteriorclypeal elongata (Santschi)
marginstraight(NCaliforniatoBritishColum- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
bia) oregonensis (Wheeler)
- Inner borders of mandibles, and usually also My thanksgo to F. Fernandez,J. Longino, E. Ross,J.A.
the anterior clypeal margin convex in outline Torres,andM.A.Tenoriofortheirassistance.BillBrown
(temperate N. America at least to Arizona) . . pRo.iSnnteeldlionugtmtahedeA.thteropAi.caflailscaatnadnAe.storseirziaebsaanvaaiplraoblbelefmo.r
pallipes (Haldeman) study and reviewed the manuscript. S. Cover provided
7. At least the anterior % of the head (full-face thoughtfulcommentsofthemanuscriptandsharedvalu-
view) predominantly densely sculptured and able information.
opaque 8
LITERATURE CITED
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