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Strumigenys smilax group
Strumigenys smilax group Bolton (2000)
Species
Neotropical-Nearctic
Worker Diagnosis
Apical fork of mandible without intercalary denticles. Mandible with two spiniform preapical teeth, the distal located in the apical third, the proximal tooth just distal of the midlength. MI 69-70.
Leading edge of scape with two or more hairs that are curved or inclined toward the base of the scape. Scape subcylindrical to somewhat flattened, without a subbasal bend; very long, SI 111-112.
Ventrolateral margin of head in front of eye sharply defined, not indented or abruptly concave; postbuccal groove shallow.
Preocular carina in profile extremely long and strongly developed, extends to posterior apex of scrobe, well beyond level of the eye. Upper scrobe margin sharply defined behind level of eye.
Propodeal declivity in profile with a short tooth, subtended by a lamella or carina that extends down the declivity; without a sharp triangular lobe or tooth at base of declivity.
Petiole in dorsal view much longer than broad; spongiform tissue present on ventral surface of petiole at least below node.
Pilosity. Pronotal humeral hair stiff and simple.
Sculpture. Head and alitrunk reticulate-punctate, including all of pleurae and side of propodeum.
Notes
The single species included here could perhaps be forced into the silvestrii group as both share a fair number of characters. However, it seems to me that the major morphological features that are uniform throughout the silvestrii-group, but quite different in smilax (compare group diagnoses) make it a better taxonomic proposition to isolate this rather aberrant species in a group of its own, at least for the present.
References
- Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 65:1-1028.