Cephalotes manni

Cephalotes manni was collected from a dead vine in a dense second growth forest with few larger trees.

Identification
A member of the basalis clade characterised: in the worker, by the vertexal angles broad and almost round, by the mid and hind basitarsi narrow and not compressed at the base and by three pairs of pronotal and three pairs of propodcal teeth; in the soldier, by the vertexal margin concave and by the frontal carinae anteriorly with a marginal row of clubbed hairs. C. manni is the smallest species of the basalis clade.

Key to Cephalotes Workers

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru.

Nomenclature

 *  manni. Paracryptocerus (Paracryptocerus) manni Kempf, 1951: 228, fig. 127, 128 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Combination in Zacryptocerus: Brandão, 1991: 387; in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 237.

Worker
Kempf (1951) - 4.0 mm. Median head length 1.05 mm; Weber's length of thorax 1.22 mm. Black; the following ferruginous: tip of mandibles, frontal carinae, tip of scape, first funicular segment, tip of femora, tibiae, fore tarsi, 2-4 middle and hind tarsi, anterolateral crest of gaster. Tip of thoracic and peduncular spines rufous brown.

Head subopaque. Mandibles finely reticulate-punctate and rugulose. Frontal carinae without crenulate border, beset with projecting setulae on the anterior half, the setulae arising from above. Posterior portion of frontal carinae slightly diverging caudad, and strongly sinuate, emarginate in front of, convex and upturned above, the eyes, a few erect setae above the eyes. Eyes prominent, their maximum diameter longer than 1/3 of median head length. Occipital corners obliquely subtruncate, the occipital border evenly concave. Cheeks strongly marginate beneath, very densely scaled. Upper surface of head scarcely convex, very finely and densely reticulate-punctate, sparsely covered with simple, appressed, flattened, silvery hairs, which became canaliculate and situated in more or less excavated grooves in front of the occipital border.

Thorax subopaque. Pronotum with a tridenticulate crest on each side. Mesonotum with an acute lateral tooth. Promesonotal and mesoepinotal sutures obsolete. Basal face of epinotum with a pair of small teeth near the anterior corner and a third tooth on the posterior corner, the posterior border of which is prolonged behind in a crest, delimiting the declivous face laterad and behind, as in simillimus. Upper surface of thorax finely reticulate-punctate, with scattered longitudinal grooves, each containing a decumbent, silvery canaliculate scale. Laterotergite of pronotum longitudinally striated. Sides of thorax finely reticulate with sparse, simple, appressed setae. Femora incrassated, somewhat compressed, angulate above at the half. Basitarsi slender, not conspicuously flattened and broadened at base.

Petiole subopaque, the anterior face truncate, with a strong lateral somewhat recurved spine. Postpetiole as long as petiole, with a slightly shorter, lateral spine, curved forward at base, slightly recurved at apex. Sculpture of both peduncular segments as on upper surface of thorax.

Gaster subopaque, oval. Greatly emarginate mesad in front, distinctly crested antero-laterad, the crest extending hackward over more than half of the sides of the first gastral tergite, fading out shortly in front of the apical third. Upper surface of gaster finely reticulate-punctate, rather densely covered with mostly simple, silvery appressed scales, lying in shallow grooves. Erect pile confined to tergites 2-4 and the apical border of sternite I and the following sternites.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.04-5.06; HL 1.00-1.24; HW 1.24-1.58; EL 0.40-0.42; PW 1.00-1.32; PeW 0.68-0.85; PpW 0.60-0.80; HBaL 0.32-0.41; HBaW 0.08-0.12; CI 121.1-127.4; PI 119.7-124.0; PPeI 144.4-155.3; PPpI 162.5-168.7; HBaI 23.5-29.3.

Soldier
Kempf (1951) - 6 mm. Median head length 1.41 mm. Weber's length of thorax 1 .66 mm. Black; the following ferruginous: tip of mandibles, outer portion of frontal carinae, tip of femora, tibiae and tarsi. The first funicular segment and the tip of the last segment lighter.

Head subfulgid; subquadrate, anterior corners greatly rounded, posterior corners subrectangular. Mandibles angular, reticulate rugose. Frontal carinae extending to the occipital corner, upturned, crenulate, with a rim of projecting clubbed setulae. Upper surface of head slightly convex discad. Occipital border straight, crested, with a median depression. Occiput not truncate beneath the crest, confluent with the lower surface of the head. Eyes elongate, ovoid. A distinct carina extended from beneath the eye to the occipital corner. Upper surface of head finely reticulate, coarsely and rather densely foveolate, with a simple, decumbent, glittering hair in each foveola. Lower surface of head with the microsculpture partly obsolete, more fulgid, reticulate-foveolate.

Thorax subfulgid above. Propotum greatly expanded; anterior border arcuate, shoulders obsolete, not set off, the sides 'greatly expanded, anterior corners acutely angulate, sides straight, converging towards the mesonotum, the posterior corners rounded, and slightly depressed. Pronotum with a transverse crest, flat, continuous with the mesonotum, in the same plane. Promesonotal suture vestigial. Sides of mesonotum with an obliquely truncate, lateral lobe, the posterior corner of which is slightly upturned. Mesoepinotal suture impressed laterad, obsolete discad. Basal face of epinotum with a basal rectangular tooth, and, following, a larger similar plate-like tooth, and a broad, more or less rounded lobe on the posterior corner, the posterior, (internal), border of which is continuous with the emarginate posterior border of the basal face. Upper surface of thorax sculptured as on head, foveolae more crowded. Laterotergite vestigially longitudinally striated. Sides and declivous face subopaque, finely reticulate-punctate. Femora incrassated, somewhat compressed, indistinctly angulate above at the half.

Petiole and postpetiole as in worker, the spines shorter and stouter, and somewhat blunt at apex.

Gaster subopaque, elongate, broadest behind the half. First gastral tergite conspicuously emarginate anteriorly mesad, submarginate, nor crested, antero-Iaterad. Upper surface finely reticulate-punctate, with scattered, minute silvery, simple appressed hairs. Erect pilosity as in worker.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 6.00; HL 1.40; HW 1.68; EL 0.42; PW 1.64; PeW 0.83; PpW 0.81; HBaL 0.36; HBaW 0.12; CI 120.0; PI 102.4; PPeI 197.6; PPpI 202.5; HBaI 23.5.

Type Material
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Worker, soldier. Type locality: Cachoeira Breu (Para, Brazil). Type material: holotype and 1 paratype workers labelled "Est. Para, Cachoeira Breu, X.1 928, Sampaio" in, examined.