Strumigenys capitata

Specimens have been collected in rainforest from a rotten log.

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys capitata-group. Closely related to Strumigenys pedunculata, separated from it by the characters given in the key and apparently also geographically. The known distribution of capitata includes Seram, Sulawesi and New Guinea, but to date pedunculata has only been recorded from the Malay Peninsula and Philippine Islands, although it most likely also occurs in Borneo. Further collecting may annul this apparent geographical separation. A second closely related species, Strumigenys theia, is distinguished by its possession of at least 3 pairs of standing hairs on the mesonotum and completely sculptured lateral alitrunk, which does not have a smooth shining area on the mesopleuron.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia, New Guinea.

Nomenclature

 *  capitata. Cephaloxys capitata Smith, F. 1865: 77, pl. 4, fig. 5 (q.) NEW GUINEA. Emery, 1887b: 468 (w.; not m., see Brown, 1953g: 118.) Combination in Strumigenys: Emery, 1887b: 468; in Strumigenys (Cephaloxys): Emery, 1924d: 324; in Smithistruma: Brown, 1948e: 105; in Pyramica: Bolton, 1999: 1673; in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 116. See also: Donisthorpe, 1948h: 80; Brown, 1953g: 117; Bolton, 2000: 395.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 2.6-2.8, HL 0.60-0.66, HW 0.51-0.55, CI 82-87, ML 0.15-0.16, MI 24-26, SL 0.30-0.33, SI 58-60, PW 0.36-0.38, AL 0.66-0.75 (10 measured).

Apicoscrobal hair stout, usually somewhat flattened or weakly remiform apically, never flagellate. Dorsum of the densely reticulate-punctate head with a transverse row of 4 standing hairs close to the occipital margin and with a single pair of similar hairs just in front of the highest point of the vertex. Eye with 4-5 ommatidia in the longest row. Pronotal humeral hair long and stout, usually slightly flattened or weakly remiform. Mesonotum with two pairs of standing hairs, the posterior pair the longest; these hairs weakly remiform to feebly clavate apically. Similar hairs occur on the petiole node (2 pairs), the postpetiole disc (3 pairs) and the first gastral tergite (3-4 transverse rows). Side of alitrunk reticulate-punctate except for the katepisternum which is mostly or entirely smooth and shining. Petiole in profile with the curved dorsal surface of the node at most as long as, usually shorter than, the anterior face of the node. In dorsal view the petiole node reticulate-punctate and distinctly broader than long. Disc of postpetiole finely and densely longitudinally costulate, usually obviously so but only feebly marked in some. In profile the ventral spongiform lobe of the postpetiole is smaller than the exposed area of the disc.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Holotype queen, NEW GUINEA (A.R. Wallace) [examined].

Smith Types

Cephaloxys capitata

Holotype queen in. Labelled “N” (= New Guinea).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
 * Brown W. L., Jr. 1953. Revisionary studies in the ant tribe Dacetini. Am. Midl. Nat. 50: 1-137.
 * CSIRO Collection
 * Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
 * Donisthorpe H. 1948. A redescription of the types of Strumigenys mandibularis F. Smith, and Cephaloxys capitata F. Smith. Psyche (Cambridge) 55: 78-81.
 * Emery C. 1887. Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia (continuazione e fine). [concl.]. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. 25(5): 427-473.
 * Emery C. 1897. Formicidarum species novae vel minus cognitae in collectione Musaei Nationalis Hungarici quas in Nova-Guinea, colonia germanica, collegit L. Biró. Természetrajzi Füzetek 20: 571-599.
 * Emery C. Formiche raccolte da Elio Modigliani in Sumatra, Engano e Mentawei. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale 40: 661-722.
 * Emery, C. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia (continuazione e fine)." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 5, no. 25 (1887): 427-473.
 * Emery, C. "Formiche raccolte da Elio Modigliani in Sumatra, Engano e Mentawei." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 20, no. 40 (1900): 661-722.
 * Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
 * Santschi F. 1928. Fourmis de Sumatra, récoltées par Mr. J. B. Corporaal. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 71: 119-140.
 * Smith F. 1865. Descriptions of new species of hymenopterous insects from the islands of Sumatra, Sula, Gilolo, Salwatty, and New Guinea, collected by Mr. A. R. Wallace. Journal and Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. Zoology 8: 61-94.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.