Strumigenys epipola

Known from the type collections: from a tree in a disturbed forest and from a litter sample in a rainforest.

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys capitata-group. This species falls into a complex of small forms that also includes Strumigenys phasma, Strumigenys trauma, Strumigenys tethys, Strumigenys themis and Strumigenys charybdis, and is currently known only from Samoa. It is most likely that epipola occurs elsewhere in the Malesian region.

Like tethys this species combines small size with stout specialised hairs on head and pronotal humeri, and has only a single pair of such hairs on the mesonotum. The two are easily separated as tethys has costulate pronotal sides, is dark brown to black, and has a massively developed postpetiole that is extremely broad in dorsal view. S. epipola on the other hand lacks lateral pronotal costulae, is light reddish-brown and has the postpetiole more conventionally sized.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Samoa.

Nomenclature

 *  epipola. Pyramica epipola Bolton, 2000: 399 (w.) SAMOA. Combination in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 119

Worker
Holotype. TL 2.2, HL 0.55, HW 0.46, CI 84, ML 0.12, MI 22, SL 0.27, SI 59, PW 0.28, AL 0.58. Apicoscrobal hair stout, feebly remiform apically and weakly upcurved. Dorsum of head with a transverse row of 4 standing hairs close to occipital margin and with a single pair of similar hairs just in front of the highest point of the vertex. Pronotal humeral hair stout, approximately straight. Mesonotum with a single pair of standing remiform hairs. Petiole node with 1 pair of posteriorly inclined stout hairs, the postpetiole with 6 similar hairs: a pair anteriorly and a transverse row of 4 posteriorly on the dorsum. First gastral tergite with erect to suberect stout standing hairs that tend to be somewhat thickened apically. Dorsal outline of propodeum in profile only very slightly convex, not markedly humped behind the level of the metanotal groove. Mesopleuron and most of metapleuron smooth, head and alitrunk otherwise finely reticulate-punctate everywhere. Ventral spongiform strip of petiole well developed and extends the length of the segment. Petiole node in dorsal view reticulate-punctate, slightly broader than long but not transversely rectangular. Disc of postpetiole in dorsal view smooth and shining, transversely roughly ovate but not twice broader than long. Basigastral costulae short, sharply developed and very conspicuous.

Paratypes. TL 2.1-2.2, HL 0.54-0.56, HW 0.45-0.46, CI 82-84, ML 0.12, MI 21-22, SL 0.26-0.28, SI 57-60, PW 0.27-0.28, AL 0.57-0.59 (3 measured).

Type Material
Holotype worker, Samoa: Upolu, Afiamalu, 11.iii.1962, Berlesate, tree forest, 8 ft from ground, disturbed forest, acc. 262 (R. W. Taylor).

Paratypes. 3 workers with same data as holotype (ANIC, ).



References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * CSIRO Collection
 * Wetterer, James K. and Vargo, Donald Vargo L. 2003. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Samoa. Pacific Science. 57(4):409-419.