Cephalotes palustris

Identification
A member of the depressus clade characterised in the worker by the vertexal angles with a pair truncate lamellae and by the mesopleurae not densely covered with thick hairs, and, in the soldier, by the pronotal lamellae truncate and by the pronotal crest not crenulate.

Distribution
Guyana and Brazil.

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

Nomenclature

 *  palustris. Cephalotes palustris De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 322, fig. 139 (s.w.) GUYANA.

Kempf (1951), without having seen Peruvian specimens, considered part of the material on which we based the description of this species to be pavonii, a species described from Peru the types of which have been presumably lost. The availability of Peruvian material for the present study allows the separation of part of the examples from the lower basin of the Rio Amazonas from what we believe to be true pavonii for the characters we list in the diagnosis. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Worker
Kempf (1951), for ﻿Paracryptocerus subpavonii (misidentification), as given in de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Length 5.4 mm. Median head length 1.36 mm; Weber's length of thorax 1.58 mm. Black; the following ferruginous and subtransparent: Frontal carinae, occipital lobes, lateral projections of thorax and peduncle. Ferruginous and opaque: first funicular segment, tibiae and tarsi, except the basitarsus: Fuscous rufous: tip of mandibles, and femora. Tip of last funicular segment orange-brown.

Head broader than long: The frontal carinae distinctly crenulate and beset with projecting setulae along the anterior half. Upper surface of head rather flat anteriorly and laterad, conspicuously convex discad and caudad. Sides of head upturned above the eyes. Occipital corners with a bidenticulate lobe.

Pronotum with a broadly expanded lateral lamella, about as long as broad, broader than the length of the postpetiole, and a broad, plate-like, more or less rounded lobe, separated from the anterior lamella by a deep notch. Anterior border of the lamella convex, lateral border crenulate, posterior border concave. Mesonotum with a conspicuous spine on each side. Sides of epinotum with a large, plate-like anterior spine, and a shorter, rather slender and acute triangular tooth, arising well in front of the posterior corner of the declivous face.

Petiole broader than postpetiole, the spines plate-like, truncate at apex; the anterior border, including the spines, evenly rounded. Postpetiole with acute, apically recurved lateral spines.

Gaster emarginate antero-mesad, crested antero-laterad. About as long as broad. Sculpture and pilosity similar to that of the other species of the group.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.96-5.72; HL 1.20-1.36; HW 1.64-1.84; EL 0.40-0.42; PW 1.76-1.92; PeW 1.12-1.28; PpW 0.96-1.08; HBaL 0.50-0.53; HBaW 0.15-0.18; CI 132.3-140.0; PI 93.2-97.9; PPeI 150.0-157.1 ; PPpI 172.0-183.3; HBaI 32.1-35.5.

Soldier
Kempf (1951), for ﻿Paracryptocerus subpavonii (misidentification), as given in de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Length 7.7 mm. Median head length 2.00 mm; Weber's length of thorax 2.17 mm. Black; the following fuscous ferruginous: anterior portion of frontal carinae, tibiae and basitarsi. Tarsi lighter.

Extremely similar to Cephalotes cordatus, from which it differs by the following characters: Pronotum without macrosculpture, smooth and fulgid. Basal face of epinotum with a broad triangular tooth on the side, the posterior border of which forms the outer border of a subequal posterior tooth; which is not upturned, nor sends out a median carinule. Declivous face finely but sharply reticulate, scales and foveolae confined to narrow band near the upper border. Anterior border of petiole not evenly curved, the slender lateral spines, pointing obliquely backward, are more or less distinctly set off from the body of the segment.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 6.68-7.60; HL 1.72-1.96; HW 2.16-2.36; EL 0.45-0.48; PW 2.24-2.52; PeW 1.22-1.28; PpW 1.04-1.16; HBaL 0.50-0.60; HBaW 0.20-0.24; CI 120.4-125.6; PI 93.6-98.3; PPeI 180.6-209.0; PPpI 207.4-223.1; HBaI 40.0-41.1.

Type Material
Holotype worker from Kartabo, Guyana, July-August 1920, W. M. Wheeler ; paratypes 8 workers and 1 soldier, same data as the holotype (MCZ and ).

Etymology
From the Latin palustris ( = swampy) referred to the area where this species has been collected.