Nylanderia sierra

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
LaPolla and Kallal (2019) - Smaller brown species; SL typically <0.73mm; WL <0.8mm; REL <25.

Compare with: Nylanderia wardi, Nylanderia xestonota.

Workers of this species are some of the smallest found in Cuba. The abundant pubescence on the mesonotum and gastral tergites make it fairly easy to separate workers of this species from those of N. xestonota, which is a Cuban species similar in size but it completely lacks pubescence on the mesonotum and gastral tergites. For details of separating N. sierra from N. wardi, see notes under N. wardi.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Cuba.

Nomenclature

 *  sierra. Nylanderia sierra LaPolla & Kallal, 2019: 436, figs. 86-88 (w.) CUBA.

Worker
(n=5): TL: 1.94–2.53; HW: 0.45–0.56; HL: 0.55–0.63; EL: 0.14–0.15; SL: 0.63– 0.74; WL: 0.61–0.75; GL: 0.78–1.20. SMC: 19–27; PMC: 3–4; MMC: 2. indices: CI: 83–88; REL: 22–26; SI: 112–148; SI2: 19–24.

Head: sides of head in full face view slightly rounded; posterolateral corners rounded or angled; posterior margin slightly rounded; anterior clypeal margin convex; three ocelli present; eye well-developed. Mesosoma: in lateral view, pronotum convex; anterior margin of mesonotum more or less even with posterior pronotal margin; metanotal area without short flat area before spiracle; dorsal face of propodeum slightly convex to nearly flat; dorsal face of propodeum lower than mesonotum in lateral view. Color and pilosity: dark brown, with antennae and legs, especially (except procoxae which are dark brown) lighter yellowish-brown; funiculi and legs become more yellowish distally (typically mesocoxa, metacoxa and trochanters are lighter than femora and tibiae); pubescence sparse to absent except for abundant pubescence on mesonotum and gaster; dorsal face of propodeum with fringe of pubescence.

Type Material
Holotype worker, CUBA: Santiago de Cuba: Parque Nacional Gran Piedra, trail to Cerro Mogote, 19.99900, 75.58300 +/- 150 m, 800 m, 28 Jan 2012, F. Cala #RSA2012-012 (CASENT0630139) ; 4 paratype workers, CUBA: Santiago de Cuba: Parque Nacional Gran Piedra, Estacion Ecologica Gran Piedra, 20.01000, -75.63700 +/- 150 m, 1080 m, 26 Jan 2012, R.S. Anderson #RSA2012-005 (NMNH & ).

Etymology
Species epithet, sierra, is Spanish for mountains or mountain range, in reference to the habitats in which this species holotype specimen was collected.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * LaPolla J. S., and R. J. Kallal. 2019. Nylanderia of the World Part III: Nylanderia in the West Indies. Zootaxa 4658: 401-451.