Carebara pygmaea

Heterick & Kitching (2022) collected this species on tree trunks within a lowland dipterocarp forest in Brunei.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines. Oriental Region: Laos, Sri Lanka.

Nomenclature

 * . Pheidologeton pygmaeus Emery, 1887b: 465 (s.w.) INDONESIA (Ternate I.).
 * Type-material: syntype major and minor workers (numbers not stated).
 * Type-locality: Indonesia: Ternate I., Aqui Conora (O. Beccari).
 * Type-depository: MSNG.
 * Combination in P. (Aneleus): Emery, 1900c: 327;
 * combination in Aneleus (Aneleus): Emery, 1924d: 214;
 * combination in Pheidologeton: Ettershank, 1966: 119;
 * combination in Carebara: Fischer, et al. 2014: 72.
 * Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 73; Forel, 1911e: 268; Emery, 1924d: 214; Ettershank, 1966: 119; Bolton, 1995b: 333; Jaitrong & Nabhitabhata, 2005: 36; Pfeiffer, et al. 2011: 50; Jaitrong, Guénard, et al. 2016: 34; Dias, R.K.S. et al. 2020: 66; Jaitrong, Pitaktunsakul & Jantarit, 2021: 13 (redescription).
 * Senior synonym of albipes: Fischer, et al. 2014: 72.
 * Senior synonym of bugnioni: Fischer, et al. 2014: 72.
 * Senior synonym of simalurensis: Fischer, et al. 2014: 72.
 * Distribution: Indonesia (Bacan, Sumatra, Ternate), Laos, Malaysia (Peninsula, Sabah, Sarawak), Philippines (Luzon), Sri Lanka, Thailand.
 * Current subspecies: nominal plus densistriata.
 * albipes. Pheidologeton pygmaeus var. albipes Emery, 1893g: 266 (w.) PHILIPPINES (Luzon I.).
 * Type-material: holotype minor worker.
 * Type-locality: Philippines: Luzon, Antipolo, iii.-iv.1890 (E. Simon).
 * Type-depository: MSNG.
 * Wheeler, W.M. 1927h: 96 (in text) (m.).
 * Combination in Aneleus (Aneleus): Emery, 1924d: 214;
 * combination in Pheidologeton: Ettershank, 1966: 118.
 * Subspecies of pygmaea: Wheeler, W.M. 1909d: 340; Emery, 1924d: 214; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 154; Baltazar, 1966: 257; Ettershank, 1966: 118; Bolton, 1995b: 333.
 * Junior synonym of pygmaea: Fischer, et al. 2014: 72.
 * arnoldi. Pheidologeton perpusillum r. arnoldi Forel, 1914d: 242 (w.) ZIMBABWE.
 * Type-material: syntype minor workers (number not stated).
 * Type-locality: Zimbabwe (“Rhodesia”): Bulawayo, 1.iv.1913 (G. Arnold).
 * Type-depositories: BMNH, MHNG.
 * [Junior secondary homonym of Oligomyrmex arnoldi Forel, 1913a: 123.]
 * Arnold, 1916: 255 (s.); Arnold, 1926: 238 (q.).
 * Combination in Aneleus: Arnold, 1916: 255;
 * combination in Oligomyrmex: Ettershank, 1966: 123.
 * Subspecies of perpusilla: Arnold, 1916: 255; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 880; Emery, 1924d: 214; Arnold, 1926: 238.
 * Replacement name: Oligomyrmex perpusillus subsp. arnoldianus Ettershank, 1966: 123.
 * bugnioni. Pheidologeton (Aneleus) pygmaeus var. bugnioni Forel, 1915a: 28 (in text) (s.) SRI LANKA.
 * Type-material: syntype major worker(s) (number not stated).
 * Type-locality: Sri Lanka (“Ceylon”): (no further data).
 * Type-depository: MHNG.
 * Combination in Aneleus (Aneleus): Emery, 1924d: 214;
 * combination in Pheidologeton: Ettershank, 1966: 118.
 * Subspecies of pygmaea: Emery, 1924d: 214; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 154; Ettershank, 1966: 118; Bolton, 1995b: 333.
 * Junior synonym of pygmaea: Fischer, et al. 2014: 72.
 * simalurensis. Pheidologeton (Aneleus) pygmaeus var. simalurensis Forel, 1915a: 27 (s.w.q.) INDONESIA (Sumatra: Simeulue I.).
 * Type-material: syntype major and minor workers (numbers not stated), 1 syntype queen.
 * Type-locality: Indonesia: Sumatra, Simalur I. (= Simeulue I.), Sinabang (E. Jacobson).
 * Type-depository: MHNG.
 * Wheeler, W.M. 1924b: 246 (m.).
 * Combination in Aneleus (Aneleus): Emery, 1924d: 214;
 * combination in Oligomyrmex: Ettershank, 1966: 124;
 * combination in Carebara: Fernández, 2004a: 235.
 * Subspecies of pygmaea: Wheeler, W.M. 1924b: 246; Emery, 1924d: 214; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 154.
 * Status as species: Ettershank, 1966: 124; Bolton, 1995b: 300.
 * Junior synonym of pygmaea: Fischer, et al. 2014: 72.

Male
Wheeler (1924), as Aneleus pygmoeus var. simalurensis - Length: 4.5-5 mm. Head through the eyes broader than long, short and rounded behind, the cheeks short, the eyes and ocelli large and convex. Mandibles well-developed, 5-toothed, the apical tooth long and curved. Clypeus very convex in the middle, its anterior border entire in middle, sinuate on each side. Frontal groove broad and distinct. Antennal scapes stout and short, barely twice as long as broad, funiculi long, first joint small, nearly twice as broad as long, remaining joints rather long, cylindrical, the second distinctly longer than the third. Mesonotum large, convex, somewhat overarching the small pronotum, smooth and rounded, without Mayrian furrows, about two-thirds longer than broad. Scutellum convex, projecting. Epinotum shaped somewhat like that of the soldier but more sloping and with the teeth much stouter and blunter. Petiole and postpetiole also similar but the node of the former less compressed anteroposteriorly, the latter nearly half again as broad as the petiole. Gaster with well-developed cerci and large exserted genitalia, the outer appendages of which are straight. with rather slender. pointed tips, the median appendages with short acute lateral and long bladeshaped internal rami. Legs slender. Wing venation as in Pheidologeton and Oligomyrmex, with closed submarginal cell and a small discoidal cell.

Shining; head more opaque, densely and indistinctly punctate. Mesonotum coarsely punctate. Epinotum obscurely and finely punctate-rugulose.

Hairs yellowish, abundant but rather short on the head, thorax and gaster; pubescence on the appendages, gaster, gula and pleurae longer and more abundant1han in the soldier.

Black or dark brown; mandibles, antennae and legs pale brown; genitalia sordid whitish brown. Wings distinctly infuscated, with dark brown veins and stigma.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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