Holcoponera sila

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
Lattke (2004) - This species is unusual in having punctae that are more or less round, uniformly well impressed and flat bottomed throughout its body. Such depressions are found in other species of the epinotalis group but are usually limited to the head. The areolate area on the vertex of Holcoponera major is unique among species of Holcoponera, which usually have a few striae or scattered punctae on the vertex but no areolae.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia.

Castes
Queen and male are unknown.

Nomenclature

 * . Gnamptogenys sila Lattke, 2004: 177, fig. 44 (w.) BORNEO (East Malaysia: Sabah).
 * Type-material: holotype worker, 3 paratype workers.
 * Type-locality: holotype Malaysia: Sabah, Gunung Silam, 330 m., 1983, A9/72 (R. Leakey); paratypes with same data.
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * Combination in Holcoponera: Camacho, Franco, Branstetter, et al. 2022: 11.
 * Status as species: Pfeiffer, et al. 2011: 35; Camacho, Franco, Branstetter, et al. 2022: 11.
 * Distribution: Malaysia (Sabah).

Vertex with small posteromedian area of fine areolae, anterior margin of clypeal lamella sinuate, with median convexity, lamella rounded at extreme lateral margins; mesosoma and postpetiole with round, well impressed, flat-bottomed punctae; postpetiolar tergite rugulose-punctate laterally.

Worker
Worker. Metrics. Holotype: HL 0.55, HW 0.45, ML 0.23, SL 0.39, ED 0.03, WL 0.65 mm. CI 0.82, SI 0.87, MI 0.51, OI 0.07. Head with anterior margin of clypeal lamella sinuate in frontal view, medially convex and rounded at extreme lateral ends; frons mostly rugulose-punctate with large flat-bottomed punctae; cephalic surface ventrad of eyes more strigulose than punctate; posteromedian surface of vertex finely areolate; clypeus with longitudinal strigulae and median broad sulcus. Mesosoma with very broadly convex dorsal margin in lateral view, forming blunt angle with broadly concave propodeal declivity; pronotum laterally rugose-punctate; katepisternum strigulose, anepisternum rugulose-punctate; mesosomal dorsum longitudinally rugulose-punctate; promesonotal suture vestigial; metapleuron and lateral propodeal surface strigulose with sparse punctae, metapleuron with small smooth area, slightly depressed below surrounding cuticle; propodeal declivity mostly strigulose with prominent posterolateral carina, propodeal spiracle opening not projecting beyond declivitous margin.

Lateral face of petiole strigulose; postpetiolar tergite mostly rugulose-punctate, punctae disappearing posteromedially, sternite irregularly rugulose-punctate; abdominal tergite 4 mostly smooth, with low longitudinal strigulae and undulations, sparsely punctate, punctae becoming smaller and diminishing posterad, narrow row of scrobiculate sculpture parallel to pretergite present; sternite of fourth abdominal segment strigulose, mostly punctate with low longitudinal strigulae or undulations. Fore coxae transversely strigulose in lateral view, metacoxal tooth triangular. Dorsum of thorax and abdominal segments 1-4 with scattered erect to subdecumbent hairs, besides abundant short standing hairs. Head, mesosoma, petiole, and gaster brown; mandibles, antennae, legs ferruginous yellow.

Type Material
Holotype worker. Malaysia, Sabah, Gunong Silam, 330m, 1983, R. Leakey (A9/72). Deposited in. Paratypes. Three workers in the BMNH from the same series as the holotype.

Etymology
The species name is derived from the name of the type locality, Gunong Silam, and is assumed to be feminine.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Lattke J. E. 2004. A taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the ant genus Gnamptogenys Roger in Southeast Asia and Australasia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae). University of California Publications in Entomology 122: 1-266.
 * Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58