Cephalotes maya

A fossil species known from Mexican amber.

Identification
A member of the grandinosus clade differing from its sister species, Cephalotes foliaceus, in the worker by the first gastral tergite not surrounded by a membranaceous border. Both species are easily distinguished from others by the fore femora with a broad ventral crest. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Key to Cephalotes Workers

Distribution
This taxon was described from Mexican amber.

Nomenclature

 * † maya. †Cephalotes maya De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 429, fig. 196 (w.) MEXICAN AMBER.

Worker
Head broader than long. Frontal carinae minutely crenulate. Vertexal angles broad, round and membranaceous. Vertexal margin concave. Mandibles with lateral carina. Antennal club two jointed.

Mesosoma. Scapular angles absent or not visible in dorsal view. Anterior pronotal border convex; pronotal sides with a broad, membranaceous expansion, anteriorly obtuse and narrowing posteriorly. Promesonotal suture absent. Mesonotum with a pair of broad, round, membranaceous, lateral teeth. Propodeal suture impressed. Declivous face of the propodeum gently sloping backwards. Basal and declivous propodeal faces with a broad membranaceous expansion originating from the anterior part of the basal face, projected anteriorly and broadening backwards; margin of the membranaceous expansion of the mesosoma superficially crenulate.

Petiole anteriorly concave; petiolar sides with a broad, wing-shaped, round, membranaceous expansion. Postpetiole also with broad, wing-shaped, membranaceous expansion with round apex and directed forwards.

Gaster suboval and with broad, anterolateral, membranaceous expansions largely surpassing the anterior half posteriorly.

Mid and hind femora angulate; mid and hind femora with two membranaceous crests on the two distal thirds, one on the dorsal face and another on the ventral face; fore femora with a short ventral crest. Mid and hind basitarsi with flat and extremely broad base.

Sculpture. Head dorsum and mesosoma minutely reticulate, with dense and slightly irregular foveae. Peduncular segments with small foveae. Gaster and legs reticulate; first gastral tergite with few, thin, irregular, superficial, longitudinal rugosities.

Pilosity. Some foveae with an appressed hair.

Colour. Body light brown. Frontal carinae, vertexal angles and membranaceous expansions light ferruginous and semitransparent.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 3.78; HL 0.80; HW 1.10; EL 0.17; PW 1.00; PeW 0.48; PpW 0.48; HBaL 0.26; HBaW 0.16; CI 137.5; PI 110.0; PPeI 208.3; PPpI 208.3; HBaI 61.5.

Type Material
Holotype worker from the Mexican amber sample Mex. 2.1 in the.

Etymology
This species is named after the Mayas, the former rulers of the area of Simojovel, the locality from which the Mexican amber originates.