Strumigenys ailaoshana

Numerous collections of this species were made from litter samples taken from rubber plantations.

Identification
Xu & Zhou (2004) - Close to Strumigenys elegantula but pronotum finely longitudinally striate and finely densely reticulate. In profile view dorsum of mesonotum only slightly convex. Dorsum of petiolar node roundly convex, anterodorsal corner not prominent.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: China.

Nomenclature

 *  ailaoshana. Pyramica ailaoshana Xu & Zhou, 2004: 445, figs. 19, 20 (w.q.) CHINA. Combination in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 115

Worker
Holotype. TL 2.6, HL 0.70, HW 0.50, CI 71, ML 0.10, MI 14, SL 0.33, SI 65, PW 0.29, AL 0.68. Head elongate triangular, distinctly longer than broad and narrowed forward. Occipital margin widely and deeply concave. Occipital corners prominent and triangular. Lateral sides of head prominent and bluntly angled at posterior 1/4. Mandible triangular and down curved at apex, masticatory margin with about 10 spine-like slender teeth. Clypeus rhombic, anterior margin roundly prominent in the middle. Antennal scrobe distinct. Antenna with 6 segments, antennal club 2-segmented, apex of scape reached to 5/8 of the distance from antenna! socket to occipital corner. Eye with 4-5 ommatidia along the maximum diameter. Lateral sides of alitrunk dorsum distinctly marginate. In profile view ventral face of head deeply concave. Pronotum flat, promesonotal suture indistinct. Mesonotum slightly convex. Metanotal groove absent. Dorsum of propodeum weakly convex and slope down backward. Propodeal spines long and acute, with apex slightly curved upward. Lateral sides of declivity with developed curtain-like spongiform lamellae, the upper margin connecting the propodeal spine, with posterior margin deeply concave. In profile view petiole with large longitudinal curtain-like subpetiolar spongiform lobe, petiolar node long and low, with dorsum roundly convex, lateral sides with wing-like spongiform lobes. Postpetiole with large semicircular subpostpetiolar spongi form lobe, dorsum of postpetiolar node weakly convex, lateral sides with wing-like spongiform lobes. In dorsal view petiolar node rectangular, distinctly longer than broad. Postpetiolar node nearly square, slightly broader than long.

Mandibles punctuate. Head finely reticulate, occiput finely longitudinally striate. Antennal scrobes densely finely punctuate, interface appears as microreticulations. Dorsum of alitrunk finely longitudinally striate and finely reticulate. Lateral sides of pronotum and propodeum smooth, sparsely striate. Lateral sides of mesothorax and metathorax sparsely striate and densely finely punctuate, interface appears as reticulations. Petiole finely reticulate, dorsum of petiolar node sparsely transversely striate. Postpetiolar node smooth and shining. Gaster smooth and shining, with longitudinal basal costulae. Head with dense depressed pubescences, occipital margin with a pair of erect hairs in the middle, ventral face with a pair of erect hair at the concaved position. In full-face view lateral side of occipital lobe with 4 decumbent hairs. Alitrunk, petiole and postpetiole with sparse depressed pubescences. Dorsum of pronotum without erect hairs, but humeral corners each with a laterally pointed long hair. Mesonotum, propodeum, petiole and postpetiole with sparse erect to decumbent hairs, 2 pairs on mesonotum, 3 pairs on propodeum, 3 pairs on petiole, and 2 pairs on postpetiole. Gaster with abundant erect hairs, hairs on the basal dorsum anterodorsally pointed, pubescences almost absent. Scapes with dense depressed pubescences. Femora and tibiae with abundant decumbent longer hairs. Body color brown, eyes and lateral margins of alitrunk black.

Paratype workers. TL 2.5-2.7, HL 0.68-0.73, HW 0.48-0.53, CI 68-74, ML 0.09-0.10, MI 13-15, SL 0.30-0.33, SI 60-68, PW 0.25-0.30, AL 0.63-0.70 (7 individuals measured). As holotype.

Queen
Paratype. TL 3.1, HL 0.73, HW 0.55, CI 76, ML 0.10, MI 14, SL 0.35, SI 64, PW 0.48, AL 0.85 (1 individual measured). Similar to the holotype worker, but body much larger, head with 3 ocelli, eyes large. Thorax quite developed, with regulae. Metanotum large with longitudinal dorsal ridge. Pronotum and anterior part of mesonotum coarsely and transversely striate. Mesothorax and metathorax densely and finely punctuate. Petiolar node transversely striate, anterodorsal corner roundly prominent.

Type Material
Holotype. worker, No. A1037, 1250 m, Ailaoshan Mountain, Jinping Town, Jingdong County, Yunnan Province, 14 Apr. 2002, collected by Miss Chat Zheng-Qun in the Pinus kesiya forest. Paratypes: 7 workers and 1 queen, with same data as holotype; 2 workers, with same data as holotype but No. A1042; 1 worker, with same data as holotype but No. A1071. The type specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection, Faculty of Conservation Biology, Southwest Forestry College, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

Etymology
The new species is named after the mountain Ailaoshan where the type specimens collected.