Cephalotes vinosus

Identification
Species included in the clade: Cephalotes argentiventris, Cephalotes auricomus, Cephalotes flavigaster, Cephalotes hamulus, Cephalotes resinae, Cephalotes taino, Cephalotes unimaculatus, Cephalotes vinosus.

Distribution
This taxon was described from Haiti.

Nomenclature

 *  vinosus. Hypocryptocerus haemorrhoidalis subsp. vinosus Wheeler, W.M. 1936b: 202 (w.) HAITI. Combination in Zacryptocerus: Brandão, 1991: 384; in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 98. Raised to species: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 98. See also: Kempf, 1951: 152.

Description
Cephalotes vinosus (WHEELER) new status, new combination Hypocryptocerus haemorrhoidalis vinosus WHEELER, 1 936 b: 202. Worker. Original description. Type locality: Mt. Rochelois (Haiti). Type material: 22 syntype workers in MCZC, 3 syntype workers in MZSP (examined). Zacryptocerus haemorrhoidalis vinosus (WHEELER), BRANDAn, 1 9 9 1 : 3 84. First combination in Zacryptocerus. D i a g n o s i s. - A member of the hamulus clade characterised by the first gastral tergite reddish-brown. Worker. - Vertexal angles round, with crenulate margin; vertexal margin gently concave medially. Vertex with a median pair of small denticles and - in larger individuals only - a trace of transversal carina. Eyes slightly convex. The rest as in hamulus. 99 Mesosoma robust, convex in side view. Scapular angles bearing a small denticle. Anterior pronotal border marked by a carina. Humeral angles with a pair of obtuse or round spines directed anteriorly. Pronotal sides straight, ending in a small tooth visible in dorsal view. Mesonotal teeth small and rounded. Propodeal suture deeply impressed. Propodeum with differentiate basal and declivous faces. Basal face slightly more than 1 /3 broader than long, with sides convex anteriorly straightening posteriorly and with or without 1-2 small denticles; declivous face as long as the basal face, with posteriorly slightly converging sides. Propodeal spines shorter than the basal face of the propodeum, thick in most specimens and diverging. Petiole ca. 1/2 broader than long, its anterior face truncate and gently concave; its sides converging posteriorly and bearing a pair of median pointed teeth. Postpetiole broader than and as long as the petiole; postpetiolar spines broad and variably pointed, inserted anteriorly and curved backwards. Gaster with a lamellaceous anterior border, generally broad, sometimes reduced, reaching the first gastral stigma at maximum. Legs as in hamulus. Sculpture. Head minutely reticulate; vertexal area covered by broad impressions or foveae gradually shallower towards the cheeks. Anterior half of the head with small and shallow foveae. Frontal carinae reticulate and faintly rugulose. Ventral side of the head laterally covered by thick regular striae and reticulate. Hypostomal area deeply reticulate. Cheeks reticulate and superficially rugulose on their posterior half. Mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole covered by thick, longitudinal, irregular striae and superficial reticulation less impressed on the pronotum. Declivous face of the propodeum covered by thick, longitudinal striae and reticulate. First gastral tergite reticulate and with longitudinal rugosities on its anterior fourth. Corresponding sternite with superficial longitudinal rugosities on the sides, ventrally with impressed reticulation and opaque, or faintly reticulate and slightly shining in the middle, with sparse piligerous fossae. Legs as in hamulus. Pilosity. As in hamulus but denser. Colour. Head, mesosoma, peduncular segments, gastral sternites, lateral border of first tergite, remaining tergites, and legs black. Frontal carinae, scapes, dark orange to light brown. Gastral dorsum dark reddish. Vertexal area, meso soma and pedicel with some golden reflexes. Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 6.84-7.56; HL 1 .76-1.92; HW 1 .92-2.12; EL 0.54-0.56; PW 1 .76-1.92; PeW 0.84-0.88; PpW 1 .04-1. 1 6; HBaL 0.72-0.76; HBaW 0.20-0.21; CI 1 09.1-1 1 3.3; PI 108.5-1 1 0.4; PPeI 209.5-223.8; PPpl 1 64.3-174.0; HBal 26.3-27.7. M a t e r i a I e x a m i n e d. - Haiti: Mt. Rochelois, 25 workers (syntypes), W. J. EYERDAM, "very pugnacious, habitat: nest in a beech" [MCZC, MZSP]. D i s c u s s i o n. - C. vinosus, known on the type series only, is characterised by the dark red gastral dorsum. Its sister species is unimaculatus. Both share the dense body striation, the longitudinal rugae on the anterior part of the first gastral tergite and the pilosity not hiding the sculpture. Some specimens of hamulus also exhibit a gastral dorsum with reddish areas as in vinosus. The petiole and postpetiole of vinosus, however, are much broader than those of hamulus as shown by the relative values of PeW and Pp W The postpetiolar spines of vinosus, in addition, are also much broader than those of hamulus. Since these two characters (peduncular morphology and size) appear to be constantly different in all the specimens of vinosus and hamulus (25 and 26 respectively) available for the present study, we regard these two taxa as separate species. Vinosus, in addition, can be separated from its sister species unimaculatus for the coloration of the gaster, completely red, instead of yellow with a black spot. According to the material available for the present study the two species differ also in the relative values of the PPpI. D i s t r i b u t i 0 n : Haiti.