Cephalotes peruviensis

Identification
A member of the coffeae clade differing from its closest species Cephalotes setulifer, Cephalotes trichophorus and Cephalotes coffeae by the frontal carinae strongly upturned over the eyes. For its general habitus peruviensis appears to be closest to the Colombian coffeae. The two species differ nonetheless in the following characters: anterolateral expansions of the first gastral tergite with a lamella broad in peruviensis vs. narrow in coffeae, first gastral tergite with longitudinal rugosities in coffeae vs. reticulate in peruviensis and body with foveae sparser in peruviensis than in coffeae.

Key to Cephalotes Workers

Distribution
Costa Rica and Peru.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru.

Nomenclature

 *  peruviensis. Cephalotes peruviensis De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 555, fig. 261 (w.) PERU.

Worker
Head gently convex in the middle, subquadrate. Frontal carinae diverging backwards, slightly converging in front and strongly upturned above the eyes; border of the frontal carinae crenulate. Vertexal angles truncate and with crenulate margin. Vertexal margin concave and continuing medially in a prominent "neck". Clypeal suture superficially impressed. Mandibles with a lateral carina.

Mesosoma almost flat in profile. Scapular angles visible in dorsal view. Pronotal sides with two pairs of short, membranaceous teeth followed by a notch and three pairs of dentieles. Promesonotal suture vestigial. Mesonotum with a pair of triangular denticles with pointed tip. Propodeal suture more impressed on the sides. Propodeum superficially differentiated in basal and declivous faces; declivous face concave in the middle. Propodeal sides with one pair of broad denticles followed by two pairs of teeth, the first pair broader than the second one.

Petiole with anterior face sloping, posterior face flat to slightly concave. Petiolar sides with a pointed spine gently directed backwards. Postpetiole slightly broader than petiole; middle of the postpetiolar dorsum almost flat; postpetiolar spines broad, directed forwards and curved at the apex. Tip of the postpetiolar spines superficially crenulate.

Gaster oval. Anterolateral gastral lobes with developed membranaceous crest not surpassing the stigma backwards.

Hind femora medially angulate; mid and hind basitarsi long, slightly flattened at the base.

Sculpture. Head dorsum superficially reticulate and covered by foveae slightly broader than their interspaces, the same sculpture but sparser on the frontal carinae. Ventral face of the head reticulate and with sparse, superficial foveae smaller than those on the head dorsum. Mesosoma with the same type of sculpture as the head dorsum but the foveae are broader than their interspaces and superimposed by few, irregular, faint rugulosities. Middle of the declivous face of the propodeum reticulate. Pleurae reticulate, with longitudinal rugae ending at the beginning of the metapleurae and with small foveae on the ventral part of the meso- and metapleurae. Petiole, postpetiole, extensor face of femora and tibiae and anterior third of the first gastral tergite reticulate-foveolate, with foveae smaller and shallower than those on the mesosoma. Anterior and posterior faces of the legs and remaining gastral segments strongly reticulate and with sparse, small piligerous foveae. First half of the first gastral tergite with superficial, longitudinal rugulosities. Middle of the posterior half of the first gastral sternites shining.

Pilosity. Each fovea with an appressed canaliculate hair. Mandibles, border of the head, of the mesosoma, of the pedicel, of the gaster and whole legs with sparse, suberect, canaliculate hairs. Apex of the tergites and sternites with two types of erect hairs: (1) short, sparse and slightly canaliculate, (2) long, rare and pointed.

Colour. Basically dark brown. Frontal carinae, mesosoma and peduncular spines, apex of femora, outer face of the tibiae and tarsomeres yellowish. First gastral tergite with a pair of yellow spots anterolaterally.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.32; HL 1.00; HW 1.20; EL 0.30; PW 0.92; PeW 0.50; PpW 0.54; HBaL 0.40; HBaW 0.10; CI 120.0; PI 130.4; PPeI 184.0; PPpI 170.4; HBaI 25.0.

Type Material
Worker (unique) from Avispas, Peru (Madre de Dios), 400 m, 1-15.X.1962, Pena leg.,.

Etymology
Peruviensis is a neologism indicating the provenance of the species from Peru.