Cephalotes fiebrigi

Identification
A member of the fiebrigi clade differing from its sister species, Cephalotes guayaki, in the worker, soldier and gyne by the denser, erect, truncate body hairs.

Distribution
This taxon was described from Paraguay. It is also found in Brazil, Argentina and Dominican Republic.

Nomenclature

 *  fiebrigi. Cryptocerus pilosus r. fiebrigi Forel, 1906d: 235 (s.w.) PARAGUAY. De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 672 (m.). Combination in Cryptocerus (Paracryptocerus): Santschi, 1919f: 45; in Paracryptocerus (Harnedia): Kempf, 1958a: 28; in Zacryptocerus: Brandão, 1991: 386; in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 667. Raised to species and senior synonym of guttifer: Kempf, 1958a: 28.
 * guttifer. Cryptocerus (Paracryptocerus) guttifer Santschi, 1919f: 45 (s.q.) ARGENTINA. Santschi, 1922d: 253 (w.m.). [Misspelled as guttatus by Santschi, 1929d: 301.] Junior synonym of fiebrigi: Kempf, 1958a: 28.

Worker
Kempf (1958) - Total length 3.9-4.9 mm. Black; frontal carinae pale testaceous or pale ferruginous; articulations of legs, tarsi, tips of scapes and basal segments of funiculus, more or less fuscous-ferruginous.

Head subopaque, subrectangular, distinctly longer than broad, its upper face rather convex in the middle, the frontal carinae flat to excavated, the entire surface finely reticulate-punctate, sparsely and rather shallowly foveolate without conspicuous rugosities. Sides of head subparallel, often distinctly concave above eyes. Frontal carinae, in part, translucid, in lateral view considerably thickened just in front of the eyes.

Thorax, in profile, - also transversely across the pronotum, - noticeably convex. Promesonotum less expanded laterad, its sides tridentate, the posterior tooth more or less rectangular. Mesonotum laterally tuberculate or subdentate. Sides of basal face of epinotum bidentate, the posterior tooth being largest. Declivous face sharply marginate at the sides. Sculpture of dorsum of thorax as on head, finely reticulate-punctate and sparsely foveolate. Sides of thorax with finely reticulate-punctate with fine, more or less longitudinal rugosities on the laterotergite of the pronotum. Sides of fore coxae not transversely striate.

Peduncular segments with a triangular anterior face, separated from the dorsal face by a more or less marked edge, the vertex of the anterior face forming middorsally a projecting tooth, facing caudad. This tooth is rather feeble on the petiole, but strongly marked on the postpetiole. Lateral spines of the petiole long, rather delicate, gently and evenly recurved, and acute at apex. Spines of postpetiole similar, but much more strongly recurved. Body of petiole comparatively narrower than in pilosus.

Gaster oval, similar to that of pilosus, slightly more shining, the first tergite being very finely and rather superficially reticulate-punctate. General pattern of pilosity as in pilosus, but the appressed scalelike hair is shorter and finer, and the standing hair is abundant, more scattered, much shorter (shorter than the diameter of tibiae), straight, not visibly flexuous.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 3.64-4.84; HL 0.86-1.06; HW 0.88-1.08; EL 0.25-0.29; PW 0.81-1.00; PeW 0.44-0.56; PpW 0.48-0.59; HBaL 0.40-0.41; HBaW 0.09-0.11; CI 101.9-102.3; PI 108.0-108.6; PPeI 178.6-184.1; PPpI 168.7-169.5; HBaI 18.9-22.5.

Soldier
Kempf (1958) - Total length 5.8-6.5 mm; maximum length of head 1.68-1.78 mm; of thorax 1.57-1.72 mm. Black; the following yellowish-ferruginous: anterolateral portion of head disc, a triangular area on each shoulder, and usually four larger spots on the first gastral tergite, one close to each corner, the pair of the same side often being confluent; ferruginous: tip of scape, first funicular segment, knees, extensor face of tibiae, the four apical tarsites of each leg.

Head disc more elongate, its rim less distinctly crenulate, its sides distinctly converging caudad, with a feeble constriction at the level of the eyes. Anterolateral portion of head disc more or less excavated, the clypeal area marked off by a raised ridge. Sculpture of disc coarsely reticulate-rugose, as in pilosus, but the meshes are larger, and the foveolae more deeply impressed. About twelve foveolae may be counted in a transverse row, across the head, at the level of the eyes (fifteen or more in pilosus and liogaster).

Thorax dorsally mostly foveolate, scarcely reticulate-rugose. Transverse pronotal carina feeble, usually broadly interrupted in the middle, nor forming a raised crest. Laterotergite of pronotum finely and more or less longitudinally rugose. Sides of thorax never with strong rugosities. Sides of fore coxae only reticulate-punctate.

Peduncular segments in general as in worker, broader than in pilosus, with strong lateral spines. Only the postpetiole possesses a sharply edged triangular anterior face, the vertex of which terminates middorsally in a tooth. Sides of gaster gently convex. The first tergite finely but superficially reticulate-punctate, with a few longitudinal rugosities on the antero-median portion.

Pilosity, in general, as in worker. In addition the following highly distinctive feature: from each foveola of the head disc and the sides of head emerges a thick, curved scalelike hair, the free end of which projects well beyond the rim of the foveola. A somewhat similar condition holds occasionally for the foveolae of the thorax.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 5.92-6.60; HL 1.48-1.52; HW 1.44-1.48; EL 0.33-0.35; PW 1.40; PeW 0.68-0.69; PpW 0.69-0.77; HBaL 0.39-0.41; HBaW 0.11; CI 94.7-100.0; PI 102.8-105.7; PPeI 202.9-205.9; PPpI 181.8-202.9; HBaI 26.8-28.2.

Queen
Kempf (1958) - length 7.5-7.9 mm; maximum length of head 1.67-1.71 mm; of thorax 2.14-2.25  mm. Color, sculpture and general features as in soldier. The head disc is still more elongate, indistinctly marginate postero-laterally behind the eyes. It differs from pilosus and liogaster by the shape of the peduncular segments, the nearly parallel-sided gaster, the short wings. The fore wing, measuring 5.1-5.2 mm, projects very little beyond the tip of the gaster, when folded over the back. The wings are infuscated, the venation of the fore wing is quite similar to that of liogaster.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 7.88-7.92; HL 1.48-1.52; HW 1.40-1.48; EL 0.36; PW 1.36-1.40; PeW 0.59-0.60; PpW 0.68-0.73; HBaL 0.49-0.51; HBaW 0.12-0.13; CI 94.6-97.4; PI 102.0-102.1; PPeI 226.7-237.3; PPpI 191.8-200.0; HBaI 24.5-25.5.

Male
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Very similar to the male of pilosus and lanuginosus but differing from both in the following details: Head more convex dorsally. Eyes as broad as in pilosus and smaller than in lanuginosus. Anterior face of the petiole concave as in lanuginosus. Hind basitarsi longer and narrower than in pilosus and lanuginosus.

Sculpture. First gastral tergite as shining as in lanuginosus. Rugosities on the propodeal dorsum irregular on the sides and slightly transversal on the middle, those on the pedicel regular and very superficial.

Pilosity. Hairs flexuous as in lanuginosus.

Colour. Black, gaster slightly lighter. Coxae and two proximal thirds of the femora light brown. Distal third of femora, tibiae and tarsi dark yellow.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 5.60-5.76; HL 0.84-0.94; HW 0.98-1.04; EL 0.43-0.46; PW 0.96-1.02; PeW 0.50-0.56; PpW 0.55-0.63; HBaL 0.48-0.51; HBaW 0.09; CI 110.6-116.7; PI 101.9-104.0; PPeI 178.6-192.0; PPpI 161.9-174.5; HBaI 17.6-18.7.

Type Material
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999):

Worker and soldier. Type locality: San Bernardino (Paraguay). Type material: 1 worker (only mesosoma), lectotype designated by Kempf (1958 a: 32), labelled “San Bernardino, Paraguay, in dry wood, Cr. pilosus fiebrigi, lectotype, W. W. Kempf det.”; 2 workers and 1 soldier (syntypes) labeled “San Bernardino, Paraguay, in Spalten trockenen Holzes (Fiebrig), C. pilosus Em. r. fiebrigi Forel, type”, in, examined.

Cryptocerus guttifer. Soldier and gyne. Type locality: Alta Gracia (Cordoba, Argentina). Type material: 1 gyne (syntype) labelled “Cordoba, Ar. Alta Gracia, Bruch, Cr. guttifer Santo type”, in, examined.

Cryptocerus guttifer. Worker, soldier, gyne, male. Type material: 8 workers, 2 soldiers, 2 gynes, 2 males (all syntypes) labelled “Cordoba, Ar. Alta Gracia, Bruch, Cr. guttifer, Sant. type, Z 1”, in NHMB; 1 worker and 1 soldier (syntypes) in ; 1 worker, 1 soldier, 2 gynes labelled only “syntypes”, in, all examined.