Cephalotes goniodontus

Identification
A member of the multispinosus clade characterised, in the worker, by the sides of the propodeum armed with a broad, triangular tooth. Easily distinguishable from Cephalotes multispinosus by its sculpturation and by the absence of lamellae behind the propodeal teeth. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Distribution
This taxon was described, and is only known, from Mexico.

Nomenclature

 *  goniodontus. Cephalotes goniodontus De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 307, figs. 132, 133 (s.w.) MEXICO. [Cephalotes goniodontus Baroni Urbani, 1998: 326. Nomen nudum.]

Worker
Kempf (1951), of the synonymized multispinosus - Length 6 mm. Median head length 1.41 mm; Weber's length of thorax 1.63. Black; the following ferruginous: Frontal carinae, tip of last funicular segment, tips of femora and tibiae. Pale yellowish: crests of thorax and peduncular spine. Yellow: a single spot on each anterior corner of the gaster.

Head subquadrate, subopaque. The anterior corners greatly rounded, the posterior corners subangulate, the sides parallel. Occipital border shallowly emarginate mesad, almost straight, with a very narrow light crest on each side. Frontal carinae not crenulate, without projecting setae from the border. Eyes very small, the maximum diameter less than 1/4 of the median head length. Vertex with a pair of small denticules. Upper surface of head densely foveolate, each foveola containing a short, broad, appressed, silvery, flat hair.

Thorax subopaque. Anterior border rounded, shoulders not separate from the lateral projections of pronotum. Sides of pronotum crested; the anterior half of the crest greatly projecting and bidenticulate, the posterior half constricted and narrow. Promesonotal suture vestigial. Mesonotum with a small lateral denticule. Mesoepinotal suture more or less distinct. Epinotum not differentiated into distinct basal and declivous faces, with a broad, large, flattened triangular tooth projecting from the anterior half of the lateral border, the posterior half carinate. Upper surface of thorax, except a small area mesially in front of the petiolar insertion, very finely shagreened, densely and coarsely foveolate, as the upper surface of head. Laterotergite of pronotum and sides of thorax finely reticulate-punctate, the laterotergite longitudinally striated, the remaining parts rugulose. Outer face of fore coxae finely longitudinally striated. Hind femora sharply angulate and denticulate above the half.

Petiole and postpetiole flattened above, the sides with a distinctly set off spine, the petiolar spine recurved, the postpetiolar spine pointing forward at base, recurved backward at apex.

Gaster subopaque, emarginate in front mesally, narrowly crested antero-laterad. All scales golden.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 5.40-5.92; HL 1.24-1.36; HW 1.64-1.70; EL 0.32-0.33; PW 1.42-1.52; PeW 0.69-0.76; PpW 0.77-0.82; HBaL 0.61-0.62; HBaW 0.15-0.16; CI 125.0-132.2; PI 111.8-115.5; PPeI 205.8-211.1; PPpI 184.4-185.4; HBaI 24.6-25.8.

Soldier
Kempf (1951), of the synonymized multispinosus - Length 7.7 mm. Median head length 1.78 mm. Weber's length of thorax 2.07 mm. Color as in worker. Quite similar to the worker, with the following differences: Upper surface of head subfulgid, not as shiny as in the race biguttatus, rather coarsely and densely foveolate. Each of the teeth on vertex sends out an oblique carina towards the sides, fading out shortly before reaching the lateral border of the head. Occipital angle rounded and crested. Pronotum with a bidenticulate lateral expansion, the sides converging obliquely towards the mesonotum behind the second denticule. Mesonotum with a blunt lateral lobe. Sculpture of thorax as coarse as on upper surface of head. Epinotum with a flat, triangular, large tooth, without a transparent crest behind. The basal and declivous faces slightly differentiated. Declivous face not excavated below. Spines of the peduncular segments shorter, less acute than in worker.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL (approximate from two different specimens, one without gaster and one without head) 7.10-7.28; HL 1.60; HW 2.12; EL 0.40; PW 1.88-1.96; PeW 0.85-0.89; PpW 0.90-0.98; HBaL 0.70-0.72; HBaW 0.18; CI 132.5; PI 112.8; PPeI 220.2-221.2; PPpI 200.0-208.9; HBaI 25.0-25.7.

Type Material
Holotype worker from Compostela (Mexico), 22.IV.1933, W. M. Wheeler ; paratypes: 1 worker (same data as the holotype), 1 worker and 2 soldiers from vic. Compostela (Mexico), 28,V, 1 933, W. M. Wheeler, in MCZ.

Etymology
From the Greek term for angle and tooth, referred to the shape of the propodeal angles.