Strumigenys artemis

Identification
Strumigenys artemis is a small, dull yellowish-brown species with strongly reduced pilosity. The apicoscrobal and humeral hairs are short and simple, and the legs lack erect hairs entirely. The Fijian species most resembling S. artemis are Strumigenys jepsoni and Strumigenys mailei. Whereas S. artemis and S. mailei have relatively short and simple apicoscrobal and humeral hairs, those of S. jepsoni are long and flagellate. Strumigenys artemis is distinguished from S. mailei by fewer number of erect hairs on all dorsal surfaces and the also by the position of the eyes which are obscured by the lateral cephalic margins in full face view. Moderate variation in size, sculpture and pilosity is observed across what we define here as Strumigenys artemis. Sarnat and Economo (2012) originally treated this as two distinct species (Strumigenys sp. FJ13 and Strumigenys sp. FJ17). Closer examination reveals that none of the specimens treated as Strumigenys sp. FJ17 present flagellate hairs on the legs, and the differences in sculpture and pilosity are not discrete enough to warrant separation of species. Strumigenys artemis is widespread, occurring even on the smaller islands in the archipelago.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Fiji.

Nomenclature

 *  artemis. Strumigenys artemis Sarnat, Hita-Garcia, Dudley, Liu, Fischer & Economo, 2019: 13, figs. 7B, 9C, 9D, 12, 26, Model 2 (w.) FIJI.

Description
Worker. Measurements (n = 11): TL 1.92–2.38 mm, HL 0.46–0.59 mm, HW 0.36–0.45 mm, CI 73–79, MdL 0.20–0.23 mm, MI 37–48, SL 0.28–0.39 mm, SI 70–77, PW 0.21–0.25 mm, PI 55–62, FL 0.28–0.39 mm, FI 78–94, EL 0.21–0.25 mm. Color a dull uniform yellowish brown. Mandibles long and linear with one preapical tooth; preapical tooth length approximate to maximum mandible width. Apicoscrobal hair short and simple, weakly projecting laterally but not filiform or flagellate. Cephalic dorsum uniformly reticulate-punctate. Ground pilosity of cephalic dorsum short, simple, strongly curved. Pronotal humeral hairs short and simple. Promesonotal dorsum with short curved ground pilosity; lacking long filiform or flagellate hairs. Promesonotal dorsum and sides longitudinally striate to reticulate-punctate. Propodeal dorsum uniformly reticulate-punctate. Mesopleuron, metapleuron and side of propodeum mostly smooth. Propodeal tooth short, narrowly triangular. Lamellae attending the propodeal spines vary from thin and parallel to the declivity, to wider and not paralleling the declivity. Legs entirely lacking projecting filiform to flagellate hairs. Petiolar node in profile evenly convex with similar anterior and posterior faces; lateral spongiform lobe small; restricted to posterior margin of node. Dorsum of petiole strongly reticulate-punctate. Postpetiolar disc weakly reticulate-punctate. Ventral lobe of postpetiole spongiform. First gastral tergite with erect flagellate hairs and long ground pilosity. Basigastral sculpturing is conspicuously longer than the length of the postpetiolar disc.