Cephalotes femoralis

Specimens have been collected from pasture and scrubby second growth vegetation. Little else is known about the biology of .

Identification
A member of the basalis clade the worker of which is characterised by the first gastral tergite covered with thin, irregular, longitudinal rugosities and by the frontal carinae, orange. It can be easily recognised from all the other species by the thin, longitudinal, irregular rugosities on the first gastral tergite. The worker of C. femoralis shares with those of Cephalotes basalis and Cephalotes inca the long petiolar spines and the two pairs of anterior propodeal teeth flat and broad. Large workers of femoralis have the posterior face of the femora with superficial, irregular, longitudinal rugosities; the same structure is also present in Cephalotes mompox but the rugosities in this species are much more impressed and are present in workers of all sizes.

Key to Cephalotes Workers

Distribution
Known from Columbia and Panama.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela.

Nomenclature

 *  femoralis. Cryptocerus femoralis Smith, F. 1853: 219, pl. 20, fig. 3 (w.) COLOMBIA. Combination in Paracryptocerus: Kempf, 1951: 202; in Zacryptocerus: Brandão, 1991: 386; in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 266. Subspecies of complanatus: Emery, 1890b: 75. Junior synonym of complanatus: Roger, 1861b: 173; Dalla Torre, 1893: 142; Emery, 1924d: 307. Revived from synonymy, revived status as species and senior synonym of silvae: Kempf, 1951: 202. See also: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 267.
 * silvae. Cryptocerus silvae Forel, 1906d: 233 (w.) COLOMBIA. Combination in Cryptocerus (Paracryptocerus): Emery, 1924d: 307. Junior synonym of femoralis: Kempf, 1951: 202.

Worker
Kempf (1951) - Length 6.6 mm. Median head length 1.56 mm; Weber's length of thorax 2.07 mm. Black; the following ferruginous: tip of mandibles, frontal carinae, lateral border of pronotal plates. Tip of last funicular segment orange.

Head subopaque, subtrapezoid. Mandibles finely reticulate-punctate, finely reticulate-rugose. Sides of head greatly sinuate, distinctly converging in front, conspicuously expanded above the eyes. Frontal carinae prolonged behind the scrobe, upturned above the eyes, reaching the angulate occipital corner. Occipital border concave, sharply crested laterad, the middle piece slightly convex. Upper surface of head very little convex, finely reticulate-punctate, densely foveolate discally, reticulate-rugose and foveolate laterad and caudad, each foveola containing a broad, appressed, short, canaliculate, silvery scale. Cheeks strongly marginate beneath, densely covered with large silvery appressed scales. Lower surface of head reticulate-rugose and foveolate, rather densely scaled.

Thorax subopaque. Sides of lateral pronotal plates subparallel, the anterior angle subrectangular, the posterior corner rounded. Promesonotal suture obsolete. Mesonotum with a strong lateral spine. Mesoepinotal suture obsolete.

Basal face of epinotum with a broad, plate-like triangular tooth, having on its anterior border a smaller accessory denticule, on each side, and a posterior, short, acuminate spine, projecting obliquely backward and upward, shorter than the length of the basal face. Promesonotum somewhat convex in profile. Declivous face coarsely longitudinally striated, its sides subemarginate. Dorsum of thorax finely reticulate-punctate, coarsely reticulate-rugose, densely scaled below, smooth above. Femora, even the fore femora, greatly incrassated and compressed, angulate above the lateral faces rather densely reticulate-punctate longitudinally rugulose and subopaque. Tibiae prismatic. Hind basitarsus broader and shorter than in multispinus [= basalis].

Petiole and postpetiole subopaque. The petiolar spines less upturned than in multispinus [= basalis]. Both segments above with a median longitudinal carinule, which in the postpetiole arises from a median tooth on the anterior border.

Gaster subopaque; broadly subcordiform; very convex above. First gastral tergite scarcely emarginate in front mesad, narrowly crested antero-Iaterad, rather conspicuously longitudinally areolate-rugulose, not foveolate, without distinctly visible scales. Longitudinal rugulae very distinct on base and apical third of the tergite. First sternite with coarse longitudinal striae laterad. Sparse, erect hair on the apical third of the gaster.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 6.08-6.92; HL 1.48-1.68; HW 1.92-2.24; EL 0.5-0.56; PW 1.68-2.00; PeW 1.28-1.56; PpW 1.16-1.40; HBaL 0.60-0.72; HBaW 0.28-0.34; CI 129.7-136.8; PI 110.9-120.1; PPeI 124.3-134.4; PPpI 142.8-148.4; HBaI 46.7-50.0.

Type Material
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999):

Worker. Type locality: Colombia. Type material probably lost; neither in nor in.

Cryptocerus silvae. Worker. Type localities Santa Marta, Sabanilla, Cienaga, Calabasio, Ouriheka (Colombia). Type material: 13 syntype workers labelled "Cr. silvae, Sta. Martha, Colombie, Forel", in, examined; one syntype worker same data as before in , examined; 4 syntype workers labelled " Cr. silvae, Sabanilla, Santschi", in MHNG, examined. Lectotype selected by Kempf (1951) not found in MHNG.