Strumigenys kempfi group

Strumigenys kempfi group Bolton (2000)

Worker Diagnosis
Mandibles in full-face view and at full closure elongate-triangular and serially dentate, tooth rows engage throughout their length. In ventral view outer margin of mandible without a prebasal inflected angle. MI 18-23.

Dentition. Mandible with total dental count of 12 minute teeth and denticles, crowded onto a short masticatory margin that is only about equal in length to the basal lamella. The 4-5 basal teeth of the row are somewhat larger than the remainder, but all are small.

Basal lamella of mandible a long low rounded lobe that is taller than the tooth-row and is partially visible in full-face view when the mandibles are fully closed. Teeth follow the basal lamella without a diastema.

Labrum terminates in a pair of narrow digitate to conical lobes.

Clypeus with anterior margin narrowly convex in full-face view, the sides converging anteriorly and the outer margins of the mandibles visible outside the lateral clypeal margins.

Clypeus with appressed short spatulate hairs only.

Preocular carina conspicuous in full-face view.

Ventrolateral margin of head between eye and mandible poorly developed, weakly bluntly angular. Postbuccal impression very shallow and poorly developed.

Cuticle of side of head within scrobe reticulate-punctate.

Scape moderate, SI 75-81, subcylindrical, not dorsoventrally flattened anteriorly and without a sharply defined rim-like or flange-like leading edge.

Leading edge of scape with all hairs minute, appressed and directed toward the apex of the scape.

Pronotum without a median carina but sharply marginate anteriorly and dorsolaterally, the marginations forming high raised rims of almost vertical cuticle all around the depressed, shallowly concave dorsum.

Spongiform appendages enormously hypertrophied around waist segments and also extensively present on alitrunk. In dorsal view spongiform tissue on the alitrunk completely covers the surface of the propodeum and mesonotum, and terminates anteriorly at the posterior limit of the pronotum. In profile the metapleuron and side of propodeum completely covered by spongiform tissue. Nodes of petiole and postpetiole in profile obscured by massive development of the spongiform lobes. Limbus densely spongiform. Base of first gastral sternite in profile with a distinct pad of dense spongiform tissue.

Pilosity. Pronotal humeral hair flagellate and extremely long, the length of the hair exceeding the pronotal width. Extremely long flagellate hairs also arise from the head, pronotum, waist segments, gaster and legs. In full-face view apicoscrobal hair flagellate, its length approaching HW. Ground-pilosity extremely sparse and fine, almost invisible.

Sculpture. Exposed cuticle everywhere on head and alitrunk finely and densely reticulate-punctate.