Strumigenys pydrax

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys semicompta-group. Immediately diagnosed within the group by its complete lack of standing hairs on head and alitrunk and lack of humeral hairs on the pronotum; see also notes under Strumigenys carnassa.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia, New Guinea.

Nomenclature

 *  pydrax. Pyramica pydrax Bolton, 2000: 466 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Combination in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 126

Worker
Holotype. TL 2.0, HL 0.60, HW 0.54, CI 90, ML 0.09, MI 15, SL 0.24, SI 44, PW 0.27, AL 0.58. Clypeus and cephalic dorsum with minute appressed simple hairs. In full-face view the entire dorsolateral margin of the head without projecting simple hairs. In profile cephalic dorsum entirely lacking standing hairs. Head, and remainder of body, entirely lacking flagellate hairs. Leading edge of scape with a few minute inconspicuous appressed hairs. Outer margins of fully closed mandibles intersect anterior clypeal margin some distance mesad of the anterolateral clypeal angles. Dorsum of head lacking rugulose or reticulate-punctate sculpture, almost smooth. Pronotal dorsum transversely flattened and strongly marginate laterally. Entire dorsum and side of alitrunk, petiole node and disc of postpetiole, smooth and shining. First gastral tergite unsculptured except for the basigastral costulae, the latter very short, barely extending beyond the posterior margin of the limbus. Standing hairs absent from promesonotum, pronotal humeral hairs absent. First gastral tergite with a few standing short hairs near base that tend to be inclined toward the postpetiole. Orifice of propodeal spiracle surrounded by a broad pale cuticular annulus that posteriorly extends into the broad lamella of the declivity. Node of petiole in profile with a short, near-vertical anterior face and a much longer, shallowly convex dorsum. Lateral spongiform lobe of petiole large, extending almost the entire length of its side. Ventral lobe of petiole and both lobes of postpetiole large in profile. Petiole node in dorsal view much longer than broad, as long as the postpetiole disc. In dorsal view tissue around the postpetiole disc more lamelliform than spongiform, completely surrounding the disc; the latter with its anterior margin transverse and its sides weakly converging posteriorly.

Type Material
Holotype worker, Indonesia: Irian Jaya, PT Freeport Concession, Siewa camp, 3.04°S, 136.38°E, 200 ft, 13.iv.1998, #98-75, lowland secondary rainforest, ex sifted leaf litter (R. R. Snelling).