Strumigenys nageli

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
Baroni Urbani & De Andrade (2007) - A member of the Strumigenys elongata-group. Resembling Strumigenys spathula but differing from it by the apicoscrobal hairs short and spatulate instead of long and flagellate, by the humeral hairs long and thicker in their distal half, instead of long and filiform and by the spatulate standing hairs on the gaster, longer and thinner.

S. nageli is very similar to spathula from Venezuela, Trinidad and Central America but the characters listed in the diagnosis permit easy separation of the two species.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador.

Nomenclature

 *  nageli. Strumigenys nageli Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 162, fig. 56 (w.) ECUADOR.

Worker
TL 2.44-2.58; HL 0.63-0.66; HW 0.49-0.50; SL 0.45; ML 0.38-0.40; EL 0.05-0.06; WL 0.60-0.65; CI 75.7-77.7; SI 90.0-91.8; MI 60.3-60.6.

Head sides converging anteriorly, with round vertexal corners. Frontal lobes weakly expanded and convex. Antennal fossae ventrally with a narrow carina visible in full-face view, straight, not covering the lower margin of the scrobes and ending close to the eyes. Eyes small, with 4 ommatidia in the longest row, placed over the ventral margin of the antennal scrobes, and visible in dorsal view. With head in profile the scrobe distinct, with marked upper margin only. Clypeus triangular. Lateral clypeal margin gently converging anteriorly to a straight or gently concave margin. Scapes subcylindrical, about 2/3 of the head length and largely surpassing the eyes posteriorly. Antennae with six joints. Apical funicular joint much longer than the rest of the funiculus. Mandibles elongate. Apical fork of the mandible with two spiniform teeth and without intercalary denticles.

Mesosoma in profile weakly convex anteriorly and sloping posteriorly to the convex basal face of the propodeum. Propodeal teeth pointed. Declivous face of the propodeum with a very faint margm.

Petiole with a long neck, the node high and convex dorsally. Ventral surface of the petiole with a narrow lamina on the anterior third. Petiolar node with posterior margin surrounded by spongiform process. Postpetiole convex in profile. Anterior and posterior margins of the postpetiole surrounded by spongiform processes, the process narrow on the anterior margin. Ventral surface of the postpetiole with dense spongiform process.

Gaster oval and with thin, short costulae. Base of the first gastral tergite and sternite with spongiform pad irregular on the sternite.

Sculpture. Head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole reticulate-punctuate, this sculpture less marked on the postpetiole. Centre of the lower mesopleurae smooth. Gaster smooth.

Pilosity. Head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole with subdecumbent or decumbent, spatulate hairs, very sparse on the mesosoma and rare on the pedicel. Apicoscrobal hair spatulate. Cephalic dorsum with one pair of standing spatulate hairs close to the occipital margin. Humeral hairs long, increasing in width from mid-length to near the apex and apically gently pointed or truncate. Mesonotal dorsum with 1 pair of erect hairs similar to the humeral ones but shorter. Petiole, postpetiole and gaster with erect, long, spatulate hairs very sparse on the pedicel.

Colour. Brown with slightly darker gaster.

Type Material
Holotype worker from Ecuador labelled: Esmeralda, Rioverde, Via San Lorenzo, Km 67, leaf-litter, 22.VIII.2004, C. Baroni Urbani & M. L. de Andrade. Paratypes: 4 workers, same data as the holotype (PUCE, ).

Etymology
This species is named after Prof Dr Peter Nagel.