Cephalotes ventriosus

A fossil species known from Mexican amber.

Identification
A member of the coffeae clade differing from Cephalotes alveolatus by having only a few clavate hairs, and from Cephalotes sucinus and Cephalotes obscurus by the pronotal lamellae incised (instead of continuous). C. ventriosus is remarkable for the globose gaster. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Key to Cephalotes Workers

Distribution
This taxon was described from Mexican amber.

Nomenclature

 * † ventriosus. †Cephalotes ventriosus De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 538, figs. 14B, 252 (w.) MEXICAN AMBER.

Worker
Head broader than long. Frontal carinae superficially crenulate and upturned above the eyes. Vertexal angles broad, truncate to round and with superficially crenulate margin. Vertexal margin concave. Vertex with a pair of denticles. Mandibles laterally angulate.

Mesosoma. Scapular angles visible. Pronotum with a pair of lamellae with semi-transparent border broad, long, anteriorly incised and converging posteriorly. Promesonotal suture weakly impressed. Mesonotum with a pair of broad, truncate teeth. Propodeal suture impressed. Propodeum with differentiate basal and declivous faces; sides of the basal face delimited anteriorly and posteriorly by an angle.

Anterior face of the petiole truncate; its sides with a pair of small denticles. Postpetiole convex, subtrapezoidal in dorsal view and with a pair of round, solid expansions directed laterally.

Gaster globose, with a pair of anterolateral, lamellae reaching the stigma posteriorly.

Fore coxae angulate. Hind femora angulate. Mid and hind basitarsi flat and broad at the base.

Sculpture. Head and mesosoma minutely punctate and with variably clumped, small foveae more superficial on the frontal carinae. Pleurae reticulate and with few, longitudinal rugosities. Pedicel punctate and foveolate, the foveae larger on the postpetiole. Gaster punctate and covered by broad, thin reticulation; this structure less impressed on the center of the first gastral sternite. Anterior half of the first gastral tergite with additional, longitudinal rugosities.

Pilosity. Body with the following types of hairs: (1) short, rare, clubbed hairs on the frontal carinae, on the border of the vertexal angles, on the sides of the petiole and postpetiole, on the posterior border of the terminal tergites and on the legs; (2) rare, long, pointed hairs on the gastral sternites.

Colour. Black. Frontal carinae, expansions of the vertexal angles, and pronotal lamellae brown.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 6.10; HL 1.38; HW 1.80; EL 0.36; PW 1.50; PeW 0.52; PpW 0.75; HBaL 0.50; HBaW 0.16; CI 130.4; PI 120.0; PPeI 288.5; PPpI 200.0; HBaI 32.0.

Type Material
Holotype worker (unique) in the Mexican amber sample Mx-391 in the.

Etymology
From the Latin ventriosus (= big-bellied) referred to the large size of the gaster.