Cephalotes simillimus

Identification
A member of the laminatus clade characterised in the worker by the eyes broader than 1/3 of the head length, in the worker and in the soldier by the propodeal spines expanded ventrally into a lamella. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Distribution
Colombia, Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia.

This taxon was described from Guyana.

Nomenclature

 *  simillimus. Paracryptocerus (Paracryptocerus) simillimus Kempf, 1951: 184, figs. 125, 126 (w.) GUYANA. Combination in Zacryptocerus: Brandão, 1991: 388; in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 208.

Worker
Length 3.9 mm. Median head length 1.00 mm; Weber's length of thorax 1.12 mm. Black; the following ferruginous: apex of mandibles, antennae, tip of femora, tibiae, tarsi, apical gastral segments, epinotal and petiolar spines. Frontal carinae yellowish-brown.

Head opaque, longer than broad, broadest behind the eyes; interocular distance distinctly shorter than maximum length of head (45 : 50). Lateral margins somewhat sinuate above the eyes, posterior margin straight mesad; the occipital angles with slightly projecting subtransversely truncate entirely infuscated lamellae, the apical border of which is nearly straight. Cheeks strongly marginate beneath, densely covered with silvery, appressed, scale-like hairs. Eyes large, their longest diameter more than 1/3 of median head length. Upper and lower surface of head finely reticulate-punctate, sparsely covered with slender, flattened, simple, appressed, silvery scale-like hairs; slightly larger, denser and somewhat canaliculate, in grooves, in front of the occipital border.

Thorax subopaque. Anterior border moderately arcuate, shoulders acutely angulate. Pronotum somewhat expanded behind laterally with small triangular teeth on each side, coalesced at their base, the posterior being smaller than the anterior tooth. Posterior corners of pronotum in the form of a subrectangular tooth, projecting. Promesonotal suture vestigial. Mesonotum comparatively broader and shorter than in minutus, each side with a small, acute tooth. Mesoepinotal suture distinct and impressed. Basal face of epinotum in the same plane as mesonotum, transverse, with two broad, flat, triangular teeth on each side, the posterior being somewhat longer. The posterior border of the second tooth forms a sharp crest which delimits the declivity laterad and behind. Dorsum of thorax flat, scarcely convex. Declivous face excavated mesad, not striated longitudinally. The entire thorax finely reticulate-punctate, dorsum with dense, elongated grooves, harboring more or less canaliculate, silvery appressed scales, denser than on head. Declivity without scales below. Laterotergites of pronotum and mesopleura indistinctly longitudinally rugose, not striated.

Petiole opaque, transverse, with distinctly set off, slender, long, lateral spine, arising from the anterior corner, pointing slightly backwards. Postpetiole as long as petiole, transverse, with shorter, broader, apically subtruncate lateral spines, curving obliquely forward. Both peduncular segments finely reticulate-punctate with scattered glistening scales.

Gaster subopaque, subcordiform, depressed, moderately convex above. First gastral tergite emarginate antero-mesally, sharply crested antero-Iaterad, not forming a distinct set off lamellate border. Tergites and sternites finely reticulate-punctate. Scale-like silvery hair appressed, simple, rather dense. Erect pile confined to 2d -4th tergites and the sternites.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 3.66-4.18; HL 0.91-1.00; HW 1.08-1.22; EL 0.32-0.37; PW 0.83-0.92; PeW 0.50-0.58; PpW 0.43-0.49; HBaL 0.36-0.40; HBaW 0.07-0.08; CI 116.4-125.0; PI 125.0-130.4; PPeI 156.4-169.2; PPpI 186.9-197.9; HBaI 18.9-20.5.

Soldier
Length 5.9 mm. Median head length 1.65 mm; Weber's length of thorax 1 .73 mm. Black; the following ferruginous: outer border of frontal carinae, antennae, tibiae, tarsi, tips of femora, apical border of gastral tergites and sternites.

Head subfulgid, scarcely longer than wide. Frontal carinae arcuate, diverging caudad to above the posterior end of the antennal scrobe, where they form a distinct yet very obtuse angle, prolonged above the eyes, but more or less obsolete, never forming a raised crest. Occiput distinctly truncate, the upper border not sharply marginate above. Occipital corners rounded. Occipital border blunt, slightly convex. Upper surface of head moderately convex above, slightly impressed mesad, cheeks immarginate below. Upper surface of head very finely punctate, with sparse, small foveolae, in which no distinct hair is visible. Foveolae slightly larger on occiput, still larger containing a visible, decumbent seta, on lower surface of head.

Thorax subfulgid above. Anterior border arcuate, shoulders rounded, sides of pronotum diverging posteriorly with a short, stout and acute, lateral tooth, pointing obliquely forward, then parallel and straight until reaching the lateral corner of the bluntly rounded more or less vestigial and mesally interrupted transverse pronotal keel, then converging towards the mesonotum. Posterior corners rounded. Promesonotum in profile greatly convex. Promesonotal suture vestigial. Mesonotum with a stout and bluntly rounded lateral tooth. Mesoepinotal suture impressed and distinct. Epinotum subopaque. Basal face of epinotum transverse, the posterior border concave and submarginate. Sides with an anterolateral broad, short, triangular tooth and a somewhat longer and more acute, posterior spine which is greatly diverging, having beneath a crest which delimits the entire side of the declivous face, and with a small tooth projecting from the crest beneath the posterior epinotal spine. Declivous face without macrosculpture. Microsculpture of promesonotum as on head, epinotum and sides of thorax finely reticulate-punctate. Upper surface of thorax with sparse, deeply impressed foveolae, rounded on promesonotum, elongate and not as deep on epinotum. Sides of thorax without macrosculpture; declivous face with transversely arcuate, more or less vestigial rugosities.

Petiole opaque, transverse, with a short, stout, subacute and recurved lateral tooth. Posterior half shallowly transversely concave. Postpetiole slightly longer than petiole, as wide as petiole, with very broad, plate-like, apically truncate, lateral projections.

Gaster subopaque, elongate; anterior border deeply emarginate; anterolaterally strongly marginate, without forming a disLinct lamellate border. Sides of gaster moderately convex. Tergites and sternites finely reticulate-punctate, without foveolae.

All foveolae, except the ones on the upper surface of head and promesonotum have a distinct, decumbent, flattened seta, which is shiny and scale-like on the epinotum. Sides sparsely scaled. Gaster with small, decumbent, shiny scales. Erect pile confined to the tergites 2 - 4, the sternites and the posterior half of the first tergite of the gaster.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.98-6.48; HL 1.40-1.68; HW 1.52-1.76; EL 0.40-0.45; PW 1.24-1.54; PeW 0.63-0.77; PpW 0.62-0.72; HBaL 0.42-0.44; HBaW 0.11-0.12; CI 104.8-108.6; PI 114.3-122.6; PPeI 189.2-205.8; PPpI 194.4-213.9; HBaI 25.6-28.6.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Worker, soldier. Type locality: Kartabo (Guyana). Type material: holotype worker in, 13 syntype workers, 6 syntype soldiers labelled: "Kartabo. B. G., Jul. Aug. 1 920, W. M. Wheeler Collection", MCZC and , examined.