Cephalotes incertus

Identification
A member of the pinelii clade differing from its sister species, Cephalotes caribicus, by the lobate gaster of the worker. This is the species with the lightest body colour within the clade, a condition rendering the characteristic maculation of the gaster less visible than in other, related species. One of the Argentinean workers from Ceibalito has the medial part of the gaster entirely black. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Key to Cephalotes Workers

Distribution
Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay.

Nomenclature

 *  incertus. Cryptocerus incertus Emery, 1906c: 171, fig. 31 (w.) ARGENTINA. Kempf, 1952: 16 (q.); Kempf, 1974a: 71 (s.). Combination in Cryptocerus (Cyathocephalus): Santschi, 1921h: 125; in Paracryptocerus (Harnedia): Kempf, 1952: 15; in Zacryptocerus: Kempf, 1974a: 71; in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 420.

Worker
Kempf (1952) - Length 4.0 mm. Median head length 0.90 mm. Weber's length of thorax 1.10 mm. Ferruginous; the head slightly darker. Membranaceous borders of thorax and the frontal carinae pale yellow-ferruginous.

Head subquadrate, longer than wide (45:39), as long as thorax. Sides of head straight, not upturned above eyes. Occipital corners rounded, not membranaceous. Occipital border scarcely emarginate. Greatest diameter of eyes less than one fourth of maximum head length.

Thorax longer than wide across the pronotum. Membranaceous border of pronotum and epinotum much narrower than in the other species of the group. Anterior angle of pronotum obtuse, the sides converging caudad. Mesonotum with a broad, blunt, more or less rounded, marginate lobe on each side. Mesoepinotal suture obsolete mesally. Epinotum as broad as mesonotum, narrower than pronotum. Declivous face differentiated from basal face. Hind femora not longitudinally marginate nor crested above the apical half.

Peduncular segments massive. Petiole excavate antero-mesally, with narrowly crested lateral lobe. Postpetiole with an elliptical, membranaceous lobe on each side, the lobes constricted at their base.

Gaster longer than broad, ovate, broadest behind the half of its length. Anterolateral lobes angulate and narrowly crested.

Subopaque, finely shagreened. Dorsum of head, thorax and peduncular segments foveolate, each foveola containing an elongate, oval, canaliculate, golden, appressed scale. No erect setae on the first gastral tergite.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 3.44-4.38; HL 0.80-0.96; HW 0.80-1.04; EL 0.20-0.24; PW 0.70-0.90; PeW 0.37-0.50; PpW 0.40-0.55; HBaL 0.23-0.26; HBaW 0.07-0.10; CI 100.0-108.3; PI 114.3-115.5; PPeI 180.0-189.2; PPpI 163.6-175.0; HBaI 30.4-38.5.

Soldier
Kempf (1974) - Total length 4.5 mm; head length 1.24 mm; head width 1.27 mm; Weber's length of thorax 1.35 mm; width of pronotum 1.27, of mesonotum 0.84, of propodeum 0.73 mm; length and width of petiole 0.26 and 0.49 mm; length and width of postpetiole 0.25 and 0.53 mm; maximum width of gaster 1.11 mm. Ferruginous; mandibles fuscous brown; subtranslucid portion of head disc above antennal scrobe, membranaceous margins of pronotum and propodeum, and lateral appendages of petiole and postpetiole yellowish brown.

Head quadrate, scarcely broader than long. Cephalic disc deeply emarginate above mandibles, anterolaterally evenly rounded, postero-laterally obliquely truncate, posteriorly vestigially between a pair of faint and blunt teeth; rim of disc scarcely crenulate, never glassy nor translucid, obliquely upturned on sides; disc proper gently transversely convex in the middle behind clypeus, moderately concave postero-laterally at level of eyes; clypeal and frontal sutures more or less distinct. Occipital lobes rectangular with sharply carinate margins and a faint carina extending from the occipital corner upward to disc, but fading out before reaching the rim of the latter, separating the lateral faces from the occipital face of head below disc. Inferior border of cheeks continued backwards below eyes and distinctly marginate.

Thorax longer than maximum width of pronotum. Anterior border of the latter straight in the middle, gently deflected caudad on lateral sixth on both sides; lateral corner rectangular, scarcely excavate, narrowly membranaceous; transverse pronotal carina blunt and low, narrowly interrupted in the middle. Promesonotal suture distinct. Mesonotum less than twice as broad as long, the prominent lateral lobes bluntly rounded at apex to obtusely angulate. Metanotal suture indistinct. Propodeum with narrow, membranaceous lateral borders, the border slightly constricted just behind the anterior corner, setting off a shorter membranaceous lobe; at the junction of the basal with the declivous face the border contains a low, solid denticle pointing upward; declivous face shallowly excavate above petiolar insertion. Base of fore coxae anteriorly not drawn out into a pointed cone. Hind femora bluntly angulate above, but without a longitudinal crest on apical half. First tarsomere of hind legs compressed and broadened, shorter than the remaining four tarsomeres combined.

Pedicellar segments rather stout and solid. Petiole as long as postpetiole, antero-mesially excised, laterally with a short, posteriorly strongly deflected apically bluntly pointed membranaceous lobe (as in worker). Postpetiole slightly broader than petiole, with an elliptical membranaceous lobe on each side, the lobes constricted at their base. Gaster much longer than broad, the anterolateral lobes drawn out and mesially angulate to subdentate, not membranaceous.

Integument opaque to subopaque throughout, finely reticulate-punctate. Cephalic disc slightly shining due to superficial microsculpture, with sparse, shallow, oval, squamiferous foveolae; the minimum diameter of the latter subequal to distance between the foveolae. Sides and occiput similarly sculptured, microsculpture stronger, foveolae more crowded; the same holds true for the thoracic dorsum and the dorsum of the postpetiole; gular face of head, sides of thorax (except catepisternum of mesonotum), legs, postpetiole and gaster without distinct foveolae. All foveolae contain golden, canaliculate, appressed scales, which are also present on gular face of head, on sides of mesonotum and on legs, less conspicuous and smaller on gaster. No short, blunt hairs projecting laterally from beneath the rim of the cephalic disc.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.84-5.44; HL 1.04-1.16; HW 1.24-1.32; EL 0.24-0.26; PW 1.24-1.32; PeW 0.49-0.53; PpW 0.53-0.57; HBaL 0.31-0.33; HBaW 0.11-0.12; CI 113.8-119.2; PI 100.0; PPeI 249.0-253.1; PPpI 213.6-234.0; HBaI 35.5-36.4.

Queen
Kempf (1952) - Length 6.1 mm. Median head length 1.20 mm. Weber's length of thorax 1.68 mm. Subopaque. Ferruginous. Disc of head with reddish tinge, frontal carinae, membranaceous border of pronotum and epinotum, lateral projections of petiole lighter, with yellowish or lurid hues. Mandibles, funicular segments and tarsi erruginous.

Head subquadrate, the maximum length slightly exceeding the interocular width. Mandibles finely punctured, except the chewing border, which is smooth and shiny, with four distinct teeth toward apex. Supramandibular excision about twice as broad as deep. Clypeus vestigial, elongate. Frontal carinae prolonged caudad above eyes in the form of a very slightly raised carina, which bends obliquely mesad behind the eyes in order to join with the transverse crest of the vertex. Head disc somewhat convex. Ocelli small, amber in color. The median ocellus somewhat larger than the lateral ones. Occipital corners flattened, rounded and crested. A crest, rising shortly behind the posterior condyle of the mandible runs backwards beneath the eye to the occipital corner. Funicular segments 2-8 much broader than long. Penultimate funicular segment conspicuously longer than the preceding segment. Integument finely reticulate-punctate with sparse, large and somewhat elongate squamiferous foveolae, shallow and very sparse on anterior half of cephalic disc, larger, more deeply impressed and crowded, toward the occiput. Cheeks very densely foveolate rugose with crowded scales. All scales are decumbent and silvery.

Thorax longer than broad across the pronotum. The latter sharply marginate anteriorly and laterally; the anterior border transverse and almost straight, the lateral borders subparallel and crested, the shoulders rounded. Transverse pronotal carina absent. Scutum broader than long and flat. Thorax distinctly constricted in front of the epinotum. Basal face of epinotum transversely convex, half as broad as maximum length of thorax; its lateral borders being crested and its posterior corners having a blunt short tooth. Declivous face at right angle to basal face, with a lateral crest arising from beneath the posterior teeth of the basal face. Dorsum of thorax and mesopleura finely reticulate-punctate with sparse, squamiferous foveolae, less conspicuous than those on the cephalic disc. Laterotergites of pronotum and sides of epinotum shagreened, without scales. Declivous face finely punctate and perpendicularly striolated. Femora fusiform, without a distinct angle near the middle of the upper face.

Petiole broader than long; each side with a projecting lobe, which is continuous anteriorly with the anterior border of the petiole, but distinctly set off posteriorly. Anterior face of petiole perpendicularly excavated; dorsum transversely convex. Postpetiole wider than petiole, wider than long. Lateral lobes as in worker, but not quite membranaceous. Dorsum and sides of perpendicular segments sculptured as thorax, with appressed scales.

Gaster elongate, nearly twice as long as broad, with subparallel sides. Anterolateral lobes angulate mesially, not distinctly crested. Finely shagreened, without conspicuous foveolae, but with sparse, short, minute, appressed, silvery scales. Sternites and terminal tergites of gaster with sparse, short and erect setae.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 5.28; HL 1.08; HW 1.22; EL 0.24; PW 1.08; PeW 0.51; PpW 0.58; HBaL 0.32; HBaW 0.12; CI 113.0; PI 113.0; PPeI 211.8; PPpI 186.2; HBaI 37.5.

Type Material
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Worker. Type locality: Corrientes (Argentina). Type material: holotype worker labelled "Corrientes, 15.VI.900", examined.