Cephalotes resinae

Identification
Species included in the clade: Cephalotes argentiventris, Cephalotes auricomus, Cephalotes flavigaster, Cephalotes hamulus, Cephalotes resinae, Cephalotes taino, Cephalotes unimaculatus, Cephalotes vinosus.

Distribution
This taxon was described from Dominican Republic (in Copal).

Nomenclature

 *  resinae. Cephalotes resinae De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 96, figs. 12B, 32 (w.) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (in copal).

Description
Cephalotes resinae DE ANDRADE new species Figs. 12 B, 32 T y p e m a t e r i a I : holotype worker (unique) in the copal sample Do-3566 of the SMNS. D e r i v a t i o n 0 m i n i s : From the Latin "resina" (= resin), a name meant to contrast with fossilised resin (i. e. amber) and referred to the copal in which the sole known specimen is embedded. D i a g n o s i s. - A member of the hamulus clade characterised by the thick and regular striation, by the pilosity hiding the sculpture and by the first gastral tergite black and with long, thick hairs. W 0 r k e r (Fig. 32). - Vertexal angles round, with crenulate margin; vertexal margin gently concave medially. Vertex with a trace of transversal carina and a median pair of small denticles. Eyes convex. Other head parts as in hamulus. Mesosoma robust, convex in side view. Scapular angles well visible. Anterior pronotal border marked by an impressed carina. Humeral angles with a pair of spines directed anterolaterally and with round tips. Pronotal sides straight, ending in a small, round tooth visible in dorsal view. Promesonotal suture impressed on the sides. Mesonotal teeth absent. Propodeal suture deeply impressed. Propodeum with differentiate basal and declivous faces. Basal face of the propodeum ca. 1/3 broader than long and with straight sides; declivous face with posteriorly slightly converging sides. Propodeal spinc (only the left one intact) shorter than the basal face of the propodeum, thin and oriented postero-Iaterally. Petiole ca. 112 broader than long, its anterior face truncate and marginate dorsally by a crenulate carina interrupt in the middle; its sides converging posteriorly, with a pointed medial tooth 112 of the length of the petiole. Postpetiole ca. 2/3 broader than long, and as long as the petiole; postpetiolar spines pointed, inserted anteriorly and curved backwards. Gaster with a narrow, lamellaceous anterior border reaching the first gastral stigma. Legs as in hamulus. Sculpture. Head minutely reticulate; vertexal area covered by broad impressions or irregular foveae gradually shallower towards the cheeks. Anterior part of the head with small, superficial, sparse foveae. Frontal carinae coarsely reticulate. Ventral side of the head laterally covered by strong longitudinal striae. Cheeks punctate and superficially rugulose. Mesosoma, petiole and postpctiole covered by strong, longitudinal, irregular striae, and superficial reticulation. Declivous face of the propodeum with thick, curved striae and deep reticulation. First gastral tergite covered by reticulation and faint, small, very superficial foveae; its anterior fourth with longitudinal rugosities close to the articulation with the petiole. Corresponding sternite with superficial, longitudinal, lateral rugosities on the anterior half, the rest with impressed reticulation, and rare piligerous foveae smaller than those on the first tergite. Legs as in hamulus. Pilosity. Body with the following types of hairs: (1) truncate, erect to suberect, long on the vertexal area, on the mesosoma and on the pedicel, shorter on the anterior part of the head, on the gastral tergites and on the legs; (2) thick, sparse and appressed, long on the vertexal area, on the meso soma and pedicel, slightly shorter and thinner on the anterior half of the head and on the gastral tergites; (3) thin, rare, appressed and short on the legs; (4) thin, pointed, erect, sparse and long on the gastral sternites. Colour. Black. Frontal carinae lighter. Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 6.84; HL 1 .72; HW 1 .92; EL 0.52; PW 1 .72; PeW 0.80; PpW 1 .00; HBaL 0.64; HBaW 0.1 9; CI 1 1 1 .6; PI 1 1 1 .6; PPe! 215.0; PPpl 1 72.0; HBal 29.7. M a t e r i a I e x a m i n e d. - Dominican Republic: A single worker (holotype) embedded in copal without exact locality [SMNS, No. Do-3S66J. D i s c u s s i o n. - C. resinae appears to be the sister species of the Recent auricomus, also known from the Dominican Republic only. Both species share the dense body striation, the black colour and the first gastral tergite with thick, long hairs. It is noteworthy that both copal species described from the Dominican Republic in this paper (taino and resinae) but none of the much more numerous true fossils from Dominican amber belong to the Recent Hispaniolan endemic hamulus clade. D i s t r i b u t i 0 n : Dominican Republic (copal).