Thaumatomyrmex cochlearis

Kempf (1975) - The trivial name of the species suggests and records the fact that the holotype, was found among empty shells of land snails from an area in which the ground was literally carpeted with these shells. Creighton admits that the occurrence of the single worker among the shells was entirely fortuitous, but leaves the suggestion that the species might be a snail eater, finding similarity between the mandibles of Thaumatomyrmex workers and those of the snail-eating Carabid beetle Cychrus.

Identification
Kempf (1975) - The description (see below) already differentiates the present species from Thaumatomyrmex mutilatus and Thaumatomyrmex contumax. The differences from the remaining species in the genus consist in the peculiar sculpture of the integument of the body, especially of head, the more abundant pilosity, the bulky petiolar node which presents in side-view the anterior surfaces subparallel and the apex very broadly rounded, a condition approximately obtained only in Thaumatomyrmex manni. This is it very distinctive species in its own right, with no peculiarly close affinities to any other of the known forms.

Baroni Urbani and de Andrade (2003) - Resembling Thaumatomyrmex nageli but differing from it, in the worker, by the head width behind the eyes narrower, by the sides of the mesosoma with larger and sparser piligerous punctures instead of minutely punctate-reticulate, by the sides of the petiole and of the gaster with piligerous punctures denser and with anastomosing canaliculation rare instead of dense anastomosing canaliculation and rare piligerous foveae, and by the hairs longer and denser.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Cuba, Greater Antilles.

Biology
Mann (1929) described the collecting conditions for the type material, a holotype worker: a trip was made to the Minu Carlota, a pyrites mine in the Sierras to the south of Cumanyagua. The country in the vicinity of the mine is characteristic of the Cuban mountains; heavily wooded and excessively steep slopes with numerous limestone outcrops. The shells of land snails, always in evidence wherever the limestone occurs, were present in the greatest abundance, there being certain areas in which he ground was literally carpeted with the empty shells. Mr. W. J. Clench, Curator of Conchology of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, made a large collection of these, and on the return of the party to Soledad the new Thaumatomyrmex was discovered among the shells which had been spread out for sorting. Only one specimen was found and since the time was to short to permit a return to the Mina Carlota, no search could be made for other specimens.

E.O. Wilson collected a specimen in dry lowland deciduous forest from a litter sample.

According to Wheeler (1937) a single worker from Limones was also collected with Berlese funnel.

Nomenclature

 *  cochlearis. Thaumatomyrmex cochlearis Creighton, 1928: 163, fig. 1 (w.) CUBA. See also: Kempf, 1975b: 110; Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2003a: 267.

Worker
Kempf (1975): TL 4.0 mm; HL 0.77 mm; HW 0.83 mm; CI 107; ML 0.73 mm; MI 95; IfW 0.52 mm; IfI 63; SL 0.57 mm; SI 74; WL 1.16 mm; PnW 0.56 mm; HfL 0.75 mm; HfI 90; PW 0.61 mm. Black; mandibles, frontal lobes, antennae and legs, except the black fore coxae, yellowish brown to ferruginous; exposed portion of terga III-V of gaster likewise brown. Head dorsally sculptured, the gular face smooth and shining; the dorsal sculpture is as follows: clypeus and frontal area finely longitudinally striate; remainder of cephalic dorsum striato-rugose, the rugae and striae diverging caudad, with coarse interspersed punctures, the median stripe on frons and vertex with the sculpture obsolescent and somewhat smooth and quite shining. Mandibles finely striate dorsally on base until origin of apical spine, the rest smooth and shining. Antennal scape and tibiae, also the tarsomeres, finely reticulate-punctate, not quite smooth nor noticeably shining. Thorax basically smooth and shining but with the same coarse punctures as on head, which here are somewhat sparser, especially on dorsum of promesonotum, denser on propodeum and sides, the latter also with patches of horizontal rugulae on posterior half; declivous face of propodeum with vestigial transverse rugae on upper half; mesopleura nearly entirely smooth and shining, except for a row of punctures along posterior border. Coxae and femora indistinctly sculptured, nearly smooth and quite shining. Petiole densely but more, finely punctured, the punctures sparser on anterior surface and dorsal face of node, the interstices smooth and shining. Gaster with the punctures still sparser and less conspicuous, especially on dorsum of tergum I and II which are quite smooth and shining. Remaining terga and sterna superficially punctulate to reticulate, quite shining. Hairs brownish yellow, pointed at apex, curved to suberect, much more abundant than in the other species, their distribution indicated in Figs. 14 and 23; note the presence of oblique projecting hairs on sides of head behind eyes and the three hairs on each side of declivous face of propodeum. Hairs on scapes and legs appressed.

Head in full-face view similar to that of Thaumatomyrmex mutilatus, i. e. nearly as long as broad, but somewhat more broadened in front, and its greatest length is between two parallels drawn through the anterior most point of the somewhat stalked mandibular acetabula of head and the posteriormost point of occipital carinule which is visible in full-face view. Mandibles (Fig. 29) lacking a tooth at base of proximal spine; this and the intermediate spines relatively longer, the intermediate spine longer than half the chord length of apical spine; the latter measures twice the distance between the mandibular insertion and the point of its own origin and is relatively longer than in mutilatus but does not project beyond the sides of head in front of eyes when the mandibles are closed. Frontal area vestigially delimited. Eyes comparatively smaller, their maximum diameter little longer than one fourth of head length, and bearing only 9-10 facets in a row across the same diameter. Also the interfrontal width is a bit narrower (cf. IfI which is 63 in this species as compared with 72-78 in mutilatus). Scapes likewise shorter, the scape index being only 74 (as compared with 81-89 in mutilatus). Clypeus without the pair of close-set setae on disc. Funicular segments II-VI distinctly broader than long.

Thorax without forming a bulge at pronotum, the dorsal outline of the latter continuous with the following mesonotum and basal face of propodeum; antero-inferior corner rounded. Metanotal suture vestigially discernible in dorsal view (very close to the promesonotal junction but does not break the dorsal profile. Propodeum with rather straight basal and declivous faces, both forming a distinct but narrowly rounded and obtuse angle at their junction; the latter marginate to vestigially carinulate on inferior half; the lowermost of the three setae projecting from lateral border arising from the top of this carinule. Petiole subtrapezoidal in dorsal view, broadest behind, yet not scalelike; as seen in profile, the little slanting anterior face is almost subparallel to posterior face, with the apex very broadly rounded; subpetiolar process well-developed anteriorly, posteriorly low and inconspicuous.

Baroni Urbani and de Andrade (2003) - TL 3.86 (last gastral tergite and sternite missing)-4.20; HL 0.72-0.78; HW1 0.79-0.86; HW2 0.74-0.80; EL 0.22-0.24; SL 0.55-0.59; ML 0.73-0.80; WL 1.14-1.24; PeL 0.46-0.50; PeW 0.58-0.63; HFeL 0.72-0.78; HTiL 0.63-0.68; HEaL 0.51-0.55; CI1 107.7-111.7; CI2 101.4-102.7; SI 74.3-76.7; MI 98.6-102.6.

Head subquadrate, broader anteriorly and with the sides gently converging posteriorly. Vertexal margin poorly concave medially and with a narrow carina. Frontal lobes developed, largely surpassing the median clypeal border and slightly shorter than the antero-lateral head sides. Median clypeal border anteriorly straight. Eyes large, slightly less than l/3 of the head length (mandibles excluded) and placed almost entirely on the anterior half of the head. Scapes not reaching the vertexal margin. First funicular joint slightly longer than broad. Joints 2-7 much broader than long, joints 8-l0 slightly broader than long and last joint about as long as joints 6-10. Mandibles with 3 long spiniform teeth. Basal teeth absent, only a minute subround swelling is present before the proximal teeth. Proximal teeth crossing each other on the clypeus. Intermediate teeth slightly hidden by the frontal lobes. Apical teeth reaching or slightly surpassing in length the maximum anterolateral head width.

Mesosoma slightly shorter than 1/3 of the maximum head length (mandibles included). Mesonotum very short and only superficially differentiated from the propodeum in dorsal view. Propodeum gently convex in profile. Dorsal area between the basal and declivous propodeal faces with a superficial diverging margin. Petiole thick, 1/5 broader than long. Petiole in side view with convex dorsum and truncate anterior and posterior faces. Petiole in dorsal view with gently concave anterior face, with the sides subround and diverging posteriorly. Ventral process of petiole anteriorly with a round tooth and posteriorly straight and minutely crenulated. First gastral tergite in dorsal view with perpendicular anterior face and with convex sides.

Legs elongate. Hind tibiae about l/8 shorter than the hind femora. Hind basitarsi about 1/5 shorter than the hind tibiae. Fore and hind tibiae with a pectinate spur each. Spur of fore legs with a basal spine each. Mid tibiae with a small simple spur.

Sculpture. Anterior half of the head dorsum covered with thin, longitudinal rugosities and sparse piligerous foveae. Posterior half of the head dorsum smooth and with piligerous foveae, the foveae very superficial on the center. Ventral face of the head smooth with rare piligerous foveae. Mesosoma smooth and with piligerous foveae, the foveae smaller, sparse and more superficial on the center of the pronotum, on the anterior half of the propodeal dorsum, rare or very sparse on the mesopleurae and on the anterior half of the metapleurae. Declivous face of the propodeum with thin, transversal rugosities. Petiole smooth and with piligerous foveae smaller than on the mesosoma, the foveae very sparse on its dorsum. Gastral tergites smooth and with very sparse minute piligerous foveae. Legs minutely punctate.

Pilosity. Head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole with sparse subdecumbent or decumbent, truncate long hairs. Antennae and legs with appressed short hairs. Funicular joints, neck and antenna! fossae with very short, appressed hairs. Clypeus dorsally with two pairs of hairs close to the frontal lobes, the lower external pair longer.

Colour. Head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster black. Antennae, frontal lobes, mandibles and legs orange-ferruginous.

Type Material
Kempf (1975) - A lone worker (holotype) taken by W. J. Clench and W. S. Creighton at Mina Carlota (Cumanayagua) on November 2, 1927, in the Creighton collection, not seen. Dr. R. R. Snelling kindly sent me the requested information on the specimen, including the following measurements: HL 0.82 mm; median head length (from anterior clypeal border to occiput along sagittal line) 0.70 mm; HW 0.88 mm; ML 0.79 mm; IfW 0.54 mm SL 0.59 mm.