Rogeria cuneola

These tiny ants are most often taken in berlesate of leaf litter and rotten wood. Some come from siftings under termite mounds and one was collected in a Cattelya orchid. Habitat of most specimens is rain forest or mesic forest, either primary or secondary growth, but one specimen was found in Yucatán thorn forest.

Identification
Kugler (1994) - curvipubens species group. Postpetiolar node weakly vaulted and with no posterior peduncle. Anterior edge of sternum strongly produced; posterior and ventral edges merge insensibly. Sting shaft and lancets strong, acute; sting shaft with dorsal flange; lancet with barbule. Sides of head and mesosoma with strong microareolate sculpture that obscures weak macrosculpture and makes intervals opaque. Dorsal face of propodeum without transverse rugulae.

See Rogeria micromma and Rogeria minima discussions for comparisons with other tiny Rogeria.

Distribution
Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua.

Castes
Males and intercastes have been collected in Honduras but have not been described.

Nomenclature

 *  cuneola. Rogeria cuneola Kugler, C. 1994: 68, figs. 77-78, 103 (w.q.) MEXICO.

Worker
Holotype and Paratype. TL 2.0-2.1 (2.0), HL 0.50-0.54 (0.51), HW 0.43-0.46 (0.43), SL 0.32-0.35 (0.33), EL 0.05-0.06 (0.05) (6-7 facets), PW 0.31-0.33 (0.31), WL 0.51-0.56 (0.52), SpL 0.07-0.09 (0.08), PetL 0.20-0.22 (0.20), PpetL 0.10-0.12 (0.11)mm, CI O.84-0.87 (0.84), OI 0.10-0.13 (0.13), SI 0.73-0.78 (0.77), PSI 0.15-0.17, MHI 0.94-1.02 (1.02). N=7

Nontype Workers. TL 2.0-2.3, HL 0.50-055, HW 0.43-0.48, SL 0.31-0.36, EL 0.04-0.06 (5-10 facets), PW 0.30-0.37, WL 0.52-0.60, SpL 0.07-0.11), PetL 0.21-0.24, PpetL 0.11-0.13mm, CI 0.83-0.85, OI 0.10-0.13, SI 0.72-0.78, PSI 0.14-0.17, MHI 0.93-1.03. N=9

Like Rogeria curvipubens, but differing in the following ways in addition to diagnosis. Relative widths of nodes with slightly different ranges (PetW/PetL 0.56-0.70); PpetW/PpetL 1.38-1.52). Sting apparatus of specimens from Oaxaca (paratypes) and Vera Cruz, Mexico with strong, acute sting shaft and lancets as in inermis.

Posterior head with transversely arching rugose-areolate macrosculpture. Compared to curvipubens, rugae on mesosoma dorsum with more lateral spurs that may connect rugae and create areolae on anterior pronotum and on metanotum. Macrosculpture on mesosoma sides absent or weakly rugose-areolate. Dorsal face of propodeum lacks macrosculpture.

Head dorsum with 0-16 hairs suberect hairs; mesosoma dorsum with 1-8 pairs (usually 2-7). Erect hair on gaster T1 usually limited to posterior margin, but entirely absent from Jalisco specimen and entirely covering the tergum of the Yucatán specimen. The Yucatán specimen is also unique in having some stiff, spatulate hairs on head, mesosoma and gaster.

Queen
Paratype and Nontype. TL 2.3-2.5, EL 0.53-0.56, HW 0.45-0.50, SL 0.35-0.38, EL 0.10-0.11, PW 0.39-0.45, WL 0.65-0.72, SpL 0.11-0.14, PetL 0.22-0.25, PpetL 0.13-0.15mm, CI 0.85-0.89, SI 0.76-0.78, PSI 0.16-0.19. N=2

Queen as in Rogeria curvipubens, except for shape of postpetiole, sting, and sculpture as in workers of cuneola. Mandibles with 6 or 7 teeth. Sides of head and mesokatepisterna strongly microareolate and opaque. Paratype queen with erect-suberect hair over whole gaster T1.

Type Material
Holotype locality. MEXICO: Oaxaca State, 1 mi. E Reforma, 15-VIII-1973, litter, tropical evergreen forest (A. Newton).

Paratype localities. MEXICO: 14 workers, holotype locality, , , MCZ, , ; 1 worker, 1 queen, Oaxaca State, 1 mi. E Reforma, near Tuxtepec, 12-15-VIII-1973, litter forest floor (A. Newton) [3 stings, 1 worker coated for SEM] MCZ.

Etymology
The name cuneola (L., small wedge) refers to the shape of the postpetiolar sternum in lateral view.