Strumigenys onorei

Known from the Ecuadorian type material, collected from leaf litter.

Identification
Baroni Urbani & De Andrade (2007) - A member of the gundlachi complex in the Strumigenys gundlachi group. Resembling Strumigenys enopla but differing from it by the smaller SI values (≤ 79.5 instead of ≥ 84), by the shorter propodeal spines, by the postpetiole with the ventral spongiform process larger and by the standing hairs on head and gaster shorter.

The 15 species of the gundlachi-complex can be divided in 4 clusters of closely related species. S. onorei can be placed in the gundlachi s. str. cluster comprising the following 5 species: Strumigenys denticulata, Strumigenys eggersi, Strumigenys enopla, Strumigenys gundlachi and Strumigenys jamaicensis. Among these five species, onorei resembles enopla, and both species share the SI ≥ 79-100. Of the other species of the gundlachi complex, only some specimens of jamaicensis and denticulata may have SI 80-81, but jamaicensis differs from onorei and enopla by the strongly developed preapical dentition (inconspicuous in onorei and enopla) and by the larger spongiform process of postpetiole, while denticulata differs from both, onorei and enopta by the pair of erect hairs on the mesonotum shorter and stiff instead of long and flagellate and by the spongiform process of postpetiole much more reduced or absent. S. onorei differs from all the 5 species mentioned above by having the smallest propodeal teeth and probably also by the mesonotum with 2 pairs of erect hairs instead of one (see the description). By using the identification key by Bolton (2000) for the Neotropical species of Pyramica, S. onorei will fall in the couplet 26 where it can be differentiated from jamaicensis by using all characters of the first couplet and excluding only “head slightly shorter and broader, CI 77-85”, and from enopla by the following characters: SI < 80, standing hairs on the head about as long as the eye length, spongiform process of the postpetiole at least 1/3 as height to the exposed cuticle of side of postpetiole disc.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador.

Nomenclature

 *  onorei. Strumigenys onorei Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 143, fig. 50 (w.) ECUADOR.

Worker
TL 2.10-230; HL 0.49-0.54; HW 0.39-0.43; SL 0.31-0.34; ML 0.37-0.39; EL 0.06; WL 0.52-0.58; CI 79.0; SI 79.1-79.5; MI 72.2-75.5.

Head strongly converging anteriorly and with round vertexal corners. Frontal lobes slightly expanded, and convex. Antennal fossae ventrally with a marked carina visible in full-face view, straight, covering the lower margin of the scrobes and ending close to the upper border of the eye. Eyes with 3-4 ommatidia in the longest row, placed over the ventral margin of the antennal scrobes, and partially visible in dorsal view. With the head in profile the scrobe distinct, with the upper margin more marked than the lower one. Lateral clypeal margins gently converging anteriorly into a straight margin. Scapes slightly compressed dorsoventrally, with weak sub-basal bend, about 2/3 of the head length and surpassing the eyes posteriorly. Antennae with six segments. Apical funicular joint slightly longer than the rest of the funiculus. Mandibles elongate. Apical fork of the mandibles with two teeth and with two intercalary denticles. Preapical dentition consisting of a row with 4-6 minute denticles.

Mesosoma in profile gently sloping posteriorly. Propodeal teeth small and triangular; declivous propodeal face with a narrow lamella.

Petiole with a long pedicel and with the node high and convex. Ventral surface of the petiole without spongiform lamina. Petiolar node with marked posterior margin and without spongiform process. Postpetiole gently convex in profile. Postpetiole with marked anterior face; lateral and posterior faces surrounded by narrow spongiform processes slightly broader on the posterior face. Ventral surface of the postpetiole with spongiform process shorter than the height of the node in profile.

Gaster oval and with few, short costulae. Base of the first gastral tergie with narrow, spongiform pad.

Sculpture. Head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole reticulate-punctuate. Lower mesopleurae and gaster smooth.

Pilosity. Head and mesosoma with subdecumbent or decumbent, weakly remiform hairs, rarer on the pronotum and mesonotum, missing on the propodeum. Apicoscrobal hair long and flagellate. Cephalic dorsum with two pairs of standing hairs, one close to the vertexal margin and the other close to the highest point of the vertex. Pronotal humeral hair long and flagellate. Mesonotal dorsum with 1 pair of erect, flagellate hairs. The holotype shows on the left side of the mesonotum one erect stiff hair before the flagellate one. This hair is missing in the unique paratype worker. Petiole, postpetiole and first gastral tergite with erect, sparse, weakly remiform hairs slightly longer on the gaster. Posterior half of the first gastral sternites and remaining sternites with appressed and erect pointed hairs.

Colour. Dark brown-black.

Type Material
Holotype worker from Ecuador labelled: Banos de Agua Santa, Provo Tungurahua, 01°24'S 78°25'W, 1860 m, scndero Bella Vista, leaf-litter, 26.VIII.2004, Juan Manuel Vieira Correa. Paratype: 1 worker, same data and collection as the holotype.

Etymology
This species is named after Prof Dr Giovanni Onore as a sign of gratitude for his multiple helps during our fieldwork in Ecuador.