Mycetarotes parallelus

Leal et al. (2011) recorded biometric data on three nests of this species that were found in cerrado of São Paula state, Brazil. They found the ground nests had a mound, contained a single chamber and were at most 16 cm deep. The fungus garden consisted of laminar sponges suspended from the ceiling of the chamber or on plant roots. Worker number averaged 357 ±39 and there was one queen per colony.

Identification
Sanchez et al (2015) - Distinguished by the following characters: two pairs of spines on the mesonotum (where other members of the genus have three pairs), well developed petiolar spines, postpetiole without a tooth near each side of the lateral anterior margin, weakly marked outer frontal carinae branches, and a deep circular impression on the dorsal surface of the postpetiole (Mayhé-Nunes & Brandão 2006). A specimen from Colombia also has an opaque integument, reddish-brown head color, yellowish legs and mesosoma, dark gaster with erect hairs absent and sparse appressed hairs.

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

Biology
Sanchez et al (2015) - Mycetarotes parallelus is the most widespread and common of all species of the genus (Mayhé-Nunes & Jaffé, 1998), in contrast to the other species of the genus which are uncommon and whose distributions are restricted to specific conditions (Mayhé-Nunes, 1995; Mayhé-Nunes & Lanziotti, 2004). Unlike other Mycetarotes species M. parallelus commonly lives in open habitats, gallery forest, secondary forest, and disturbed habitats (Solomon et al., 2004). This trend is corroborated by our discovery of Mycetarotes workers in a mature oil palm plantation, located in the Colombian Llanos (a seminatural system dominated by grasslands interspersed with wet and dry forests) (Gilory et al., 2014).

Nomenclature

 *  parallelus. Cyphomyrmex parallelus Emery, 1906c: 161, fig. 23 (w.q.) BRAZIL. Kempf, 1960d: 280 (m.). Combination in C. (Mycetarotes): Emery, 1913b: 251; in Mycetarotes: Kempf, 1960d: 279. Senior synonym of luederwaldti: Kempf, 1960d: 279. See also: Mayhé-Nunes & Brandão, 2006: 468.
 * luederwaldti. Atta (Mycocepurus) luederwaldti Forel, 1911c: 293 (w.q.) BRAZIL. Combination in Cyphomyrmex (Mycetarotes): Emery, 1913b: 251; in Mycocepurus: Luederwaldt, 1918: 39. Junior synonym of parallelus: Kempf, 1960d: 279.