Cephalotes guayaki

One collection was made in a forest. Little else is known about the biology of .

Identification
A member of the fiebrigi clade differing from its sister species, Cephalotes fiebrigi, in the worker, soldier and gyne by the body with sparser erect, truncate hairs. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Distribution
Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul; Paraguay.

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

Nomenclature

 *  guayaki. Cephalotes guayaki De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 664, figs. 311, 312 (s.w.q.) PARAGUAY.

Worker
Differing from quadratus in the following details:

Head slightly longer than broad and less convex dorsally. Vertexal angles subtruncate. Frontal carinae concave in front of the eyes and superficially sinuous over the eyes.

Mesosoma less convex in profile. Pronotal lamellae less converging posteriorly. First pair of pronotal spines less protruding. Basal face of the propodeum with two pairs of teeth subequal in size.

Lateral expansions of the postpetiole developed anteriorly and oriented more ventrally.

Sculpture. Head, mesosoma, pedicel, outer face of the femora and tibiae with more impressed foveae. Propleurae with rare, thin, longitudinal rugosities.

Pilosity. Hairs of type (3) of quadratus (where they are restricted to the gaster) also present on the dorsum of the head, of the mesosoma, of the pedicel, and denser on the dorsum of the first gastral tergite.

Colour. Black. Legs brown. Frontal carinae light brown.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 3.74-3.88; HL 0.88-0.90; HW 0.85-0.88; EL 0.25-0.26; PW 0.76; PeW 0.47-0.48; PpW 0.50-0.52; HBaL 0.32-0.33; HBaW 0.07-0.08; CI 96.6-97.8; PI 111.8-115.8; PPeI 158.3-161.7; PPpI 146.1-152.0; HBaI 21.8-24.2.

Soldier
Head longer than broad, with complete disc. Floor of the disc convex only on the posterior third and gently concave anteriorly. Frontal carinae and borders of the disc crenulate and raised anteriorly. Sides of the disc strongly narrowing backwards, not hiding the eyes and connected by a convex border; posterolateral borders of the disc less marked. Vertexal angles slightly convex and with a median triangular tooth. Mandibles with a strong carina. Dorsal border of the antennal scrobes with a longitudinal, denticulate carina just in front of the eyes.

Mesosoma. Anterior pronotal border gently convex. Humeral angles with a pair of small denticles. Pronotal sides straight. Pronotal carina superficially marked. Promesonotal suture superficially impressed. Sides of the mesonotum with a broad, subround tooth. Propodeal suture impressed. Propodeum with well differentiate basal and declivous faces. Sides of the basal face with one or two small, round denticles followed by a stout tooth gently curved upwards. Declivous face converging posteriorly.

Petiole and postpetiole as in the worker but with the lateral expansions less developed.

Mid and hind femora without angles or denticles. Hind basitarsi with subparallel sides.

Gaster with narrow anterolateral lobes protruding anteriorly.

Sculpture. Head, mesosoma, pedicel, distal part of the outer face of the femora and tibiae minutely reticulate-punctate, superficially shining and foveolate, the foveae contiguous and deeper on the head dorsum and on the pronotum, slightly sparser and shallower on the ventral part of the head and on the mesonotum, oval and very superficial on the basal face of the propodeum, on the pedicel, on the outer face of the femora and on the tibiae, rare on the pleurae. Pro- and lower meso- and metapleurae with additional thin, longitudinal rugosities. Gaster and remaining parts of the legs reticulate, the reticulation more impressed on the first gastral tergite.

Pilosity. Body with three types of hairs: (1) canaliculate, originating from the foveae, subdecumbent on the head dorsum, appressed on the rest of the body, slightly shorter and thinner on the body parts without foveae; (2) subclavate and rare on the posterolateral border of the frontal carinae; (3) subtruncate and sparse on the mesosoma, on the pedicel, on the gaster and on the legs.

Colour. Black. Anterior half of the frontal carinae, pronotal sides and legs dark orange-ferruginous.

First gastral tergite with two pairs of yellow spots, the first pair close to the lobes and the second one close to the posterior border.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.76-5.56; HL 1.24; HW 1.12-1.16; EL 0.30-0.31; PW 1.04; PeW 0.55-0.59; PpW 0.57-0.64; HBaL 0.34; HBaW 0.10; CI 90.3-93.5; PI 107.7-111.5; PPeI 176.3-189.1; PPpI 162.5-182.4; HBaI 29.4.

Queen
Differing from the soldier in the following details:

Head slightly longer than broad. Vertexal angles simply angulate medially. Humeral angles only angulate. Pronotal sides straight. Mesonotum and scutellum flat. Sides of the basal face of the propodeum with a small pair of short, round denticles and with a pair of small, stout teeth, slightly diverging. Petiolar sides with a pair of small, pointed denticles. Postpetiolar spines smaller. Gaster longer and with more protruding lobes.

Sculpture. Foveae sparser on the mesonotum and denser on the upper mesopleurae. Pleurae with rugosities present only on the lower propleurae. The rest as in the soldier.

Pilosity. Mesosoma, pedicel, gaster and legs with hairs of type (3) denser.

Colour. As in the soldier except for the frontal carinae dark orange-ferruginous.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 6.12; HL 1.20; HW 1.08; EL 0.31; PW 1.02; PeW 0.52; PpW 0.57; HBaW 0.10; CI 90.0; PI 105.8; PPeI 196.1; PPpI 170.0.

Type Material
Holotype worker from San Salvador, Paraguay, Bohls leg. in ; paratypes 13 workers, 6 soldiers, 1 gyne, same data as the holotype in MCSN, 1 worker, same data as the holotype in.

Etymology
The Guayaki are one of the Indian tribes of Paraguay.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Wild, A. L.. "A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Zootaxa 1622 (2007): 1-55.
 * de Andrade, M.L. & C. Baroni Urbani. 1999. Diversity and Adaptation in the ant genus Cephalotes, past and present. Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde Serie B 271. 893 pages, Stuttgart