Simopelta manni

Workers have been collected from leaf litter.

Identification
Mackay and Mackay (2008) - It would not be likely to confuse this species with most of the other members of Simopelta, due to the smooth sculpture of most surfaces. It could be confused with Simopelta laevigata, but differs as the head and the pronotum are without sculpture in S. laevigata.

Key to Simopelta

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador.

Habitat
Wet ravine at 1300 m.

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  manni. Simopelta manni Wheeler, W.M. 1935d: 17, fig. 4 (w.) ECUADOR. Combination in Belonopelta: Baroni Urbani, 1975b: 299; in Simopelta: Bolton, 1995b: 383. See also: Gotwald & Brown, 1967: 273; Mackay & Mackay, 2008: 310.

Worker
Length 3 mm.

Slightly smaller and more slender than Simopelta williamsi. Head nearly one and one-third times as long as broad, subtrapezoidal, distinctly broader in front than behind, with slightly convex posterior border and nearly straight sides. Eyes very convex, projecting, hemispherical, at the anterior fourth of the sides. Mandibles rather broad, with nearly straight external and sharp masticatory borders, the latter furnished with three large teeth, the basal tooth acute and separated by a long toothless diastema from the two apical teeth which are distinctly shorter than in williamsi. Clypeus abrupt, bluntly carinate, its anterior border triangularly and obtusely projecting, without a spine. Frontal carina: broader than in williamsi, thick and subsemicircular; frontal groove tenuous anteriorly, broad and deep posteriorly, reaching nearly to the middle of the head. Antenna: long; scapes rather straight, extending fully one-fifth their length beyond the posterior border of the head; first funicular joint nearly twice as long as broad, second broader than long, 3-6 slightly longer than broad, 7-10 as broad as long, terminal joint as in williamsi distinctly enlarged and glandiform, as long as the three preceding joints together. Thorax slender; pronotum without the neck somewhat broader than long, with convex sides and depressed dorsum; promesonotal suture distinct but not impressed; mesonotum laterally compressed, straight in profile and gradually sloping to the distinct mesoepinotal impression; mesoepinotal suture obsolete dorsally; epinotum nearly twice as long as broad, in dorsal view roundly rectangular behind, slightly narrower !anteriorly, in profile with feebly, evenly convex, horizontal base rounding without a distinct angle into the steeply sloping, flattened declivity, which is nonmarginate laterally. Petiole shorter than in williamsi but longer than broad, except the node which is very slightly broader than long, rounded-rectangular, shaped like that of williamsi in profile, its anterior teeth stout and prominent, the ventral projection large and bluntly triangular. Postpetiole and gaster not separated by a constriction, of the same shape as in williamsi. Sting very long. Legs rather slender.

Shining; mandibles subopaque, very finely striate-reticulate with coarse, sparse, piligerous punctures; clypeus indistinctly rugulose in the middle, smooth on the sides; posterior half of head above and frontal carina: with coarse, sparse, shallow, umbilicate punctures, the occiput finely transversely rugulose, the sides of the front sharply longitudinally rugose; the sides of the gula delicately and obliquely rugulose. Neck shagreened, remainder of pronotum smooth and shining except the lateral borders which are delicately, longitudinally striate; mesonotum above transversely striate, its sides and the sides, of the epinotum more sharply, more unevenly and obliquely, the epinotal declivity transversely and evenly rugulose; dorsal surface of epinotum very smooth and shining, with a few scattered piligerous foveolae. Sides of petiolar node arcuately, posterior surface transversely rugulose, the anterior and superior surfaces smooth and very sparsely foveolate, like the base of the epinotum. Postpetiole and gaster very smooth and shining, with fine, very sparse, piligerous punctures. Antennal scapes finely and densely granulose; legs delicately shagreened.

Pilosity white, similar to that of williamsi but decidedly sparser both on the body and appendages; longer on the gaster, especially on its tip and venter. Pubescence absent, Except on the antennal funiculi.

Piceous or brown-black; femora castaneous, tibia: paler and more reddish; lateral borders of frontal carinae, mandibular teeth, trochanters, tarsi and sting reddish yellow.

Mackay and Mackay (2008) - The worker is a relatively small (total length 3.5 mm), dark reddish black ant, with brown appendages. The eye is small (maximum diameter 0.06 mm), located nearly two diameters from the anterior margin of the head. The dorsum of the mesosoma is nearly straight, with the anterior margin of the mesonotum nearly as high as the posterior margin of the pronotum, and the metanotal suture is only slightly depressed. The anterior and posterior faces of the petiole are nearly parallel, and the apex is broadly rounded, nearly forming a distinct face.

The head is densely and coarsely punctate, with the regions between the punctures being moderately smooth and glossy, the side of the mesosoma is very finely sculptured, and glossy, the dorsum of the pronotum has punctures similar to those of the head, but glossy between the punctures, the dorsum of the mesonotum and propodeum are mostly smooth and glossy. The side of the petiole is very finely sculptured, and glossy, as is the dorsal surface, the postpetiole and remainder of the gaster are finely sculptured, and smooth and glossy.

Type Material
Described from four specimens taken Feb. 6-8, 1923 by Dr. F. X. Williams at Mera, Ecuador.

Mackay and Mackay (2008) - Worker, Ecuador: Mera; cotype seen,