Myopias conicara

M. conicara is distributed in the hot tropical and subtropical forested regions of southern Yunnan Province, China (Xu and Liu 2012) as well as northern Vietnam (Ito et al. 2020). This rare species is a specialized ground predator on xystodesmid millipedes (Ito et al. 2020).

Identification
According to the character of petiolar node, this new species is close to Myopias levigata from Papua New Guinea, but in profile view, subpetiolar process has a pair of posteriorly pointed small denticles at posteroventral corner; in dorsal view, lateral sides of petiolar node convex, anterolateral corners rounded. The new species is also close to Myopias loriai from Papua New Guinea, but in profile view, subpetiolar process has a triangular posteroventrally pointed denticle at anteroventral corner, and has a pair of small posteriorly pointed denticles at posteroventral corner; in dorsal view, petiolar node about as long as broad.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: China.

Biology
Ito et al. (2020) collected a queenright colony (1 dealate queen, 41 workers and 38 larvae) in Vietnam, under a stone in evergreen forest. Both the queen and workers fed on xystodesmid millipedes. After paralyzing a millipede and retrieving it to the nest, its head was first removed by the workers, and then the larvae were put on the anteriormost ring of the trunk. After the inner tissue of this ring was consumed, the exoskeleton was discarded, and the feeding sequence was repeated on the following rings of the trunk, until the entire prey was consumed. The ring-shaped exoskeletons of the prey were discarded next to the nest entrance.

Castes
Queen-worker dimorphism is only slight. The head width of the queen (1.16 mm) was smaller than the mean head width of workers (1.19±0.05 mm, N = 25), however, the abdomen width of the queen (1.26 mm) was remarkably larger than that of workers (1.06±0.03 mm, N = 25). The queen had three ocelli, and a fully segmented flight thorax with tegulae, indicating she had wings previously. Both the queen and the workers (n = 10) had six (3–3) ovarioles and a spermatheca.

Nomenclature

 *  conicara. Myopias conicara Xu, 1998a: 123, figs. 5, 7 (w.) CHINA. Xu & Liu, 2012: 829 (q.).

Worker
Holotype: TL 7.5, HL 1.50, HW 1.40, CI 93, SL 1.33, SI 96, PW 1.00, AL 2.20, ED 0.25, ML 1.35, MI 90, PNL 0.37. Head slightly longer than broad, broadest in front, narrowed posteriorly; in full face view, occipital margin nearly straight, occipital corners roundly prominent. Eyes placed on lateral sides, close to the bases of mandibles. Mandibles long and slender, slightly curved inward; inner margin with a blunt tooth near the center; masticatory margin narrow, oblique and slightly concave, with a very small denticle at basal 1/3, apical tooth acute, basal tooth triangular. Middle part of clypeus triangular, anterior margin roundly concave, anterolateral corners protruding and dentiform. Frontal lobes large, laterally expanded. Frontal furrow reached to midline of head. Antennal scapes surpass occipital corners by about 1/8 of its length; flagella incrassate towards apex, apical segment slightly longer than the preceding 2 segments combined. Ventral face of head with a conical tubercle in the middle and close to the anterior margin. In profile view, dorsum of alitrunk at the same level, promesonotal suture distinct and depressed, metanotal groove slightly depressed. Mesonotum short, crescent in dorsal view. Dorsum of propodeum slightly convex, rounded into declivity, the latter nearly truncate, about as long as dorsum. In profile view, petiolar node quadrate, slightly higher than long; anterior face very weakly concave; posterior face truncate, each side with a vertical narrow depression close to the lateral margin; dorsal face roundly convex, anterodorsal angle and posterodorsal angle rounded, at the same height. In dorsal view, petiolar node about as long as broad, narrowing forwards, anterior margin slightly convex, anterolateral corners rounded, posterior margin straight. Subpetiolar process with a posteroventrally pointed triangular denticle at anteroventral corner, and with a pair of small posteriorly pointed denticles at posteroventral corner. Anterior face of gaster truncate, constriction between the basal two segments distinct. Mandibles sparsely punctate, interspace smooth and shining. Head with abundant moderate large punctures, distance between punctures about equal to diameter of one puncture, interspace smooth and shining; punctures on central dorsum of head sparse. Dorsum of alitrunk, dorsum of petiolar node and first gastral segment with sparse large, elliptic punctures, interspace finely longitudinally rugulose, less shining; a longitudinal central strip on dorsa of pronotum and mesonotum without punctures; lateral sides of pronotum, and of petiolar node sparsely punctate; lateral sides of alitrunk finely longitudinally rugulose, opaque; declivity and posterior face of petiolar node surperficially transversely rugulose, less shining. Gastral segments 2-6 smooth and shining, but anterior half of 2nd segment sparsely punctate. Head and body with abundant erect or suberect hairs and abundant decumbent pubescences. Antenna1 scapes with sparse suberect hairs and dense decumbent pubescences ; hind tibiae with sparse decumbent hairs and dense depressed pubescences. Body in colour black; mandibles, antennae, legs, and apex of gaster reddish brown; hairs and pubescences light yellow.

Queen
Paratype dealate females: TL 8.5-9.4, HL 1.55-1.70, HW 1.40-1.65, CI 90-97, SL 1.30-1.50, SI 91-13, PW 1.23-1.33, AL 2.63-2.88, ED 0.33-0.38, ML 1.30-1.50, MI 84-88, PNL 0.80 (n=2). Similar to holotype, but body larger; head with 3 ocelli, conic tubercle on ventral face of head large and low; mesonotum large, with tegulae, transverse sutures and longitudinal furrows; dorsum of propodeum shorter than declivity.

Type Material
Holotype: Worker, Longlin Village, 1 090 m, Mengla County, Yunnan Province, Mar. 5, 1997, No. A97-186 (Seping Dai). Paratypes: 1 dealate female, with same data as holotype; 1 dealate female, Sanchahe, 950 m, Jinghong County, Yunnan Province, Feb. 28, 1997, No. A97-73 (Yuchu Lai). The type specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection, Department of Forest Protection, Southwest Forestry College, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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