Mycetomoellerius zeteki

A fungus growing ant. Weber (1940) found a nest at the slope of a hill in the back of the Barro Colorado island laboratory in dense shade, with a single chamber about 67mm deep in the soil, horizontally elliptical, 42 X 80mm. In 1972, Weber described briefly the population and male flights in the laboratory.

Identification
A member of the Jamaicensis species group. Mayhé-Nunes & Brandão (2007) - See comments for Mycetomoellerius atlanticus. Mycetomoellerius zeteki females share with Mycetomoellerius isthmicus and Mycetomoellerius ixyodus projecting teeth at the anterior margin of the frontal lobes, but differ from females of M. ixyodus by the presence of a single midpronotal denticle, while females of Mycetomoellerius isthmicus show double midpronotal denticles.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama.

Biology
Parasitised colonies have reduced host worker and alate numbers, as well as lower garden biomass, compared with non-parasitised colonies, confirming that M. adamsae is a xenobiotic social parasite. However, host queen survival is not significantly different between parasitised and control colonies (Adams et al., 2012).

Nomenclature

 *  zeteki. Trachymyrmex zeteki Weber, 1940a: 422 (w.) PANAMA.
 * Mayhé-Nunes & Brandão, 2007: 17 (q.).
 * Combination in Mycetomoellerius: Solomon et al., 2019: 948.
 * Senior synonym of balboai: Weber, 1958b: 55.
 * balboai. Trachymyrmex balboai Weber, 1940a: 424 (w.) PANAMA.
 * Junior synonym of zeteki: Weber, 1958b: 55.

Worker
Mayhé-Nunes & Brandão (2007) - (n = 3). TL 5.0 (4.7–5.2); DHL 1.44 (1.40–1.48); HW 1.44 (1.42–1.48); IFW 0.83 (0.80–0.86); ScL 1.00 (0.97–1.02); HWL 0.85 (0.77–0.92); MeL 1.92 (1.88–1.98); PL 0.44 (0.38–0.49); PPL 0.42; GL 1,33 (1.26–1.42); HfL 2.01 (1.97–2.05).

Ferruginous. Integument opaque and finely granulose. Pilosity: bristly spatulate dark hairs with lighter tips, confined to body projections; short, strongly curved and hook-like hairs in other parts of the body. Head in full face view (Fig. 23) as long as broad (DCI average 100; 99–101). Outer border of mandible feebly sinuous; chewing border with 8 teeth, with a diastema between the second and third teeth, the last six approximately of the same size, smaller than apical and sub-apical teeth. Clypeus median apron without projections. Frontal area impressed. Frontal lobe semicircular, moderately expanded (FLI average 57; 56–58), with weakly crenate free border and one prominent denticle on the antero-lateral border. Frontal carina marked, moderately diverging caudad, reaching the antennal scrobe posterior end in a single tooth at the vertexal margin; preocular carina posteriorly ending in one multituberculated and stout tubercle, with the tip outwards directed near the posterior margin of head. Occipital spine almost as long as preocular carina projection. Supraocular projection tuberculiform. Inferior corner of occiput, in side view, with a minute tooth. Eye faintly convex, only its anterior half surpassing the lateral border of head; 11 facets in a row across the greatest diameter. Antennal scape short, when lodged in the scrobe not surpassing the tip of the preocular carina projection; gradually thickened towards apex, covered with small piligerous tubercles.

Mesosoma (Figs. 24, 25). Pronotal dorsum marginate in front and on sides; antero-inferior corner with a small triangular and acute flattened spine; inferior margin weakly crenulated; median pronotal tooth with bifid tip, projected bellow the tip of the longer lateral pronotal spines, which point obliquely upwards from the pronotum, in frontal view. Anterior pair of mesonotal spines almost as long and stout as the lateral pronotal projections, directed upwards; the second pair smaller, but spine-like and longer than the tooth-like third pair. Anterior margin of katepisternun smooth, without a projecting tooth. Metanotal constriction very impressed. Basal face of propodeum laterally marginated by a row of 3–4 denticles on each side; propodeal spines longer than the distance between their inner bases. Hind femora a little longer than mesosoma length.

Waist and gaster (Fig. 26). Dorsum of petiolar node with two pairs of minute spines, the sides subparallel in dorsal view, with a series of lateral denticles. Postpetiole almost as long as broad in dorsal view, and impressed dorsally, with straight postero-dorsal border; sternum without sagital keel. Gaster, when seen from above, suboval. Tergum I with straight lateral faces separated from the dorsal face by a longitudinal row of piligerous tubercles; anterior two thirds of gaster dorsum with three piligerous shallow longitudinal furrows, separated by a pair of tubercles rows. Sternum I without an anterior sagital keel.

Queen
Mayhé-Nunes & Brandão (2007) - (Figs. 27, 28): TL 6.9; DHL 1.74; HW 1.63; IFW 1.02; ScL 1.14; HWL 1.05; MeL 2.43; PL 0.68; PPL 0.57; GL 2.17; HfL 2.20.

Resembling the worker with the usual caste differences. The median anterior ocellus without a down curved ridge above, and the two lateral ones partially concealed by the longitudinal carinae of vertex. Pronotum with a pair of strong and acute scapular spines on each side, directed out and forwards, the inferior ones pointed down and forwards. Mesoscutum surmounted by conspicuous tubercles, but without notable dorsal projections, superficially impressed on posterior region, with a median notch in the middle of anterior margin in dorsal view. Shallowly impressed parapses delimited by the conspicuous parapsidial furrows; dorsum of mesothoracic paraptera more or less impressed, oblique in relation to scutellum dorsum in side view, with a narrow median portion when seen from above; scutellum ending in a pair of moderately stout and acute spines, directed backwards, with the sides converging obliquely inwards; metathoracic paraptera concealed by the scutellum in dorsal view; propodeal spiracle orifices on a tubercular projection. Two massive and acute spines on propodeum, longer than pronotal ones. Petiolar dorsum with two pairs of minute teeth near the anterior and posterior margins. First gastric tergite with a longitudinal ridge on each side; disk with two longitudinal series of small piligerous tubercles, absent in the middle of the segment. Wings unknown.

Type Material
Mayhé-Nunes & Brandão (2007) - Syntype worker: PANAMA Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island, 25.vi.1938, N. A. Weber leg., 1 worker (“cotype” # 59827 deposited in ).