Lepisiota chutimae

This is an arboreal species which lives on shrub trees in lowland dry evergreen forests. The type series was found nesting under a leaf of Memecylon ovatum at about 3 meters above the forest floor (arrow on Fig. 3A). The nest was covered with a dead leaf and no silk was seen. A spider was found within this nest.

Identification
'Lepisiota chutimae is most similar to Lepisiota emmelii from Indonesia (Java) and Lepisiota chapmani'' from the Philippines (Negros Oriental) in having a slightly smooth, shiny, and yellowish body. However, L. chutimae can be separated from L. chapmani by gaster dark brown (yellowish brown in L. chapmani); mesopleuron weakly sculptured (sharply longitudinally rugulose in L. chapmani); posterior peduncle of petiole smooth and shiny (finely punctate in L. chapmani); head and pronotum clearly smooth and shiny (very finely and superficially reticulate or shagreened with smooth and shining interspaces in L. chapmani).

Lepisiota chutimae can be distinguished from L. emmelii by tip of petiolar spine directed sideward (upward in L. emmelii, see figure on page 209 in Kutter, 1932 for comparison); gaster dark brown (yellowish brown in L. emmelii); anterior face of petiolar node feebly concave (weakly convex in L. emmelii); found in lowland (highland in L. emmelii).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: Thailand.

Nomenclature

 * . Lepisiota chutimae Jaitrong et al., 2022: 3, figs. 1-3 (w.q.) THAILAND.

Type Material

 * Holotype – worker (THNHM-I-24840, THNHM), NE Thailand: Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Wang Nam Khiao District, Sakaerat Environmental Research Station, DEF (dry evergreen forest) 22.III 2021, W. Jaitrong leg., TH21-WJT-002.
 * Paratypes: 50 workers (THNHM-I-24841 to THNHM-I-24889, THNHM) and a queen (THNHM-I-24890, THNHM), same data as holotype.