Cephalotes trichophorus

Cephalotes trichophorus has been collected from canopy fogging samples.

Identification
A member of the coffeae clade differing from its sister species, Cephalotes coffeae, by the propodeal teeth smaller and with a broad space between the second and the third pair, and by the CI ≤ 1.06. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Key to Cephalotes Workers

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

Nomenclature

 *  trichophorus. Cephalotes trichophorus De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 558, fig. 262 (w.) PERU.

Worker
Head slightly broader than long. Frontal carinae with strongly crenulate margin, straight over the eyes. Vertexal angles subtriangular and with crenulate border. Vertex without denticles. Vertexal margin concave. Mandibles laterally carinate.

Mesosoma. Scapular angles visible. Pronotal sides with a narrow, long, subdenticulate lamella. Promesonotal suture superficially impressed. Mesonotum with a pair of small denticles. Propodeal suture impressed. Propodeum with differentiate basal and declivous faces; propodeal sides with three pairs of small denticles, the third pair on the declivous face and distant from the two anterior pairs. Declivous face of the propodeum deeply concave.

Petiole slightly narrower than the postpetiole. Anterior face of the petiole truncate and superficially concave medially; petiolar sides with a pointed tooth. Postpetiole flat; postpetiolar sides with a broad expansion strongly directed anterolaterally and with crenulate apex.

Gaster suboval and with a pair of thick, narrow, anterolateral lamellae.

Fore coxae angulate. Mid and hind femora angulate. Mid and hind basitarsi flat and with parallel sides.

Sculpture. Head dorsum and most of the mesosoma minutely punctate and with dense foveae, shallower and sparser on the frontal carinae, absent on the propodeal concavity. Ventral face of the head punctate, with sparse and very shallow foveae on the anterior part. Pleurae punctate, longitudinally rugose and with small foveae on the lower part. Pedicel punctate and with superficial, slightly oval foveae. First gastral tergite reticulate; its anterior third and sides with superficial, oval foveae separate by irregular, longitudinal rugosities. Remaining gastral tergites and sternites punctate and superficially shining. First gastral sternite with additional, longitudinal rugosities on the anterior third and on the sides. Legs reticulate and with superficial, oval foveae more impressed on the distal part of the femora and on the outer face of the tibiae.

Pilosity. Each fovea with an appressed canaliculate hair; similar hairs but not originating from foveae and thinner on the first gastral tergite and on the legs. Margin of the frontal carinae, vertexal angles, mesosoma, apex of the peduncular spines, first gastral tergite, and legs with thick, clubbed hairs, slightly longer on the first gastral tergite. Gastral sternites with three types of hairs: (1) long and pointed on the whole sternites; (2) appressed and thin on the first sternite; (3) erect and truncate on the posterior border of the sternites. The hairs of type (3) are also present on the terminal tergites.

Colour. Black. Frontal carinae, tibiae. and tarsi brown. First gastral tergite anterolaterally with a pair of dark ferruginous or brown spots.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 3.18; HL 0.82 HW 0.85-0.87; EL 0.26; PW 0.76-0.77; PeW 0.47-0.49; PpW 0.51-0.53; HBaL 0.24; HBaW 0.06; CI 103.6-106.1; PI 11.8-113.0 ; PPeI 155.1-163.8; PPpI 143.4-151.0; HBaI 25.0.

Type Material
Holotype worker from Peru labelled: Madre de Dios: Cuzco Amazonico: 15 km NE of Puerto Maldonado, J. E. Tobin & S. P. Cover, VT-27-91.

Etymology
trichophorus (i. e. bearing hairs) is composed by the two ancient Greek words (hair) and (= to bear) and it has a similar meaning as the Latin setulifer, the name of one of its closest species.