Acropyga stenotes

Acropyga stenotes was collected from leaf litter samples in Dicymbe dominated forest along with Acropyga romeo, but otherwise nothing is known of its natural history.

Identification
From Lapolla (2004):

Diagnosis - Worker: 11 segmented antennae; head distinctly longer than broad, with head especially narrow-headed; mesosomal dorsum rounded in lateral view; mandible with 4 distinct teeth. Queen: unknown. Male: unknown. Compare with Acropyga smithii.

This species is fairly easy to recognize with its small size and distinctly narrow head. Its small size may initially make it difficult to distinguish from Acropyga smithii, but A. smithii possesses no more than 8 antennal segments, versus A. stenotes which has 11 segments. A. stenotes was among 3 new species of Acropyga discovered on an ant bioinventory of Mt. Ayanganna is western Guyana in the autumn of 2002. The rounded aspect of the mesosomal dorsum and long head suggests that this species is related to Acropyga guianensis. However, males of neither A. stenotes or A. guianensis are known, and therefore their relationship to each other remains unclear. Given the uncertain relationship of this species to other members of the genus it is unplaced in a species-group pending discovery of worker-associated males.

Key to New World Acropyga Workers

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Guyana.

This species is known only from its type locality at the base of Mt. Ayanganna in western Guyana.

Nomenclature

 *  stenotes. Acropyga stenotes LaPolla, 2004a: 79, fig. 33 (w.) GUYANA.

Worker
Head: yellow; head covered in a layer of short appressed hairs; head distinctly longer than broad, especially narrow-headed in full frontal view; posterior margin entire; posterolateral corners rounded; 11 segmented, incrassate antennae; scape fails to reach posterior margin by about length of first 2 funicular segments; clypeus narrow, slightly convex medially; clypeus with scattered erect hairs, longest ones along anterior clypeal margin; mandible narrow, with 4 distinct approximately similarly sized teeth; gap exists between anterior clypeal margin and inner mandibular margin. Mesosoma: yellow; in lateral view, pronotum with short shelf before rising sharply toward mesonotum; posteriorly pronotum with appressed to short erect hairs; mesosomal dorsum gently rounded from posterior pronotum through declivity; mesonotum flat with layer of appressed hairs; metanotal area indistinct; propodeum flat, slightly lower than mesonotum; declivity steep. Gaster: petiole thick and erect, reaching height of anterior portion of propodeal spiracle; gaster yellow; covered in a thick layer of appressed hairs, with scattered erect hairs throughout.

Measurements (n=2): TL: 1.53; HW: 0.353-0.363; HL: 0.422-0.459; SL: 0.293- 0.31; ML: 0.414-0.436; GL: 0.635; CI: 76.91-86.02; SI: 80.72-87.82.

Queen
Queens are not known for this species.

Male
Males are not known for this species.

Type Material
Holotype worker, GUYANA: Camp on Potaro River at base of Mt. Ayanganna, N 05º 18.08, W 059º 54.67, elev. 695 m +/- 13 m, Dicymbe forest (J.S. LaPolla et al.) (UGBC); 9 paratype workers (MCZC) (USNM). The holotype is labeled JSL # 107.

Etymology
The specific epithet stenotes is Greek for narrowness, in reference to the narrow head of this species.

Additional References

 * Biinzli, G.H. 1935. Untersuchungen iiber coccidophile Ameisen aus den Kaffeefelden von Surinam. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 16:455-593.


 * Brown, W.L., Jr. 1945. An unusual behavior pattern observed in a Szechuanese ant. Journal of the West China Border Research Society 15:185-186.


 * Buschinger, J., J. Heinze & K. Jessen. 1987. First European record ofa queen ant carrying a mealybug during her mating flight. NatUlwissenschaften 74:139-140.


 * Eberhard, W.G. 1978. Mating swarms ofa South American Acropygia [sic.] (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomological News 89(1 & 2):14-16.


 * Eisner, T. 1957. A comparative morphological study ofthc proventriculus of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin ofthe Museum of Comparative Zoology 116:439-490.


 * Holldobler B . & E.O. Wilson. 1990. The Ants. Belknap Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 732 pp.


 * Johnson, c., D. Agosti, J.H. Delabie, K. Dumpert, OJ. Williams, M. von Tschimhaus & U. Maschwitz. 2001 . Acropyga and Azteca Ants with Scale Insects: 20 Million Years ofIntimate Symbiosis. American Museum Noviates 3335:1-18.


 * LaPolla, J.S., S.P. Cover & U.G. Mueller. 2002. Natural history of the mealybug-tending ant Acropyga epedana, with descriptions of the male and queen castes. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 128(3):367-376.


 * Prins, AJ. 1982. Review of Anoplolepis with reference to male genitalia, and notes on Acropyga. Annals of the South African Museum 89:215-247.


 * Weber, N.A. 1944. The Neotropical coccid-tending ants of the genus Acropyga Roger. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 37:89-122.


 * Wheeler, G.C. & J.C. Wheeler. 1953. The ant larvae of the subfamily Formicinae. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 46:126-171.


 * Wheeler, W.M. 1935b. Ants of the genus Acropyga Roger, with description ofa new species. Journal of the New York Entomological Society 43:321-329.


 * Williams, D J . 1998. Mealybugs of the genera Eumyrmococcus Silvestri and Xenococcus Silvestri associated with the ant genus Acropyga Roger and a review of the subfamily (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Pseudoccidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)(Entomology) 67:1-64.