Romblonella coryae

Workers were opportunistically collected from low vegetation along the trail (estimated length = 15 km) from the road to camp and from the tarpaulin shelters at the camp, and from sifted leaf litter. (General and Buenavente 2015)

Identification
General and Buenavente (2015) - In dorsal view, first gastral tergite (abdominal tergite IV) longitudinally costulate with interstitial punctulae. In full-face view, head longer than broad (CI 84-89); median clypeus narrow, only as wide as frontal lobe; mesosoma, in lateral view, distinctly dark orange and brown.

There are two species of Romblonella known from the Philippines. The following couplet can be used for determinations:


 * In dorsal view, first gastral tergite (abdominal tergite IV) longitudinally costulate with interstitial punctulae. In full-face view, head longer than broad (CI 84-89); median clypeus narrow, only as wide as frontal lobe; mesosoma, in lateral view, distinctly dark orange and brown . . . . . Romblonella coryae


 * In dorsal view, first gastral tergite (abdominal tergite IV) punctulate but never longitudinally costulate. In full-face view, head subquadrate (CI =95); median clypeus wider than frontal lobe; mesosoma, in lateral view, entirely dark brown . . . . . Romblonella opaca

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Philippines.

Biology
General and Buenavente (2015) - The biology of Romblonella ants is unknown. Collection notes for this species may provide a clue to its nesting preference. Four specimens were opportunistically collected from the tarpaulin covers sheltering our camp. Other specimens were collected from low vegetation along the trails and from the leaf litter between the buttresses of large forest trees. This implies that Romblonella coryae may be arboreal and have simply been blown off the trees overhead. It may be necessary to apply arboreal sampling techniques to find a nest in the trees. Previous to the discovery of R. coryae, only Romblonella opaca was known from the Philippines (General and Alpert, 2012). The presence of two species in the Philippines implies that other species may remain undiscovered in other islands in the country.

Nomenclature

 *  coryae. Romblonella coryae General & Buenavente, 2015: 58, figs. 1-7 (w.) PHILIPPINES.

Worker
(paratypes (n=8) in brackets): TL 4.60 [4.60–4.88], HL 0.93 [0.88–0.93], HW 0.80 [0.78–0.83], CI 86 [84–89], SL 0.58 [0.53–0.58], SI 72 [64–72], EL 0.19 [0.19–0.21], EI 23 [23–27], PW 0.60 [0.58–0.65], ML 1.08 [1.03–1.08], GL 1.03 [1.03–1.30], HFL 0.73 [0.68–0.75].

In full face view, posterior margin of head shallowly emarginate; head longer than wide (CI = 84-89); sides of head subparallel; eyes laterally located, at about midlength of head; shallow antennal scrobe present; frontal carinae long, almost reaching the posterior corners of head; antennal scapes short, exceeding posterior edge of eye by about the width of scape at distal margin; antennae with 12 segments and a 3-segmented club; mandibles triangular, with 6 robust teeth; palp formula 5:3; median clypeus with a median carina flanked by 3 pairs of lateral carinae; median clypeus about as wide as frontal lobe and posteriorly inserted between frontal lobes; anterior clypeal margin entire, without an isolated median seta; head rugo-reticulate with short cross-hatches that do not reach the adjacent rugae; punctae present in interstitial spaces; mandibles striate.

In lateral view, dorsal margin of mesosoma smoothly convex, without grooves or sutures; propodeal spines short and stout; petiole sessile, with anterodorsally directed angle over petiolar spiracle; petiole massive, larger and higher than postpetiole; anterior subpetiolar denticle present; spurs absent on meso- and metatibia.

In dorsal view, pronotum with marginate humeri; sides of promesonotum gently converging posteriorly to base of propodeal spines, interrupted only by slight bulges at junction between pronotum and mesonotum and at the propodeal spiracle; stout propodeal spines slightly divergent at bases but parallel in distal third of their length; mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole dorsally reticulate with interstitial punctulae; first gastral tergite longitudinally costulate with interstitial punctulae; gastral sculpture disappears before distal edge of first gastral segment.

Head with evenly distributed short, blunt erect hairs that are shorter than distance between them; antennal scape with suberect hairs; short, blunt erect hairs sparsely distributed over rest of body.

Color: Head, antennal club, meso- and metapleura, coxae, legs except foretibiae, and gaster dark-brown; rest of mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole dark orange; mandibles, rest of antenna, fore- and midtibiae yellow.

Type Material
Holotype worker: PHILIPPINES: Palawan Island, Puerto Princesa City, Tanabag Village, Sitio Kalakwasan, Camp Palaka, 10°03’57” N, 118°58’23” E, 13-26.II.2014, 200 m above sea level, primary lowland rainforest, leg. D.E.M. General, P.A.C. Buenavente, A.M. Domingo and L.J.V. Rodriguez (PNM 9012, deposited at ). Paratypes: 3 workers, same data as holotype; 2 workers from leaf litter collected at camp, same data as holotype; 3 workers from trail to camp, no coordinates recorded (PNM 9013-9020) (1 worker each to, , , DMGC, , , PACB, ).

Etymology
This species is named in honor of our late former President, Corazon C. Aquino (known to all Filipinos by her nickname “Cory”), who led the country out of the dictatorship era. It is fitting that a genus named after a Philippine island has a species named after a modern Filipino hero.