Lachnomyrmex victori

Feitosa and Brandão (2008) - L. victori occurs in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, at 300–1050m elevation. There is a single record of a L. victori worker foraging in the vegetation. It was collected on the trunk of Croton floribundus (Euphorbiaceae), in the state of São Paulo (M.S. Morini, pers. comm.).

Identification
Feitosa and Brandão (2008) - Body irregularly covered by vermiculate, short, relatively sparse rugae; promesonotum moderately convex; metanotal groove shallowly impressed to obsolete; propodeal spines straight; teeth of propodeal lobes reduced and swollen basally; dorsum of postpetiole with more than 10 long hairs; first tergite of gaster devoid of long flexuous hairs.

Workers of L. victori can be distinguished from the similar Lachnomyrmex plaumanni and the other congeners by the promesonotum only moderately elevated, metanotal suture ill impressed, dorsum of postpetiole with more than 10 long hairs, and first gastral tergite devoid of long hairs.

Key to Lachnomyrmex

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil.

Nomenclature

 *  victori. Lachnomyrmex victori Feitosa & Brandão, 2008: 43, figs. 17, 20 (w.q.) BRAZIL.

Worker
Holotype HL 0.73; HW 0.72; ML 0.24; SL 0.47; EL 0.14; WL 0.85; PSL 0.17; PL 0.36; PPL 0.14; GL 0.98; TL 3.30; CI 98; SI 66; OI 20. Workers (n=33). HL 0.52–0.76; HW 0.54–0.76; ML 0.16–0.25; SL 0.30–0.51; EL 0.08– 0.16; WL 0.57–0.93; PSL 0.11–0.21; PL 0.22–0.39; PPL 0.12–0.19; TL 2.26–3.51; GL 0.68–1.02; CI 97–103; SI 51–66; OI 15–22.

Body reddish-brown to black, with gaster and appendages slightly lighter. Body irregularly covered by short, relatively sparse rugae, somewhat longer and longitudinal on head dorsum; mandibles with short longitudinal striae restricted to basal portion; petiole and postpetiole finely and irregularly rugose. Abundant pilosity on head and promesonotum dorsum; dorsum of petiolar node and postpetiole each with more than 10 long hairs; first gastral tergite entirely devoid of long flexuous hairs.

Head usually as long as broad, with vertexal margin moderately convex; frontal lobes laterally rounded; eyes with about seven facets on maximum diameter. Promesonotum moderately convex in profile, but distinctly higher than propodeum level; metanotal groove shallow to virtually obsolete; propodeal spines straight; teeth of propodeal lobes swollen and very reduced, with less than one-third of propodeal spines length. Petiolar node moderately elevated, dorsally rounded, and with the posterior face weakly sloped in lateral view; postpetiole weakly convex dorsally and without ventral processes.

Queen
(n=9). HL 0.69–0.78; HW 0.69–0.79; ML 0.21–0.26; SL 0.44–0.49; EL 0.18–0.21; WL 0.85–1.06; PSL 0.16–0.22; PL 0.35–0.41; PPL 0.13–0.18; GL 0.94–1.17; TL 3.21–3.83; CI 99–101; SI 61–66; OI 24–279.

Differing from worker by the following combination of characters: body pilosity denser and shorter, with first tergite of gaster bearing around 10 long flexuous hairs at the anterior portion, near postpetiole insertion; eyes with around 13 facets at greatest diameter; petiolar node comparatively lower.

Type Material
Holotype worker. BRAZIL: Santa Catarina: São Bonifácio, P.E. da Serra do Tabuleiro, 27º49'06S 48º54'41W, 8–13.iii.2004, R.R. Silva, B.H. Dietz & N.L. Albuquerque cols, no. 27 [MZSP]. Paratypes. same data as holotype, nos. 3/27 (3 workers and 1 gyne) [MZSP]; same data, no. 27 (1 worker) [CASC]; BRAZIL: Espírito Santo: Santa Teresa, E.B. Santa Lúcia, 19º58'09S 40º32'15W, 20– 24.i.2002, J.H. Schoereder & C.R. Ribas cols, no. 37 (2 workers) [MZSP]; same data, no. 37 (1 worker) [USNM]; Santa Catarina: Blumenau, P.E. das Nascentes, 27º06'15S 49º09'14W, 20–27.x.2000, R.R. Silva & F. Eberhardt cols, nos. 13/17/20/24 (4 workers) [MZSP]; Paraná: Tunas, P. das Lauráceas, 24º51'16S 48º43'00W, 21–29.ii.2001, R.R. Silva & F. Eberhardt cols, nos. 7/9/11/13/17/28/50 (6 workers e 1 gyne) [MZSP]; same data, no. 7 (1 worker) [AMNH]; same data, no. 7 (1 worker) [BMNH]; same data, no. 7 (1 worker) [ICNC]; same data, no. 7 (1 worker) [IHVL]; same data, no. 9 (1 worker) [INBC]; same data, no. 28 (1 worker) [MIZA]; São Paulo: Salesópolis, E.B.B., 12–17.iv.1997, B.H. Dietz & C. I. Yamamoto cols, nos. 4/24 (2 workers and 1 gyne) [MZSP]; same data, no. 7 (1 worker) [WPMC]; same locality, 20–26.x.1997, C. Klingenberg & C.I. Yamamoto cols, no. 22 (1 worker) [MZSP].

Etymology
The name of this species is an homage to Victor Vieira da Silva, son of the colleague myrmecologist Rogério Rosa da Silva.