Cataulacus longinodus

The type, a lone female, is the only known specimen of Cataulacus longinodus.

Identification
A member of the granulatus group. This species is distinct from other members of the granulatus group in a number of characters. It is distinguished from Cataulacus simoni, which it resembles most, by its larger size, more coarse sculpturation and lack of clavate hairs on the pronotum; and from other related species by the possession of a complete occipital crest, bicoloured tibiae, relatively narrow head and large eyes. The worker of this species may probably be similar to Cataulacus setosus but with relatively larger eyes, narrower head, more regular sculpturation and shorter propodeal spines.

The name Cataulacus longinodus is something of a misnomer for although the node is relatively longer and narrower than in Cataulacus granulatus it is by no means exceptional to the group as a whole. The petiole is in fact relatively shorter and broader than in queens of simoni.

Regional Cataulacus Key

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

Images from AntWeb
Only known from the queen caste.

Nomenclature

 *  longinodus. Cataulacus granulatus var. longinoda Forel, 1912n: 60 (q.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). Raised to species: Bolton, 1974a: 67.

Queen
Bolton (1974) - Holotype. TL 5.5, HL 1.20, HW 1.20. CI 100, EL 0.48, OI 40, IOD 0.96, SL 0.64, SI 53, PW 1.08, AL 1.60, MTL 0.67.

Occipital crest complete. shallowly concave, armed with denticles along its length; the denticles largest laterally, becoming gradually smaller towards the middle of the crest. Occipital corners each with a larger, slightly upcurved tooth. Eyes large; the sides of the head behind the eyes virtually without denticles. Edges of frontal carinae smooth, not jagged or crenulate. Sides of pronotum distinctly denticulate. Propodeum with a pair of short, narrow, acute spines. Petiole with dorsal surface convex, the subpetiolar process simple, subrectangular. First gastral tergite 1.83 long, 1.26 wide, marginate basally, this margination extending for a short distance on the sides of the sclerite.

Head reticulate-rugose with the cross-meshes incomplete in places and suppressed medially so that the rugae have a longitudinal trend, particularly in the middle of the dorsum. Pronotum with a coarse and disorganized rugoreticulum, but on the scutum and scutellum the rugae are longitudinal. On the propodeal dorsum two groups of rugae diverge from the anterior margin of the segment toward the spines and there is a subtriangular gap between the groups occupied by a few transverse rugae which continue on the declivity. First gastral tergite with some very fine meandering rugulae superimposed upon a fine, dense reticulate-puncturation.

Short, thick, hairs abundant, on the head some of these are gradually thickened from base to apex and appear clavate. Dorsal surfaces of middle and hind tibiae yellow, the ventral surfaces dark brown or black.

Type Material
Bolton (1974) - Holotype female, SUMATRA: Indrapura (Tritschler) (MHN, Geneva) [examined].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bolton B. 1974. A revision of the Palaeotropical arboreal ant genus Cataulacus F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 30: 1-105.
 * Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
 * Forel A. 1912. Einige neue und interessante Ameisenformen aus Sumatra etc. Zool. Jahrb. Suppl. 15: 51-78.