Cephalotes bivestitus

Identification
A member of the prodigiosus clade differing from Cephalotes prodigiosus, in the soldier and gyne, by the smaller size, in the soldier only, by the floor of the disc not completely concave, and in the gyne only, by the cephalic foveae, more regular. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Argentina.

Nomenclature

 *  bivestitus. Cryptocerus bivestitus Santschi, 1922d: 254 (s.w.q.) ARGENTINA. Combination in Paracryptocerus (Harnedia): Kempf, 1958a: 38; in Zacryptocerus: Brandão, 1991: 384; in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 677. Material of the unavailable name tucumana referred here by Kempf, 1958a: 38. Senior synonym of trivialis: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 677.
 * trivialis. Cryptocerus (Cryptocerus) guttatus var. trivialis Santschi, 1929d: 301 (w.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of fiebrigi: Kempf, 1958a: 28; of bivestitus: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 677. [The name guttatus is a misspelling of guttifer.]

Worker
Kempf (1958) - Total length 4.5-4.9 mm; maximum length of head 1.25-1.39 mm; of thorax 1.25-1.39 mm. Black; frontal carinae testaceous. Tips of mandibles, scapes, extensor face of tibiae, apical tarsites ferruginous or fuscous-ferruginous.

Head subopaque, rectangular, visibly longer than broad. Cephalic index (maximum width as measured in front of the eyes over maximum length as measured from the anteriormost point of frontal carinae to posteriormost point of occipital lobes) 0.82-0.86. Mandibles finely rugulose. Frontal carinae semitrasparent, without a distinctly crenulate border, straight, not conspicuously emarginate in front of, nor upturned above the eyes, very gently diverging caudad. Occipital corners obliquely truncate; occipital border shallowly emarginate. Eyes small, their greatest diameter less than one fourth of maximum head length. Upper face of head gently and evenly convex, finely reticulate-punctate, more sparsely covered with shallow, squamiferous foveolae, which occur somewhat more densely and larger towards occiput. Between the foveolae most specimens show more or less longitudinal yet rather fine rugosities. Vertex without a pair of small denticules. Lower face of head reticulate-rugose, the rugae forming elongate meshes.

Thorax subopaque. Anterior border moderately arcuate. Scapular angle subdentate, not well visible from above, lying beneath the anterior corner of the pronotal crest. This crest bears anteriorly an acute, strong tooth, followed by two or three blunt, crenate or denticulate lobes. Occasionally, the first lobe may have the form of a tooth, yet a distinctly tridentate condition of the lateral crest is rare. Promesonotal suture effaced. Sides of mesonotum angulate or even feebly dentate. Promesonotum moderatcly convex both in profile and transversely. Mesoepinotal suture absent. Anterior corner of basal face of epinotum forming a rectangular tooth, followed by another larger triangular tooth on the sides. Sides of declivity sharply marginate, the edge bearing one or several minute teeth. Basal face and declivity, as seen from the side, form an even but gentle curvature. Dorsum of thorax sculptured as head, finely reticulate-punctate, rather densely covered with squamiferous foveolae. The slightly raised intervals between the foveolae form a network of anastomosing rugosities, which are more conspicuous on thorax than on dorsum of head. Lowermost portion of declivous face finely reticulate-punctate. Laterotergite of pronotum with a few horizontal striae. Thoracic pleura finely reticulate-punctate and more coarsely rugose.

Peduncular segments subequal in width. Petiole dorsally without a transverse carina, but bearing on each side a strong pointed tooth, pointing obliquely caudad. Postpetiole with a dorsally submarginate, inclined anterior face, and with lateral spines, the tip of which is strongly recurved, acute, pointing directly caudad.

Gaster subopaque, oval. Strongly emarginate antero-mesally, the anterolateral lobes almost semicircular, solid, without a distinctly marginate border. First tergite extremely finely reticulate-punctate. A few longitudinal but short rugosities extending from the postpetiolar insertion caudad. Squamiferous foveolae very shallow and sparse.

Dorsum of head, thorax, and peduncular segments bearing in the foveolae appressed, silvery, canaliculate, scalelike hair. Similar hair bit simple, on the first gastral tergite. Standing hair, as usual, confined to the posterior and ventral face of gaster.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.38-5.24; HL 1.02-1.26; HW 1.10-1.36; EL 0.30-0.33; PW 0.96-1.12; PeW 0.49-0.59; PpW 0.50-0.60; HBaL 0.39-0.45; HBaW 0.09-0.10; CI 103.6-107.9; PI 114.6-121.4; PPeI 178.2-195.9; PPpI 175.0-192.0; HBaI 22.5-25.6.

Soldier
Kempf (1958) - Total length 7.3-8.0 mm; maximum length of head 2.10-2.25 mm; of thorax 1.89-2.03 mm. Black; the following ferruginous: head disc, (excepting the black clypeal and frontal region), sides of head, legs (usually more or less infuscated); yellowish-brown: triangular area on each shoulder, lateral borders of mesonotum, extensor face of tibiae. The four spots of the first gastral tergite pale-testaceous.

Head somewhat shining; longer than broad, surmounted by an elongate, completely marginate disc, which is much broader in front than behind, its sides converging caudad, with a feeble constriction near the level of the eyes, its posterior border evenly rounded. The anterior four fifths of the cephalic disc form a circular, pronouncedly excavate area, with strongly raised, scarcely crenulate lateral borders. The center of the excavation, coinciding with the vestigially limited clypeal and frontal area, slightly raised and convex. The posterior fifth of the head disc, which is sickle-shaped, is flat, with narrowly crested lateral and posterior border. Mandibles strongly reticulate-rugose. Eyes feebly convex, scarcely visible from above, being partly covered by the head disc. In side view, the dorsal face of the head disc invisible, being concealed by the sides of the disc. Lower border of cheeks carinate. Occipital lobes bluntly angulate, with rounded, carinate borders. Floor of head disc and sides of head coarsely reticulate-rugose, with deeply impressed, circular, large foveae, the bottom of which is shining. About 18 foveae may be counted along a line drawn transversely across the head disc, at the level of the eyes. Lower face of head more shining, with coarser rugosities and more spaced foveolae.

Thorax slightly shining, compact. Anterior corner of pronotum dentate, its sides subparallel until reaching the weakly crested, mesally interrupted transverse carina. From this point the sides gently converge caudad toward the mesonotum. Promesonotal suture distinct. Mesonotum having on each side a projecting, bluntly rounded, posteriorly marginate, lobe. Mesoepinotal suture scarcely impressed mesially. Basal face of epinotum about three times as broad, as long along the midbody line, having a short, bluntly rounded tooth on each side, and another more pronounced tooth on each posterior corner. Declivous face less than twice as long as basal face, feebly marginate at the sides. Sculpture of thoracic dorsum as on head disc, yet the rugosities are broader, the foveolae smaller, less deeply impressed and often somewhat elongate, especially on mesoepisternum. Laterotergites of pronotum with oblique striation. Remaining parts of the sides of the thorax reticulate-rugose, with horizontally elongate, shallow foveolae. Declivous face reticulate-punctate.

Peduncular segments slightly shining, with the dorso-lateral sculpture as on dorsum of thorax. Petiole as broad as postpetiole, its anterior face, which is nearly vertically truncate, finely reticulate-punctate, its sides with a strong, short spine, pointing obliquely caudad. Postpetiole with strong lateral processes, which are strongly recurved and resemble the beak of an eagle. Anterior face of postpetiole somewhat inclined, meeting the dorsal face at angle, which separates both faces by a weakly marginate transverse carina.

Gaster subopaque, elliptical, elongate, with subparallel sides, strongly emarginate anteromesally, the projecting anterolateral lobes with immarginate border. First gastral tergite reticulate-punctate, with sparse, shallowly impressed sljuamiferous punctures. A few more or less longitudinal and widely spaced rugosities on the anterior portion of the first tergite.

Foveolae of the head disc and sides of head, with a central, scalelike, curved, thick hair, the tip of which projects beyond the rim of the pit, as in fiebrigi. Rim of head disc with projecting clavate setae. Scalelike hair of thorax and gaster appressed, smaller, silvery, smallest on gaster. Standing hair, as usual, only on the tip and venter of gaster.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 7.48-7.72; HL 1.80; HW 1.80-1.82; EL 0.35-0.36; PW 1.72; PeW 0.78-0.81; PpW 0.80-0.81; HBaL 0.48-0.50; HBaW 0.13-0.1 ; CI 100.0-101.1; PI 104.6-105.8; PPeI 212.3-220.5; PPpI 212.3-215.0; HBaI 27.1-30.0.

Queen
Kempf (1958) - Total length 8.2-8. 8 mm; maximum length of head 1.85-2.03 mm; of thorax 2.36-2.50 mm. Diagnostic features as in soldier. The lightly colored parts (head disc, sides of head, shoulders, extensor face of tibiae) are orange instead of ferruginous, but the center of head disc is much more extensively infuscated. Portions overlying the antennal scrobe transparent in part. Head disc with an anterior circular excavation, which is much shallower than in soldier, with the lateral borders less strongly raised, but more conspicuously crenulated. The posterior fifth of head disc transversely convex, in lateral view distinctly sloping downward toward occiput, forming a very obtuse, yet visible angle with the anterior portion. Occipital border nearly straight and sharply marginate. Ocelli minute, the antero-median ocellus being located in the excavate portion of head disc, the two postero-lateral ocelli in the posterior portion, facing obliquely caudad and laterad. Thorax less elongate than in fiebrigi, the sides of the pronotum slightly diverging caudad. Scutum broader than long. Mesopleural tooth obtuse, yet distinguishable. Peduncular segments similar to those of fiebrigi. Gaster more deeply emarginate antero-mesally, the anterolateral lobes rounded. Sides of gaster subparallel. Wings subhyaline, only slightly infuscated, the venation as in fiebrigi. Fore wings, when folded over the back, distinctly project beyond the posterior tip of the gaster.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 8.36-8.80; HL 1.64-1.68; HW 1.56-1.64; EL 0.36; PW 1.52-1.56; PeW 0.64-0.66; PpW 0.72-0.79; HBaL 0.55-0.56; HBaW 0.12; CI 95.1-97.6; PI 102.6-105.1; PPeI 236.4-237.5; PPpI 197.5-211.1; HBal 21.4-21.8.

Type Material
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999):

Worker and gyne. Type locality: Hualffn (Catamarca, Argentina). Type material 5 workers, 3 soldiers, 4 gynes (all paratypes) labelled “Catamarca, Hualffn (Weiser), Cryptocerus bivestitus, Santo type”, in ; 1 worker with additional label “Co- (topo) type, bivestitus paratypus, Kempf det.”, in, examined.

Cryptocerus peltatus Ellenriederi. Worker. Synonymy with bivestitus proposed by Kempf (1958 a: 50) and confirmed by our examination of part of the relevant material.

Cryptocerus guttatus (sic) var. trivialis. Worker. Type locality: Chafinian (Catamarca, Argentina). Type material: Holotype (unique) in, examined.