Rogeria ciliosa

Only known from two collections.

Identification
Kugler (1994) - stigmatica species group. WL 1.06-1.20mm. Mandibles triangular; coarsely punctured, weakly carinulate. Anterior clypeus evenly convex. Propodeal spines long (> 0. 20mm), strongly inclined and diverging. Metapleural lobes well developed; angular. Inferior petiolar process reduced to a small step. Dorsal head, mesosoma and gaster densely covered with long flexuous hairs; terminal segments of gaster with dense, stiff erect hair.

Rogeria gibba from western Ecuador and Colombia resembles Rogeria ciliosa in size, sculpture and pilosity, but has different mandibles, clypeal margin, propodeal spines, and metapleural lobes. Rogeria stigmatica and Rogeria megastigmatica from the Pacific have much shorter propodeal spines, less punctured gaster, and different pilosity.

Distribution
Known only from lowland rain forests in the Amazonian basin of Ecuador and the Orinocan basin of Venezuela.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador, Venezuela.

Castes
Males have not been collected.

Nomenclature

 *  ciliosa. Rogeria ciliosa Kugler, C. 1994: 31, figs. 2-4 (w.q.) ECUADOR.

Worker
Holotype and Paratype. TL 4.1-4.8 (4.1), HL 0.90-1.02 (0.90), HW 0.78-0.89 (0.785), SL 0.69-0.77 (0.69), EL 0.14-0.16 (0. 15) (32-42 facets), PW 0.60-0.66 (0.60), WL 1.06-1.20 (1.06), SpL 0.24-0.28 (0.245), PetL 0.44-0.53 (0.44), PpetL 0.23-0.29 (0.235)mm, CI 0.84-0.87 (0.87), OI 0.17-0.19 (0.19), SI 0.85-0.90 (0.88), PSI 0.21-0.23 (0.23). N=9

Mandibles with 7-9 teeth (3 apical teeth decreasing in size basad, followed by 4-6 small, subequal teeth). Palpal formula 3,2. No clypeal apron. Body of clypeus not projecting over anterior edge. Nuchal grooves weak. Pronotal shoulders rounded. Ventral petiole with a low median carina rather than a distinct keel. Node distinct, wider than long. Postpetiole dorsal view shape as in Fig. 66. Postpetiolar sternum short, with a distinct anterior lip followed by a narrow sulcus. Gaster large (GW / WL 0.94-0.97). Quadrate plate of sting apparatus with somewhat reduced apodeme that lacks lobes on anterodorsal corner; oblong plate ventral arm very reduced (see also Fig. 3 and stigmatica-group diagnosis).

Body of clypeus with fragmented longitudinal rugulae surrounded by effaced areolate sculpture. Longitudinal rugae on head dorsum mostly confined to the frontal lobes, frontal area, and midline. Frontal lobes rugose-areolate in some paratypes. Rest of dorsum, cheeks, venter, and posterior head densely areolate; intervals bearing shallow piligerous punctures. Promesonotum with the same areolate sculpture. Mesopleura, metapleura, and sides of propodeum with more irregular and confused areolate sculpture. Metanotal groove scrobiculate. Dorsal face of propodeum transversely rugose with undulating, smooth intervals or largely areolate with a few carinulae between the spines. Most of petiole and postpetiole strongly areolate as well. Sculpture on anterior petiolar node effaced; dorsum of peduncle smooth. First tergum and sternum of gaster rather coarsely punctured in front and more finely punctured caudad; smooth and shiny between punctures.

Fine, long, flexuous, erect to suberect hair covers mid dorsum of head, dorsum of mesosoma, dorsum and sides of waist, and first segment of gaster. On terminal segments of gaster these become denser, stiffer and more erect to form brushlike rings. Shorter, subdecumbent hairs occur on lateral and ventral surfaces of head, dorsal surfaces of scapes, sides of mesosoma, and sometimes dorsal face of propodeum. Very short, decumbent to appressed pilosity on extensor surfaces of legs and ventral petiole. Median hair on clypeus fine and often obscured by surrounding paired hairs.

Body uniformly rusty-brown; appendages lighter, more yellowish-brown.

Queen
Paratype. TL 5.3, HL 1.04, HW 0.91, SL 0.80, EL 0.27, PW 0.97, WL 1.50, SpL 0.30, PetL 0.58, PpetL 0.30mm, CI 0.88, 51 0.88, PSI 0.20. N=1

Differing from paratypes only in the normal queen characters (Fig. 4). Mandible 8- toothed. Short parapsidal furrows present on mesoscutum. Both mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with same dense areolate sculpture as in worker. Metanotum vaguely microareolate. Dorsal face of Propodeum with transverse carinulae mesad; areolate laterad.

Type Material
Material Examined. —Holotype locality. ECUADOR: Napo Province, Limoncocha, 250m, 18-VI-1976, #B-348 (5. and J. Peck).

Paratype locality. 9 workers, 1 queen, VENEZUELA: Bolivar State, Campamento Rio Grande, 8.07N 61.42W, 250m, 14-VIII-1986, sifted leafmold and rotten wood, #8572-12 (P. S. Ward) [2 workers dissected: mouthparts, 2 stings], , MCZ, , ,.

Etymology
The name ciliosa refers to its dense covering of flexuous hairs.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Fernández F., E. E. Palacio, W. P. MacKay, and E. S. MacKay. 1996. Introducción al estudio de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Colombia. Pp. 349-412 in: Andrade M. G., G. Amat García, and F. Fernández. (eds.) 1996. Insectos de Colombia. Estudios escogidos. Bogotá: Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 541 pp
 * Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
 * Mertl A. L., J. F. A. Traniello, K. Ryder Wilkie, and R. Constantino. 2012. Associations of two ecologically significant social insect taxa in the litter of an amazonian rainforest: is there a relationship between ant and termite species richness? Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/312054
 * Ryder Wilkie K.T., A. L. Mertl, and J. F. A. Traniello. 2010. Species Diversity and Distribution Patterns of the Ants of Amazonian Ecuador. PLoS ONE 5(10): e13146.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013146