Cephalotes jansei

One of a number of Cephalotes fossil species that are known from Dominican amber.

Identification
A member of the emeryi clade characterised, in the worker, by the long, flexuous hairs, by the pronotal sides with a broad, pointed triangular tooth and by HBaI < 35.0. Cephalotes jansei is very similar to Cephalotes serratus but it has the pronotal lamellae with a pair of broad, triangular teeth, the gaster with short anterolateral lobes and HBal < 35.0. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Key to Cephalotes Workers

Distribution
This taxon was described from Dominican Amber (Miocene).

Nomenclature

 * † jansei. †Exocryptocerus jansei Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995: 161, fig. 4 (w.) DOMINICAN AMBER (Miocene). Combination in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 526.

Worker
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Head subquadrate. Frontal carinae strongly but sparsely crenulate, not upturned above the eyes. Vertexal angles with a truncate, crenulate lamella. Vertexal margin concave. Vertex with a small pair of denticles. Mandibles laterally angulate.

Mesosoma. Scapular angles present. Anterior pronotal border straight. Pronotal sides with a broad, pointed, triangular teeth. Promesonotal suture marked. Sides of the mesonotum straight and with a pair of posterior angles. Propodeum with differentiate basal and declivous faces; sides of the basal face marked anteriorly and posteriorly by an angle; sides of the declivous face converging posteriorly.

Petiole. Anterior face truncate, posterior face gently concave medially; petiolar sides with a pair of minute denticles. Postpetiolar node also weakly concave in the middle; anterior half of the postpetiolar sides with a pair of round, broad teeth arising from the anterior border of the postpetiole and directed laterally.

Gaster suboval, with a minute pair of anterior lobes.

Fore coxae angulate. Mid and hind femora without angle or denticles. Mid and hind basitarsi flat and with slightly broad base.

Sculpture. Head and mesosoma minutely punctate and with superimposed dense, irregular foveae; this sculpture on the posterior half of the mesonotum and on the anterior part of the propodeum is superimposed to irregular, longitudinal rugosites. Peduncular segments with the same sculpture as on the head dorsum but with smaller foveae. Frontal carinae with the same type of sculpture as on the head dorsum but more superficial. Ventral face of the head punctate and with irregular, superficial foveae and rugosities. Gastral tergites and sternites reticulate; the reticulation more superficial on the center of the first gastral sternite. Legs strongly reticulate and with superimposed irregular, faint rugosities.

Pilosity. Each fovea with a long, thin, pointed, flexuous hair; hairs similar or longer but denser on the legs and on the gaster and on the crenulation of the frontal carinae.

Colour. Ferruginous.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.69-5.48; HL 1.22-1.32; HW 1.50-1.77; EL 0.27-0.30; PW 1.48-1.52; PeW 0.50; PpW 0.52-0.60; HBaL 0.52-0.63; HBaW 0.16-0.22; CI 122.9-134.1; PI 101.3-116.4; PPeI 296.0-304.0; PPpI 246.7-292.3; HBaI 30.8-34.9.

Type Material
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Worker. Dominican amber. Type material: holotype worker in the JSHC, examined; paratype worker in, reference number MCZC-4, examined.