Cephalotes wheeleri

Identification
A member of the wheeleri clade differing from its sister species, Cephalotes toltecus, in the worker by the genal area and the mesosoma with more regular longitudinal rugosities, and, in the soldier, by the disc with sparser foveae and without short, broad, medial tumulus. Soldiers of wheeleri  and toltecus can be distinguished from the other soldiers of the wheeleri clade by the floor of the disc flat posteriorly. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Mexico.

Nomenclature

 *  wheeleri. Cryptocerus wheeleri Forel, 1901c: 126 (s.w.) MEXICO. De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 578 (m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1954b: 157 (l.). Combination in Paracryptocerus (Harnedia): Kempf, 1958a: 132; in Zacryptocerus: Hespenheide, 1986: 395; in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 574.

Worker
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Vertexal angles rounded, with superficially crenulate borders. Occiput almost straight. Postoccipital suture open antero-ventrally. Cheeks not marginate. Frontal carinae with a notch over the eyes. Antennal scrobes reaching the antero-ventral border of the eyes posteriorly. Anterior clypeal border concave. Mandibles laterally superficially carinate.

Mesosoma convex in side view. Pronotum in dorsal view with the anterior border convex. Scapular angles absent or not visible in dorsal view. Pronotal sides with narrow lamellae bearing three teeth. Humeral angles with a short, pointed, lateral teeth slightly bent anteriorly, followed by another tooth of the same size or smaller than the first and variably pointed, and by a third broad and obtuse tooth. Sides of the mesonotum converging and unarmed. Promesonotal and propodeal sutures superficially marked in some specimens, better visible on the sides. Propodeum declivous, without distinct, differentiate, basal and declivous faces, with a pointed, thin spine at the end of its first half, directed laterally and slightly upwards.

Petiole anteriorly truncate; its anterior border marked by a transversal carina variably impressed. Petiolar spines half of the length of the petiole, thin, pointed backwards and placed on the middle of the petiolar sides. Postpetiole broader than petiole, with thin, pointed spines arising anterolaterally and curved backwards at the base.

Gaster oval, without crest or lateral margin.

Hind and mid femora neither angulate nor denticulate; mid and hind basitarsi long and without flat and broad base.

Sculpture. Head dorsum reticulate and with superficial, slightly irregular foveae sometimes sparser behind the clypeus, denser on the vertexal angles. Frontal carinae superficially punctate. Ventral face of the head and sides of the mesosoma striato-rugose, superficially reticulate, slightly shining. Mesosoma and pedicel minutely reticulate, striato-rugose and with few, irregular foveae. Gaster superficially reticulate and shining. First gastral tergite with longitudinal rugulations originating from the articulation with the postpetiole and diverging backwards. First sternite with longitudinal rugulations on the sides only. Legs minutely reticulate-punctate, with slightly shining femora. Distal part of the mid and hind femora and outer face of the tibiae with irregular, superficial foveae and rugosities.

Pilosity. Body with three types of sparse hairs: (1) long, erect, truncate, on the mesosoma, on the pedicel and gaster, slightly shorter on the head dorsum; (2) appressed and thick, denser on the occipital borders, on the dorsal sides of the mesosoma and on the pedicel, shorter and thinner on the frons, on the middle of the mesosoma and posterior border of the first gastral tergite and legs; (3) minute and thin on the gaster and on the legs.

Colour. Dark brown to black, with yellowish frontal carinae, reddish-brown antennae and femora, lighter tibiae, tarsi, propodeal and peduncular spines.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 3.84-4.28; HL 0.92-1.04; HW 1.04-1.20; EL 0.28; PW 0.84-0.98; PeW 0.48-0.56; PpW 0.56-0.60; HBaL 0.40-0.48; HBaW 0.08-0.09; CI 113.0-115.4; PI 122.4-123.8; PPeI 175.0; PPpI 150.0-163.3; HBaI 18.7-20.0.

Soldier
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Head disc present. Head dorsum with the anterior third declivous and concave on its sides, the rest flat and slightly lower than the borders of the disc. Frontal carinae broadly expanded anteriorly, converging posteriorly and connected by a convex carina on the vertex. Vertexal border round and marginate on the sides. Eyes moderately flat and not hidden by the disc. Clypeal border deeply concave anteriorly. Mandibles laterally carinate and partially hidden by the frontal carinae.

Mesosoma. Humeral angles with a broad, obtuse tooth anteriorly, their sides converging posteriorly. Pronotal carina marked on the sides but discontinuous in the middle. Promesonotal suture impressed. Mesonotal sides with a broad tooth with pointed tip, rarely obtuse. Lower mesopleurae without denticles. Propodeum differentiated in basal and declivous faces; basal face slightly convex dorsally, with a pointed tooth in the middle of each side and converging posteriorly to the declivous face; declivous face concave in the middle.

Petiole with distinctly differentiated anterior and posterior faces; anterior face vertical, posterior face slightly convex and bearing a pointed spine directed backwards on the sides. Postpetiole broadly convex; petiolar spines arising from the anterior border of the petiole and little curved.

Gaster laterally not marginate, simply with a little protruding anterior border.

Legs. Fore coxae with a tumulus anteriorly. Mid and hind femora without angle or denticles. Mid and hind basitarsi without broad base and not compressed laterally.

Sculpture. Head, mesosoma and pedicel superficially and minutely reticulate-punctate, the reticulation absent on the head dorsum, covered by deep foveae, broader than their interspaces on the two posterior thirds of the head, less impressed on the frontal carinae, on the declivous part of the vertex, on the two anterior thirds of the ventral part of the head, on the pronotum, on the sides of the mesonotum and on the basal face of the propodeum; the same structure sparser on the propleurae, on the middle of the mesonotum and on the basal face of the propodeum; first dorsal third of the head with foveae smaller than those on the two posterior thirds and almost as broad as their interspaces; the foveae oval and shallower on the pedicel. Posterior third of the ventral part of the head, legs, sides of the first gastral tergite, posterior half of the first gastral sternite superficially reticulate-punctate and shining, this sculpture is more impressed on the posterior half of the first tergite and anterior half of the first sternite. Declivous face of the propodeum, meta- and propleurae, anterior half of the first gastral tergite reticulate-punctate and with more or less longitudinal rugulosities. The rugae on the first gastral sternite sometimes are present only on the anterior third of it, or surpassing its first half, and slightly curved to the sides. Outer face of the tibiae with oval and superficial foveae.

Pilosity. Body with three types of hairs: (1) rare, long, erect, truncate on the mesosoma, pedicel and dorsum of the first gastral tergite, sparser on the legs and apex of the gaster, and shorter on the first gastral sternite; (2) decumbent to appressed on each fovea, sparse on the legs, longer and thicker on the pedicel and on the ventral part of the meso- and metapleurae; (3) minute and thin on the gaster.

Colour. Dark brown to black, with reddish-brown frontal carinae, antennae, femora, and lighter tarsi.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 6.04-6.52; HL 1.52-1.56; HW 1.68-1.72; EL 0.36; PW 1.64-1.68; PeW 0.64; PpW 0.68-0.72; HBaL 0.44-0.46; HBaW 0.10-0.11; CI 110.2-110.5; PI 102.4; PPeI 256.2-262.5; PPpI 227.7-247.0; HBaI 22.7-23.9.

Male
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Head, eyes included, almost 1/3 broader than long; vertexal angles convex. Frontal carinae not raised, strongly diverging backwards and not reaching the first ocellus. Clypeus convex, its anterior border straight. Scapes thick, twice as long as the first funicular joint; remaining funicular joints thickening from the base to the apex.

Mesosoma. Mayrian furrows impressed. Propodeum with differentiate basal and declivous faces; basal face convex dorsally and with the sides converging posteriorly; declivous face converging posteriorly and laterally marginate.

Petiole with the anterior face truncate and concave medially; petiole and postpetiole convex dorsally and laterally.

Gaster longer than the mesosoma.

Sculpture. Head and pronotum minutely punctate and with very broad, irregular reticulation. Mesonotum punctate and with superficial foveae surrounded by thin rugosities. Scutellum punctate and with thin, longitudinal rugosities. Basal face of the propodeum and pleurae punctate and with irregular, longitudinal rugosities. Declivous face of the propodeum and gaster superficially reticulate. Pedicel punctate and with thin, longitudinal rugosities slightly irregular on the sides. Legs punctate.

Pilosity. Body with long, pointed hairs, suberect on the head and mesosoma, decumbent on the propodeum, pedicel, gaster and legs.

Colour. The sole available immature specimen is light brown with lighter legs.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 5.58; HL 0.76; HW 0.92; EL 0.39; PW (not measurable: deformed); PeW 0.43; PpW 0.49; HBaL 0.55; HBaW 0.08; CI 121.0; HBaI 14.5.

Note: The description above is based on a single immature and damaged male belonging to the wheeleri type series; we did not dare dissecting its genitalia. A few genital characters visible without dissection have been nonetheless included in the data matrix for this species.

Type Material
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Worker, soldier. Type locality: Cuernavaca (Morelos, Mexico). Type material: lectotype soldier in and several paralectotype workers and soldiers divided between the, , MZSP,  and  (Kempf, 1958 a: 132), examined.