Cephalotes bruchi

Specimens have been collected from fallen a fallen mature Parapiptadenia rigida tree in a botanical garden in Asuncion, Paraguay. Little else is known about the biology of .

Identification
A member of a clade of its own (bruchi clade) which, in addition to the synapomorphies already discussed in the clade description, is easily recognisable by the following combination of characters: in the worker frontal carinae strongly upturned above the eyes and gaster with a pair of solid, broad and protruding lobes; in the soldier and gyne by the incomplete disc, by the postpetiole with broad expansions pointed backwards and by the pronotal carina superficial or absent laterally. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Distribution
Argentina and Mato Grosso, Brazil.

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

Nomenclature

 *  bruchi. Cryptocerus bruchi Forel, 1912e: 202 (w.) ARGENTINA. Combination in Paracryptocerus: Kusnezov, 1953b: 338; in Zacryptocerus: Brandão, 1991: 385; in Cephalotes: Baroni Urbani, 1998: 326; De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 618. Senior synonym of pampaensis, ridiculus: Kempf, 1958a: 44.
 * ridiculus. Cryptocerus ridiculus Santschi, 1915b: 207, fig. 1 (s.) ARGENTINA. Bruch, 1917b: 269 (q.). Junior synonym of bruchi: Kempf, 1958a: 44.
 * pampaensis. Cryptocerus (Cryptocerus) iheringi st. pampaensis Santschi, 1931e: 277 (s.w.) ARGENTINA. Junior synonym of bruchi: Kempf, 1958a: 44.

Worker
Kempf (1958) - Total length 5.1-6.0 mm; maximum length of head 1.35-1.61 mm; of thorax 1.61-1.82 mm (lectotype measurements: 5.9, 1.53, 1.82). Measurements of a single worker-soldier intermediate: 6.8, 1.75, 2.02 mm. Black; frontal carinae pale testaceous; tip of scape, and apical tarsites fuscous-ferruginous.

Head subopaque, subquadrate, its maximum length usually scarcely shorter, sometimes longer, than the interocular width. Mandibles rugulose. Frontal carinae semitransparent, their lateral border scarcely crenulate, nearly straight-edged, and conspicuously diverging caudad. Sides of head strongly upturned into a perpendicular position, forming on the inside a longitudinal furrow starting at some distance in front of the eyes and reaching back to the occipital lobes, which are obliquely truncate, with the edge sometimes slightly notched and bearing on the inner corner a strong, opaque, flat, triangular tooth. Eyes bulging, considerably convex, their greatest diameter less than one fourth of the maximum head length. Occipital border concave. Upper face of head gently and evenly convex discad, finely reticulate-punctate, more sparsely covered with squamiferous foveolae. Lower face of head reticulate-rugose discally.

Thorax subopaque. Anterior border gently arcuate. Shoulders subdentate. Sides of pronotum with a tridentate, sharply marginate border, converging caudad. The anteriormost tooth of this border acute and large, the second tooth obtuse, the third subrectangular. Promesonotal suture obsolete. Mesonotum with a blunt, tuberculate tooth on each side. Mesoepinotal suture usually, not always, distinct and slightly impressed. Epinotum sharply marginate on each side, the anterior corner of basal face forming an obtuse tooth followed by a larger, triangular platelike tooth. Declivous face continuous with the basal face, both forming, in profile, an almost even curvature. Dorsum of thorax finely reticulate-punctate, rather densely covered with somewhat elongate squamiferous foveolae. A few very short longitudinal costulae on the anterior border of epinotum in specimens that show a distinct mesoepinotal suture. The lower half of the laterotergite of pronotum longitudinally striate. The greater part of the thoracic pleura more or less longitudinally reticulate-rugose.

Peduncular segments subopaque, the dorso-lateral sculpture as on thorax. Petiole scarcely narrower than postpetiole, its anterior face obliquely truncate, finely reticulate-punctate and slightly shining, lacking all kind of macro sculpture and pilosity. Anterior corners of petiole rounded, continued laterally by a stout, strongly recurved, sharply pointed lateral spine. Postpetiole with slightly concave anterior border, bearing on each side an even more strongly recurved and pointed spine, resembling a pigeon wing. Upper face of postpetiole convex, often vestigially acuminate discally.

Gaster short, oval, rather shining, its median length usually scarcely exceeding the maximum width, deeply excised antero-mesally, between the submarginate, strongly projecting anterolateral gastral lobes. First tergite finely reticulate-punctate, with sparse piligerous punctures.

Standing hair confined to the apex and venter of gaster. Scalelike hair of head and thorax and peduncle canaliculate and appressed; of gaster simple, thin, but appressed.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 5.76-6.28; HL 1.32-1.46; HW 1.46-1.68; EL 0.34-0.36; PW 1.16-1.42; PeW 0.60-0.66; PpW 0.64-0.70; HBaL 0.60-0.72; HBaW 0.17-0.20; CI 110.6-123.5; PI 118.3-125.8; PPeI 206.0-243.3; PPpI 202.8-228.1; HBal 27.8-28.6.

Soldier
Kempf (1958) - Total length 8.4-10.6 mm; maximum length of head 2.39-3.10 mm; of thorax 2.50-2.96 mm. Black; anterolateral corners of head to a variable extent fuscous yellowish-red; tip of scape, apical funicular segments, extensor face of tibiae and apical tarsites fuscous-ferrugineous.

Head shining, subquadrate, little or scarcely broader than long, without a distinct, completely marginate disc above. Anterolateral borders vestigially crenulate, posterior border sharply marginate above the truncate occiput, postero-lateral border of upper face immarginate, i.e. the disc surface is continuous with the occipital lobes. Dorsum of head scarcely convex, almost flat, slightly excavated anterolaterally above the antennal scrobes. Clypeal sutures and midfrontal suture well marked, the latter extending beyond the middle of head. Occipital lobes terminating in a stout, solid tooth. Eyes little convex. Lower border of cheeks carinate. Upper face of head and sides finely punctate, with sparse squamiferous, roundcd foveolae, separated from each other by a distance which exceeds their own diameter. Lower face of head foveolate. Cheeks and mandibles reticulate-rugose and foveolate.

Thorax less shining than head. Pronotum nearly as broad as head, its anterior angle with a stout tooth, which is blunt at apex. Sides of pronotum gently sinuous, gently converging caudad, the posterior corner rounded. Transverse pronotal carina bisinuate, bluntly edged, interrupted in the middle. Promesonotal suture vestigial. Lateral lobes of mesonotum obliquely truncate, immarginate. Mesoepinotal suture distinct and impressed. Basal face of epinotum with a little projecting, broad, rounded lobe on each side, and a stronger, apically rounded tooth on the posterior corner, projecting upward and obliquely laterad. Declivous face about twice as long as basal face, slightly excavated discally, immarginate at the sides. Sculpture of dorsum of thorax as on upper face of head, the microsculpture being a bit stronger, and the foveolae more crowded. Sides of thorax with more elongate foveolae, and a reticulate-rugose area on the posterior half. Middle and hind basitarsi slightly broadened and flattened at base.

Peduncular segments subopaque, the dorso-lateral sculpture as on dorsum of thorax. Postpetiole distinctly broader than petiole. Lateral spines of both segments equally recurved, their apices not very acute.

Gaster rather short, oval, subopaque, its greatest width at the middle of its length. Shallowly emarginate antero-mesally, the anterolateral lobes much less projecting than in worker. First tergite finely, but sharply and densely punctate, with sparse, piligerous punctures.

Scalelike hair in the foveolae, as a rule, short and inconspicuous, especially on head, more visible and longer on pronotum and sides of thorax. Very small and simple on first gastral tergite. Standing hair, as usual, in this caste, confined to the tip and venter of gaster.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 9.66-10.56; HL 2.30-2.60; HW 2.60-3.08; EL 0.42-0.48; PW 2.44-2.84; PeW 0.92-1.08; PpW 1.02-1.16; HBaL 0.70-0.72; HBaW 0.21-0.24; CI 113.0-118.5; PI 106.5-108.4; PPeI 262.9-265.2; PPpI 239.2-244.8; HBaI 30.0-33.3.

Queen
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999):

(translation of the description of Bruch, 1917). – “Long, 11 millimetres. With the same colour as the soldier, i. e. black, the anterior part of the head, the antennae and the legs brown-reddish.

Moderately shining; the abdomen is more opaque, due to the presence on its surface of a reticulate punctuation, more pronounced than over the head and the thorax. The latter are covered by large points or small pits slightly larger over the head and which are at the same time larger than in the soldier, but smaller and less deep on the abdomen. Each pit carries a flattened hair, short and decumbent, much thinner on the abdomen, which has also a few setae on its extremity.

The head is square, as in the soldier, slightly smaller (2.5 x 2.5 mm); its sides are also parallel, the posterior angles straight, the borders slightly sinuous and not crenulate; it exists also a weak spine in the lower third of the posterior border. The ocelli, arranged in a regular triangle, are slightly larger than the size of the small pits.

The thorax is half longer than broad (3.1 x 2.2 mm); all narrower than the one of the soldier. The lateral teeth of the epinotum are narrower. The two peduncular nodes are slightly longer, the first is weakly toothed laterally; the second, i.e. the postpetiole as in the soldier. The abdomen is twice longer than broad, cylindrical and also strongly notched at the base.

Width of the pronotum 2.2 mm, of the epinotum 1.2 mm, of the abdomen 2.2 mm; length of the thorax 3 .2 mm, of the abdomen 5 mm.”

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 12.20-12.62; HL 2.24-2.28; HW 2.48-2.56; EL 0.45-0.48; PW 2.28-2.52; PeW 0.88-0.92; PpW 1.08-1.16; HBaL 0.83-0.88; HBaW 0.24-0.25; CI 110.7-112.3; PI 101.6-108.8; PPeI 259.1-273.9; PPpI 211.1-217.2; HBaI 28.4-28.9.

Type Material
de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999):

Worker. Type locality: Huasan (Catamarca, Argentina). Type material: lectotype worker (implicitly designated by Kempf, 1958 b) in Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Buenos Aires (not available for the present study), 2 workers (syntypes) labelled "Huasan, 1300 m, Argentina, 3.2.1912, C. Bruch, “in einen Vogelnest 4 Stuck", in, examined.

Cryptocerus ridiculus. Soldier. Type locality: Chaco de Santiago (Argentina). Type material: holotype (unique) labelled “Argentina, Chaco de Santiago del Estero - Rio Salado, collection Wagner” in, examined.

Cryptocerus jheringi pampaensis. Worker and soldier. Type locality: Monte Nievas (Argentina). Type material 1 worker, 1 soldier and 1 incomplete soldier labelled “Monte Nievas, Pampa, J. Belsak” in, examined.