Hylomyrma praepotens

The type specimens were collected with Berlese-Tüllgren funnels in Colombia, and the unique specimen from Brazil was collected with winkler extractors, suggesting that colonies are located in leaf-litter or in superficial soil layers. Except for the presence of intercastes (4 paratypes), there is no further information available regarding H. praepotens biology. (Ulyssea & Brandao, 2021)

Identification
Large-sized; regular to irregular, longitudinal and thick striae on head dorsum diverge towards posterior margin, interspaces between striae smooth; propodeal spine long; a pair of large and blunt teeth laterally on anterior margin of clypeus; dorsal margin of petiole continuous, convex; subpostpetiolar process weak, convex; profemur mostly covered with irregular to regular transverse striae; protibia entirely covered with regular striae; very long striae on tergum of first gastral segment; semicircular striae on sternite of first gastral segment covering the midbasal and lateral regions.

Hylomyrma praepotens, the largest species of the genus, is similar to Hylomyrma immanis, both have a long propodeal spine, and an elongated and continuous dorsal margin of petiole, but H. praepotens is easily distinguished by the shiny integument (subopaque in H. immanis), and the body covered by thick striae with distinguishable interspaces (thin striae with indistinguishable interspaces in H. immanis).

Hylomyrma immanis is more easily sampled than H. praepotens, the former has a broad distribution in the center-north of South America (Fig. 88), whereas the latter is only known from two localities in Colombia, two in Ecuador, and one in Brazil (Fig. 90). Both species cooccur in a locality 7 km NW of Letícia, Amazonas, Colombia.

Four type specimens, identified as workers by Kempf (1973), have an inconspicuous central ocellus, and a darker area on the head dorsum coincident with the ocelli location in winged queens (Fig. 61). They also have the mesosoma larger and more convex than in workers. Due to these characters, we recognized these specimens as intercastes.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru.

Nomenclature

 * . Hylomyrma praepotens Kempf, 1973b: 245, figs. 1, 15 (w.) COLOMBIA.
 * Type-material: holotype worker, 11 paratype workers.
 * Type-locality: holotype Colombia: Amazonas, 7 km. NW Leticia, 20-25.ii.1972, berlesate no. 230, forest litter (S. & J. Peck); paratypes: 6 workers with same data, 5 workers Colombia: Meta, Villavicencio, 1-4.iii.1972, berlesate no. 233 (S.& J. Peck).
 * Type-depositories: MCZC (holotype); MCZC, MZSP (paratypes).
 * Ulysséa & Brandão, 2021: 92 (q.).
 * Status as species: Kutter, 1977a: 88; Brandão, 1991: 346; Bolton, 1995b: 213; Guénard & Economo, 2015: 227; Pierce, M.P., Branstetter, et al. 2017: 137; Fernández & Serna, 2019: 797; Ulysséa & Brandão, 2021: 90 (redescription).
 * Distribution: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador.

Type Material

 * Holotype: COLOMBIA: Amaz.[Amazonas]: 7km NW Letícia, 20-25 Feb 1972, #230, forest litter, berlesate, S. & J. Peck [leg.] (1W) (MCZ35421) [MCZC] [examined by Ulyssea & Brandao (2021)].
 * Paratypes: same data as holotype (5W) (MCZ35421) [MCZC] [examined by Ulyssea & Brandao (2021)]; (2W 1I) (MZSP67410) [MZSP] [examined by Ulyssea & Brandao (2021)]; Meta: Villavicencio, 1-4 Mar 1972, S. & J. Peck, 233, forest litter, berlesate (2I, one covered with gold) (MZSP67411) [MZSP] [examined by Ulyssea & Brandao (2021)]; same data (1I) (ANTWEB-1008992 MZSP67409) [MZSP] [examined by Ulyssea & Brandao (2021)].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Brandao, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.
 * 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.
 * Pierce M. P., M. G. Branstetter, and J. T. Longino. 2017 . Integrative taxonomy reveals multiple cryptic species within Central American Hylomyrma FOREL, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 25: 131-143.
 * Pires de Prado L., R. M. Feitosa, S. Pinzon Triana, J. A. Munoz Gutierrez, G. X. Rousseau, R. Alves Silva, G. M. Siqueira, C. L. Caldas dos Santos, F. Veras Silva, T. Sanches Ranzani da Silva, A. Casadei-Ferreira, R. Rosa da Silva, and J. Andrade-Silva. 2019. An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59: e20195938.