Cataulacus pilosus

Bequaert (1922) records the species as nesting in the myrmecophilous plant Cuviera angolensis Hiern.

Identification
A member of the tenuis group. Bolton (1974) - This short and rather stocky species can immediately be recognized by the presence of dense, long, fine hairs on all dorsal surfaces of the body, and by the transverse sculpturation upon the propodeum, a combination of characters not shared with any other known species. The erect hairs are in fact noticeably longer than is normal in the genus and, proportional to their length, they are also much finer.

The female of the species was described by Santschi in the same publication as the worker and appears to be essentially similar in form, with the mesoscutum and scutellum longitudinally striate-rugose.

Key to Afrotropical Cataulacus Species

Distribution
This taxon was described, and is only known, from Democratic Republic of Congo.

Nomenclature

 *  pilosus. Cataulacus pilosus Santschi, 1920c: 118 (w.q.) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. See also: Bolton, 1974a: 35.

Worker
Bolton (1974) - TL 3.1, HL 0.82, HW 0.80, CI 97, EL 0.40, OI 50, IOD 0.64, SL 0.44, SI 55, PW 0.56, AL 0.82, MTL 0.40.

Occipital crest absent; occipital corners armed with one or two denticles which are not much larger than those on the sides of the head behind the eyes. Preocular tooth relatively large and triangular. Eyes widely separated, the surface beween them convex. Margins of alitrunk irregular but not denticulate, although one or two minute, tuberculiform denticulae may be present just posterior to the acute humeral angles. In the syntype worker these are better developed on the right hand side than on the left. Propodeum armed with a pair of very short spines. In dorsal view the sides of the pronotum are virtually parallel, but behind this they converge posteriorly. However, there is no abrupt, sharp-angled narrowing behind the pronotum. Dorsal alitrunk without sutures or vestiges of sutures. First gastral tergite not marginate laterally.

Dorsum of head covered with a fine rugoreticulum, the interspaces of which are densely reticulate-punctate. Pronotal dorsum similarly sculptured but on the mesonotum the cross-meshes are lost, and this area is closely and distinctly longitudinally rugose, almost sulcate-rugose; the constituents somewhat wavy, especially towards the outer margins of the sclerite. Propodeum with fine, dense, arched-transverse rugulation, similarly the posterior face of the petiole and the postpetiole. Dorsum of postpetiole with a few short, longitudinal rugae. First gastral tergite finely and densely but brokenly and unevenly longitudinally rugulose, with reticulate-punctate interspaces.

Entirety of dorsum, but especially the head, abundantly equipped with long, fine, erect hairs, many of which are curved.

Type Material
Bolton (1974) - Syntype worker, female, ZAIRE: Avakubi, 6.1.1914 (Bequaert) (NM, Basle) [examined].