Vombisidris freyae

The types of V. freyae were collected from nighttime beating-samples of low vegetation, which suggests this is a nocturnally-foraging, arboreal ant.

Identification
General (2020) - With typical Vombisidris dentition; subocular groove complete, almost straight; sparse, blunt erect setae on dorsum of head and body; body, except gaster, rugoreticulate; gaster largely smooth, but with short basigastral costulae; metanotal groove absent; body concolorous golden yellow, with pale yellow legs.

There are now two named species of Vombisidris known from the Philippines, V. philippina and V. freyae. The only gyne of the genus collected in the county, an unnamed dealate-queen from southern Luzon, was described (as Vombisidris sp. A) by Zettel and Sorger (2010). They determined this specimen was not conspecific with V. philippina or any other Vombisidris species. This specimen may be a queen of V. freyae or a third Philippines species. The workers of Vombisidris philippina can be distinguished from V. freyae workers using the following couplet.


 * Head and body dark brown; antennal scrobe indistinct; subocular groove sinuate; propodeal spiracle low, situated at the level of the propodeal spine . . . . . Vombisidris philippina


 * Head and body golden yellow; antennal scrobe distinct but shallow; subocular groove straight; propodeal spiracle high on the side, situated higher than base of propodeal spine . . . . . Vombisidris freyae

In Bolton’s (1991) key, V. freya arrives at couplet 11 that separates Vombisidris harpeza from Vombisidris occidua. Vombisidris freya differs from V. occidua in possessing stiff, erect blunt setae on the dorsum of the head and mesosoma as well as being golden yellow. Vombisidris freya is more similar to V. harpeza but possesses an almost straight sub-ocular groove, and in which the metanotal groove is obsolete.

Vombisidris freya fails to key out at couplet #9 of Xu and Yu (2012) because both Vombisidris nahet and Vombisidris regina have sinuate sub-ocular grooves while V. freya has an almost straight sub-ocular groove.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Philippines.

Nomenclature

 * . Vombisidris freyae General, 2020: 33, figs. 1-3 (w.) PHILIPPINES (Luzon).
 * Type-material: holotype worker, 2 paratype workers.
 * Type-locality: holotype Philippines: Luzon I., Camarines Sur Prov., Mt Isarog Natural Park, Municipality of Pili, Del Rosario Village, 600 m., 23.ii.2019 (D.E.M. General, et al.); paratypes with same data.
 * Type-depositories: UPLB (holotype); MCZC, NMPM (paratypes).
 * Distribution: Philippines (Luzon).

Worker
Holotype, (two paratype specimens shown in parenthesis): HL 0.63 (0.69, 0.64); HW 0.56 (0.63, 0.60); SL 0.41 (0.46, 0.45); EL 0.16 (0.16, 0.15); WL 0.83 (0.94, 0.88); PW 0.43 (0.46, 0.45); FL 0.50 (0.55, 0.51); CI 90 (91, 94); SI 73 (74, 75); EI 29 (26, 25); FI 89 (88, 85).

Head longer than broad, lateral margins behind eyes subparallel; dorsum rugoreticulate, with microreticulate interstices. Torulus obscured by short, narrow frontal lobes. Antennal scrobes shallow, with smaller reticulation than head dorsum, dorsally bordered by frontal carinae that are scarcely more pronounced than rugoreticulum. Subocular groove complete, almost straight. Clypeus reticulate, convex in lateral view; in full-face view, true anterior clypeal margin medially convex but not obscured by convexity of clypeus. Compound eye with 8-9 ommatidia in longest row. Mandibles smooth, with faint longitudinal striation. Dorsum of mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole with coarse rugoreticulum. In lateral view, dorsum of mesosoma weakly convex; metanotal groove obsolete; propodeum follows the slight curvature of the mesosomal outline; propodeal declivity sharply sloped downward; propodeal spines situated at the top of the propodeal declivity, distinctly curved in dorsal view; propodeal spiracle high on the side, well separated from the metapleural gland bulla; petiolar peduncle without teeth protecting petiolar spiracle; petiolar spiracle at about midlength of peduncle; dorsal face of peduncle forming a very obtuse angle with the anterior face of petiolar node; subpetiolar and subpostpetiolar processes present. In dorsal view, postpetiole subtrapezoidal, widest anteriorly. Gaster ovate, dorsally smooth except for short basigastral costulae, with blunt erect setae slightly shorter than those on mesosoma. Sting simple and functional. Pilosity: Dorsum of head and body with long erect blunt setae. Setae on dorsum of mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole longer than those on head dorsum. Colour: Head, body, gaster, mandibles, and antennae golden yellow; legs light yellow.

Etymology
This species is lovingly dedicated to the author’s granddaughter, Freya Marie General Booth.

Determination Clarifications
Vombisidris sp1 in General, Buenavente, and Rodriguez 2020b.