A taxonomic study of the Brazilian turtle ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Cephalotes) Author Oliveira, Aline Machado Author Powell, Scott Author Feitosa, Rodrigo Machado text Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 2021 2021-09-13 65 3 e 20210028 1 52 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1806-9665-rbent-2021-0028 journal article 4261 10.1590/1806-9665-RBENT-2021-0028 69cf944a-43de-4eeb-bdd7-3dee10cde70c 5512220 The fiebrigi species group ( Figs. 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ) Kempf (1958a) created the jheringi subgroup of the angustus group in Paracryptocerus (Harnedia) with seven species ( C. bivestitus , C. bohlsi , C.bruchi , C.fossithorax , C.jheringi , C.prodigious, andC.quadratus ). Later, De Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) separated it into three groups of Cephalotes . The first is the monotypic bruchi group, characterized by cephalicdiscincompleteinsoldiersandgynes,asignificantcharacterintheir analysis.Thesecondistheexclusively Argentinianprodigiosus groupwith the species C. bivestitus and C. prodigiosus , characterized by the concave cephalic disc insoldiers.Finally, the fourremaining species of thejheringi subgroup were joined to the Kempf’s pilosus group, originally formed by C.fiebrigi , C.liogaster ,andC. pilosus ; resultinginthecurrentfiebrigi group, with the addition of C.guayaki , C.lanuginosus , and C.supercilii described by De Andrade in De Andrade and Baroni Urbani, 1999. Inthemorphological phylogeny(De Andradeand Baroni-Urbani,1999 , see their Fig. 24 ) the bruchi group was recovered as sister to the fiebrigi group. The authors argued that the incomplete cephalic disc could be a secondary loss in bruchi group, and the unknown ancestor of C. bruchi should have had both soldiers and gynes with a complete disc, but they keptthespeciesinaseparatedgroup.However,themolecularphylogenies ( Fig. 54 ) recovered C. bruchi within the fiebrigi group, as sister to the groupingformed byC. jheringi , C.bohlsi andC. specularis . Therefore,based onmorphologicalandmolecularevidence,weheretransfer C.bruchi tothe fiebrigi group, extinguishingthe bruchi speciesgroup ( Fig. 54 ). Diagnosis: In workers, dorsal and declivous faces of propodeum continuous, not meeting in a distinct propodeal angle, and converging posteriorly towards the petiolar insertion, the lateral marginswithout lamellar expansions ( Fig. 2n ). Anterior portion of gaster with opaque expansion, never extending posteriorly in the form of translucent lateral lamellae ( Fig. 2q ). In soldiers, propodeum with variable number of spines, if there are two pairs, the anterior one is never longer than the posterior. Anterior gastral expansions not translucent ( Fig. 2q ). Brazilian species of fiebrigi group Cephalotes bruchi (Forel, 1912) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus bruchi = Cephalotes jheringi pampaensis (Santschi, 1931) = Cephalotes ridiculus (Santschi, 1915) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus ridiculus Cephalotes fiebrigi (Forel, 1906) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus pilosus fiebrigi = Cephalotes guttifer (Santschi, 1919) Obsoletecombination:Cryptocerus (Paracryptocerus) guttifer Cephalotes guayaki De Andrade, 1999 Cephalotes jheringi (Emery, 1894) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus jheringi = Cephalotes peltatus (Emery, 1896) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus peltatus = Cephalotes peltatus ellenriederi (Forel, 1911) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus peltatus ellenriederi Cephalotes liviaprado new species Cephalotes pilosus (Emery, 1896) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus pilosus Cephalotes quadratus (Mayr, 1868) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus quadratus = Cephalotes convexus (Santschi, 1916) Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus convexus Cephalotes specularis Brandão, Feitosa, Powell and Del-Claro, 2014 Key to the identification of Brazilian species of the fiebrigi group of Cephalotes based on workers ( Figs. 27 a-l) 1 Body with long, flexuous and abundant hairs ( Fig. 27j )........................2 1’ Pilosity with a different pattern ( Fig. 27g , h, k ).......................................3 2 In frontal view, frontal carinae with a lateral projection anteriorly to the eyes ( Fig. 27d )................................................. C. liviaprado new species 2’ In frontal view, frontal carinae straight ( Fig. 27e )................. C. pilosus 3 In dorsal view, frontal carinae strongly bent dorsally over the eyes ( Fig. 27f )..................................................................................................... C. bruchi 3’ In dorsalview,frontalcarinae notbentdorsally over theeyes ( Fig.27c )...4 4 In lateral view, first gastral tergite with erecthairs ( Fig. 27h, k )........5 4’ In lateral view, first gastral tergite without erect hairs ( Fig. 27g )....6 5 Firstgastral tergite withless than 50 erecthairs ( Fig.27h )................ C. guayaki 5’Firstgastraltergitewithmorethan100erecthairs( Fig.27k )..................... C.fiebrigi 6 In lateral view, head veryconvex, forming deep depressionsanterior to theeyes ( Fig.27a )................................................................................... C. quadratus 6’ In lateral view, head slightly convex or straight, not forming deep depressions ( Fig. 27b )...........................................................................................7 7 Gaster shiny, with equal sized hairs, evenly distributed throughout the tergite ( Fig. 27i )........................................................................ C. specularis 7’ Gaster opaque, with shorter andsparser hairs in the central portion, and longerandmore abundanthairs inthe anterior portion ( Fig. 27l )........ ......................................................................................................................... C. jheringi Key to the identification of Brazilian species of the fiebrigi group of Cephalotes based on soldiers Figure 27 Workers of fiebrigi group.A: C.quadratus . B, Gand I: C.specularis . C: C.complanatus ( basalis group).Dand J: C.liviaprado . E: C. pilosus [CASENT0904912].F: C.basalis ( basalisgroup ). H: C. guayaki [CASENT0173677]. K: C.fiebrigi [CASENT0922539]. L: C. jheringi . ( Figs. 28 a-l) 1 In frontal view, cephalic dorsum domeshaped, not totally marginated by a carina (blue dotted), and continuous with the vertexal corners (pink dotted) ( Fig. 28c )........................................................................................2 1’ In frontal view, cephalic dorsum disc shaped, totally enclosed by a carina (blue dotted), which separate the dorsum from the vertexal corners (pink dotted) ( Fig. 28a, b, d, e )............................................................3 2 In dorsal view, propodeal groove strongly impressed forming a depression in the integument ( Fig. 28g )................................. C. quadratus 2’ Indorsal view, propodeal grooveweakly impressed, withoutdepression in the integument ( Fig. 28h ).............................................................. C. guayaki 3 In lateral view, dorsum of first gastral tergite only with appressed hairs ( Fig. 28l )........................................................................................................4 3’ Inlateral view, dorsum of firstgastral tergite with erect hairs ( Fig.28j ); appressed hairs can be present ( Fig. 28k ).....................................................6 4 Cephalic dorsum with erect clavate hairs ( Fig. 28f )......... C. specularis 4’ Cephalic dorsum with appressed canaliculate hairs ( Fig. 28i )..........5 5 In frontal view, the distance between the anterior and posterior margins of the dorsum of head greater than the distance between the eyes ( Fig. 28a )....................................................................................... C. jheringi 5’ In frontal view, distance between the anterior and posteriormargins of the dorsum of head shorter than or equal to the distance between theeyes ( Fig. 28b )................................................................................... C. bruchi 6 In lateral view, first gastral tergite without canaliculate appressed hairs. Simple sparse appressed hairs can be present laterally ( Fig. 28j )................................................................... C. liviaprado new species 6’ Indorsal view, first gastral tergite with evenly distributed, canaliculate appressed hairs ( Fig. 28k )..................................................................................7 7 In frontal view, the long hairs posterior to the eyes are as long as the length eyes ( Fig. 28d ). Dorsum of head with comparatively small foveae, and canaliculate suberect hairs present only anteriorly ( Fig. 28d ).................................................................................................. C. pilosus 7’ Infrontal view, the long hairsposteriorto the eyes areshorter than half lengtheyes ( Fig.28e ). Dorsumof head withcomparativelylargefoveaeand canaliculate suberecthairs evenly distributed ( Fig. 28e )........... C. fiebrigi