Redescription of Eurhopalothrix reichenspergeri (Santschi, 1923) stat. rev. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a Brazilian Atlantic Forest endemic species
Author
Chaul, Júlio Cezar Mário
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-09-02
5182
1
1
20
journal article
137731
10.11646/zootaxa.5182.1.1
582ad263-c1b1-4922-b03b-6c088eb6db40
1175-5326
7042702
08E62B78-7462-4EB3-8727-7221899886E9
A list of the southern South American
Eurhopalothrix
Eurhopalothrix bruchi
Santschi, 1922
Eurhopalothrix clypeata
Brown & Kempf, 1960
Eurhopalothrix depressa
Ketterl et al., 2004
Eurhopalothrix lenkoi
Kempf, 1967
Eurhopalothrix pilulifera
Brown & Kempf, 1960
Eurhopalothrix reichenspergeri
(
Santschi, 1923
)
stat. rev.
Eurhopalothrix speciosa
Brown & Kempf, 1960
Eurhopalothrix spectabilis
Kempf, 1962
Key to the southern South American
Eurhopalothrix
species
1 Dorsum of head, mesosoma and metasoma entirely covered on appressed squamose setae. Small species (HW 0.38–0.45) (
Fig. 3
).................................................
E. bruchi
(ARG; BRA: SC,
PR
, SP, RJ, MG, ES, BA; PAR)
- Pilosity never as above, species either mostly glabrous having conspicuous standing setae, sparsely distributed, easily countable, forming symmetrical pairs and ground pilosity never squamose. Various sizes, usually larger than above................ 2
2 Transverse arched ridge present on face.................................................................... 3
FIGURE 3.
Eurhopalothrix bruchi
with its unique pilosity among the Neotropical
Eurhopalothrix
composed of a dense cover of appressed squamosed setae. Scale bar is 1 mm.
- Transverse arched ridge absent on face.................................................................... 4
3 Transverse arched ridge on clypeal region (
Fig. 4
, A)......................................
E. clypeata
(BRA: BA)
- Transverse arched ridge on frontovertexal region (
Fig. 4
, B)..........................
E. depressa
(BRA: SP, SC, RS)
4 Dorsum of head, mesosoma and metasoma devoid of standing setae (
Fig. 5
, A).................................................................................................
E. spectabilis
(BRA: BA, MG, SP,
PR
, SC; PAR).
FIGURE 4
. Transverse arched carinae on head.
A
, carina on clypeus of
Eurhopalothrix clypeata
(UFV-LABECOL-000773, image by Jack Longino);
B
, carina on frontovertex of
E. depressa
(CASENT0636778, image by Jack Longino).
- Dorsum of head, mesosoma and metasoma having standing “pompon-like” setae (
Fig. 5
, B)......................... 5
5 Infradental propodeal lamella expanded at least in its upper portion (
Fig. 6
, A).................................... 6
FIGURE 5.
Presence (black arrowheads) and absence of large, spatulate setae on dorsum of body.
A
,
E. spectabilis
(UFV- LABECOL-008985);
B
,
Eurhopalothrix reichenspergeri
(UFV-LABECOL-000725).
- Infradental propodeal lamella small and adjunct to the curvature of the propodeal descending surface (
Fig. 6
, B).......... 7
FIGURE 6
. Development of infradental lamella.
A
, expanded, subquadrate lamella of
E. pilulifera
(CASENT0618717, image by Brendon Boudinot);
B
, thin lamella, accompanying propodeal descending surface of
Eurhopalothrix speciosa
(CASENT0280767, image by Estella Ortega).
6 Projecting setae on anterior margin of scape considerably different from those on its dorsal surface. Infradental lamella expanded across its entire length. Large species (HW 0.96).....................................
E. lenkoi
(BRA: BA, ES, SP)
- Scape without differentiated setae on its anterior margin when compared to those on its dorsal surface. Infradental lamella becomes thin on its lowermost level (
Fig. 6
, A). Small species (HW 0.53–0.58)........
E. pilulifera
(BOL; BRA: BA, GO)
7 Dorsum of head with three pairs of standing setae; promesonotum with two pairs (both at the mesonotal level). Eye large, easily larger than diameter of tip of pompon-like seta as seen from above (
Fig. 7
, A).........
E. speciosa
(BRA:
MG
,
RJ
,
SP, SC
)
- Dorsum of head with nine pairs of standing setae; promesonotum with four pairs (two at the pronotum level and two at the mesonotum level). Eye small, not much larger than diameter of tip of pompon-like seta as seen from above (
Fig. 7
, B).........................................................................
E. reichenspergeri
(BRA; MG, SP, SC)
FIGURE 7
. Full-face view of heads of
A
,
E. speciosa
(CASENT0280767, image by Estella Ortega) and
B
,
E. reichenspergeri
(UFV-LABECOL-010765) comparing head setation and evincing the relative size of the compound eyes by comparing the eyes with expanded tips of the specialized setae.
With the revival of
E. reichenspergeri
, registers of
E. gravis
from southern South America which were not studied, such as that of
Silva & Brandão (2014)
, might in fact represent
E. reichenspergeri
populations. Only two
Eurhopalothrix
species
,
E. clypeata
and
E. pilulifera
,
remain occurring both in the southern and in the northern portions of South America (
Fig. 8
).