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Camponotus (Myrmotrema) micipsa HNS , new species

Text Figure 67

Worker major.- Length 9 to 10 mm.

Head large, longer than broad (without the mandibles, 3.8 X 3 mm.), broader behind than in front, with excised posterior border and evenly and very feebly convex sides. Mandibles very convex, with 6 short, subequal teeth. Clypeus rather flat, longer than broad, ecarinate and feebly longitudinally grooved in the middle, subhexagonal, narrower in front than behind, its anterior border somewhat truncated, straight. Frontal area impressed, lozenge-shaped; frontal carinae widely separated, as far apart as their distance from the sides of the head. Antennal scapes distinctly flattened but not dilated, somewhat narrower at their tips than in perrisii HNS , extending a little beyond the posterior corners of the head. Eyes rather small and flat. Premesonotal and mesoepinotal sutures more impressed than in perrisii HNS ; the epinotum somewhat cuboidal, as long as broad, the base and declivity subequal, nearly rectangular in profile, the former flattened, the latter very feebly concave, both slightly submarginate on the sides. Petiole similar to that of perrisii HNS but broader above, the upper margin feebly notched in the middle. Hind tibiae somewhat flattened but neither prismatic nor channelled, their flexor borders without a row of bristles.

Mandibles, clypeus, upper surface of head, thorax, and gaster opaque; mandibular teeth, frontal area, antennal scapes, gula, sides of thorax, posterior surface of petiole, legs, and venter shining. Mandibles finely punctate on a very finely and evenly shagreened ground. Head very finely, densely and evenly punctate; the clypeus and cheeks with coarse, shallow, rather sparse, piligerous foveolae, which are elongate and oblique, with their posterior edges more pronounced. Front and sides of head with similar but more scattered and less pronounced foveolae. Antennal scapes covered with round punctures of very unequal size. Thorax and gaster very finely and densely punctate like the head, with small, rather sparse, piligerous punctures.

Hairs pale, yellow, coarse, erect, rather long and abundant on the upper surface of the head, thorax, and gaster and on the venter, absent on sides of thorax, petiole and gaster. On the cheeks and clypeus each foveole bears a short, stiff, blunt, suberect hair. Pubescence dull yellow, very short, dilute and inconspicuous on the head and thorax, but very long and dense on the dorsal surface of the gaster, where it forms a shining golden pelage nearly concealing the surface.

Coal black throughout, only the apical portions of the funiculi and the ends of the tarsi dark brown.

Worker media.- Length 7.5 mm.

Differing from the worker major only in the smaller and shorter head, which is not longer than wide behind. The foveolae of the cheeks and clypeus are less distinct, but the stubby, erect golden hairs arising from them are as striking as in the major.

Fig. 67. Camponotus (Myrmotrema) micipsa HNS , newspecies. a, herd of worker maxima; b, clypeus of same; c, thorax and petiole of same in profile; d, head of worker media.

Described from three major workers and asingle media ''collected on the fire-wood taken aboard the boat between Leopoldville and Yumbi" (Lang and Chapin). This species is evidently allied to perrisii HNS , olivieri HNS , bayeri HNS , and maynei Forel, but distinct from all of them in the structure of the head, sculpture, pilosity, etc., though apparently most closely related to maynei.


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