Carebara

Bharti, H. & Akbar, S. A., 2014, New Additions To Ant Genus Carebara Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) From India, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 60 (4), pp. 313-324 : 317-318

Carebara obtusidenta (Xu, 2003)

( Figs 4–6 )

Materialexamined – ArunachalPradesh: Lumla, 2800 m, 27.31°N, 91.43°E, 2 (ma- jorworkers), 8.x.2013. Sikkim: Rorathang, 587 m, 27.11°N, 88.36°E, 2 (majorworkers), 12.vi.2012 (coll. ShahidA. Akbar & JoginderSingh). Kerala: Periyartigerreserve, Than- ikkudy, 9°.30’N, 77°.16’E, 1003ma.s.l., 3 (majorworkers), 15.x.2011 (coll. ShahidA. Akbar) .

Differential diagnosis. C. obtusidenta (Xu, 2003) is allied to C. spinata BhartietKumar, 2013, however, thetwospeciescanbeeasilyseparated. In caseof C. obtusidenta masticatorymarginofmandiblesishaving 4-teeth, an- teriormarginofclypeusconcavewithoutlateraldevelopedteeth, propodeal spinesareacuteandup-curved, postpetiolebroaderthanpetioleandhead predominantlylongerthanbroadwhilstincaseof C. spinata masticatory marginofmandiblesishaving 5-teeth, anteriormarginofclypeuswithtwo prominentlateralteeth, propodealspinesareacuteandstraight, postpetiole asbroadaspetioleandheadslightlylongerthanbroad.

InterestinglythespecimenscollectedinIndiaarehavingbodyrelatively smaller, headandpropodealteethrelativelylonger. Thesedifferencesareob- servedamongtypespecimensandcanbesafelyplacedwithinlimitsofin- traspecificvariations (Xu, pers. comm.).

Ecology. Duringtheintensivesurveysthishypogaeicantwasencoun- teredmostlyinleaflittersamples.

Figures

Figs 4–6. Carebara obtusidenta (Xu, 2003), major worker: 4 = head in full-face view, 5 = body inlateralview, 6 = bodyindorsalview.