Hylomyrma dandarae Ulysséa, 2021

Ulysséa, Mônica Antunes, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical ant genus Hylomyrma Forel, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), with the description of fourteen new species, Zootaxa 5055 (1), pp. 1-137 : 37-39

Hylomyrma dandarae Ulysséa new species

Figures 29 , 83 (map)

Holotype: COLOMBIA: Caquetá: San José de Fragua , R. Turayaco, 1250m, 10–15.ix.2000, E.L.G. [leg.], W5 (1W) [ IHVL] . Paratypes: same data as holotype (1W covered with gold) [ IHVL]; (1W) (MZHY210) [ MZSP]; same except 1500m, 07–10.ix.2000 (1W) [ MCZC]; Putumayo: Mocoa , 01°08′N, 76°38′W, Los Mayos, 1800m, i.1999, E. González leg., winkler 11 (1W covered with gold) [ IHVL]; same except winkler 10 (1W covered with gold) [ MZSP]; winkler 1 (1W) [ IHVL]; winkler 14 (2W, one covered with gold) ( MZSP67317 , MZSP67318 ) [ MZSP]; caida, T1T10 (1W) [ MCZC] .

Diagnosis. Irregular striae on head dorsum diverge to posterior margin; rugose striae on mesosoma and petiole; promesonotal junction and metanotal groove distinguishable by a slight depression and altered sculpture; dorsal margin of petiole discontinuous; transverse striae on node ventral surface weakly marked; profemur posterior surface smooth; protibia extensor surface striation weakly marked; striation on tergum of first gastral segment restricted to base.

Description. WORKER (n=3) ( Fig. 29A–C ): HL (0.98–1.04); HW (0.92–1); ML (0.61–0.64); SL (0.70–0.74); MOD (0.20–0.22); PNW (0.65–0.68); WL (1.30–1.40); PSL (0.27–0.30); PL (0.60–0.62); PW (0.25–0.26); PPL (0.34–0.40); PPW (0.36–0.38); GL (1.10–1.20); TL (4.96–5.30); CI (93.87–96.15); SI (73.95–76.09); OI (21.73– 22.91). Midsized. Shiny integument. Bicolored body, brownish with lighter leg. Thin and unbranched setae, long to midsized, suberect to subdecumbent.

Head subquadrate; posterior margin slightly concave at middle. Mandible masticatory margin with 5 teeth. Anterior margin of clypeus straight medially, with a pair of small teeth laterally; median area of clypeus with 8 striae, regular and longitudinal striae converging to a point on the anterior margin, interspaces distinguishable. Frontal triangle with 1 sagittal stria or 1 stria subdivided towards the posterior margin. Short scape, not reaching head posterior margin; apical antennomere slightly shorter than 3 previous antennomeres together. Frontal carina straight. Eye oval, small-sized, larger diameter with 9 ommatidia. Irregular and longitudinal striae on head dorsum, divergent towards posterior margin, interspaces between thicker striae filled with thinner striae. Head lateral and laterodorsal regions with thin and regular striae converging to eye margin, interspaces indistinguishable; anterior part of laterodorsal region with few irregular and longitudinal striae connecting the region posterior to frontal carina with eye margin; gena striate, 4–6 regular and semicircular striae circumscribe the torulus, not reaching eye margin. Interspaces between striae on head ventral surface distinguishable.

Mesosoma covered with rugose striae of uniform thickness, transverse on pronotum anterior region (DV), longitudinal in other regions (DV), interspaces between rugose striae smooth. Promesonotal junction and metanotal groove distinguishable by a slight depression (LV) and altered sculpture (DV). Transverse carina inconspicuous. Dorsal margin of mesosoma slightly discontinuous, convex. Propodeal lobe bidentate, dorsal tooth slightly longer and sharper than the shorter and blunt ventral tooth; dorsal tooth length around 1 / 3 shorter than propodeal spine length. Propodeal spine midsized, straight or apex curved downwards (LV), divergent (DV), sculptured on base. Procoxa striae of uniform thickness; irregular and transverse striae on C2 and C3. Profemur mostly smooth. Protibia extensor surface entirely striate.

Dorsal margin of petiole discontinuous. Convex projection on mesoventral surface of petiole. Convex node; transverse striae on ventral and anterior surfaces weakly marked; rugose striae on lateral and dorsal surfaces. Postpetiole and subpostpetiolar process partly covered with regular and longitudinal striae, weakly marked or smooth; subpostpetiolar process weak, convex.

First gastral segment striation similar to postpetiole striae; longitudinal striae on tergum shorter than postpetiole length; sternite smooth.

QUEEN Unknown.

MALE Unknown.

Etymology. The epithet dandarae is a Latin noun in the genitive case created by adding the singular Latin genitive case suffix -e to the first name of a female person. This species is named in honor of Dandara (?–1694), a leader and warrior in the resistance against slavery during the Brazilian colonial period. She was part of the “ Quilombo dos Palmares ”, the largest settlement of African and Afro-Brazilian peoples who escaped enslavement.

Comments. Hylomyrma dandarae is similar to H. adelae , H. mariae , and H. wachiperi with respect to the sculpture of the head dorsum and mesosoma, and the profile of the mesosoma. Hylomyrma dandarae can be distinguished from H. adelae (characteristics in parentheses) based on the following characters: oval eye (vs. dropshaped), irregular divergent-longitudinal striae on the head dorsum (vs. rugose striae), distinct promesonotal junction and metanotal groove (vs. both indistinct), and tergum of the first gastral segment with short striae (vs. long striae). The two species occur allopatrically in Bolivia ( Fig. 83 ), H. adelae in Cochabamba and H. dandarae in La Paz. Hylomyrma dandarae differs from H. mariae in the oval eye (vs. drop-shaped), the longer petiolar node (vs. shorter), and the short striae on tergum of the first gastral segment restrict to its first third (vs. long striae). Also, both species occur in nearby geographic areas, H. dandarae in the south ( Fig. 83 ) and H. mariae in the center and north of Colombia ( Fig. 88 ). Hylomyrma dandarae can be distinguished from H. wachiperi in the irregular striae on the head dorsum (vs. regular striae), the rugose striae on the mesosomal dorsum (vs. irregular striae), the distinct metanotal groove (vs. indistinct), the short propodeal spine (vs. long), and the tergum of the first gastral segment with long striae (vs. short striae). Hylomyrma wachiperi occurs in Peru whereas H. dandarae occurs in Bolivia and Colombia.

There is morphological variation across the range of H. dandarae . The shape of the propodeal spines vary from being entirely straight to having a downwardly curved apex. The specimens from La Paz, Bolivia, have irregular and transverse striae on the petiolar dorsum.

Distribution. Hylomyrma dandarae is known from only three localities, two in southwest Colombia and one in La Paz, Bolivia ( Fig. 83 ).

Natural history. This species inhabits sites at elevations from 1250 to 2048 m. Specimens were collected with pitfall traps and winkler extractors, which suggests that workers forage on the forest floor, and that nests are located in fallen logs, rotten wood, between leaves, or inside natural cavities of the superficial soil layers.

Additional material examined (2 workers): BOLIVIA: La Paz: Nor Yungas, Coripata , Altuspata , 2048m, 8198991S, 639994W, 5.iii.2009, borde del bosque, trampa pitfall, Beatriz Mamani col. (1W) ( CBF –Hym(Form)- 004762) [ CBF] . COLOMBIA: Putumayo: Mocoa, 01°08′N, 76°38′W, Los Mayos , 1800m, i.1999, E. González leg., winkler 10 (1W) (MZHY222) [ MZSP] .

Figures

FIGURE 29. Holotype worker of Hylomyrma dandarae (COLOMBIA: Caquetá: San José de Fragua, R. Turayaco, 1250m, W5, 10-15.ix.2000, E.L.G. [IHVL]). A) frontal view; B) dorsal view; C) lateral view. Photos by Ricardo Kawada.

FIGURE 83. Distribution records of Hylomyrma adelae, H. dandarae, H. longiscapa, H. montana, and H. sagax.

FIGURE 88. Distribution records of Hylomyrma immanis, H. mariae, H. primavesi, and H. versuta.