Leptanilloides nomada Donoso, Vieira & Wild

Donoso, D. A., Vieira, J. M. & Wild, A. L., 2006, Three new species of Leptanilloides Mann from Andean Ecuador (Formicidae: Leptanilloidinae)., Zootaxa 1201, pp. 47-62 : 50-52

Leptanilloides nomada Donoso, Vieira & Wild

Holotype worker deposited at QCAZ. Type locality: Ecuador, Cotopaxi Province, Bosque Integral Otonga , 1960m, 79°0.197'W; 00°25.158'S, 02-Dec-2003, A. L. Wild & J. M. Vieira, leg # AW2146 . Pinned paratypes were deposited in the following museums: ALWC, BMNH, CASC, LACM, MCZC, MHNG, MZSP, NHMB, NHMW, UCDC and USNM. Additional paratypes are pinned or stored in 95% ethanol at ambient temperature at QCAZ museum. See Figures 1, 2, 7-10.

Etymology: We chose the word nomada in allusion to the nomadic habits of traditional shepherds (nom = to graze; nomad = shepherd; -a, gives a feminine ending to the derivation [latin]).

WORKER

Diagnosis: Relatively large and slender. Genal teeth lacking. Clypeal lamella apron straight. Antenna stout. Mesosoma prominent. Postpetiole relatively small. Hypostomal teeth conspicuous, seen with head in ventral view. Abdominal segment 4 about the same length as following segments combined. Dark reddish coloration.

Description: Head, in full frontal view, subquadrate and somewhat wider anteriorly (CI 85-88). Lateral margins nearly straight and parallel. Posterior corners rounded and posterior margin slightly concave. Clypeus short with anterior border almost straight and bearing a concave translucent lamellae; with some setae projecting anteriorly. Frontal carina short. Frontal lobes well developed and contiguous between antennal insertions. Gena lacking carina. Mandibles slender, masticatory margin edentate, with distinct basal and apical portions separated by a rounded angle. Eyes absent. Antenna stout and 12 segmented. Torulus conspicuous. Scape long and clavate, extending further than medial distance to posterior margin. First funicular segment longer than broad, submoniliform, gradually increasing in size toward apex but without forming a distinct antennal club. Head in full face view bearing two hypostomal teeth, easily seen under clypeal translucent lamella on ventrum.

Mesosomal dorsum long, slender and flattened. Pronotum stout, with a conspicuous and flexible promesonotal suture. Metanotal groove obsolete. Mesonotum with large and sclerotized lateral lamella. Propodeum long and unarmed. Propodeal declivity very short and rounding into dorsal face. Propodeal spiracle conspicuous and rounded, in middle of the sclerite. Metapleural gland evident but located under translucent (yellow) flanges which are straight but rounded (not sharp) in posterior angle.

Petiole longer than postpetiole and as wide as long in dorsal view. Petiole with straight sides and slightly narrowed from front to rear. In profile, petiolar tergite with two dorsal portions (Figures 7-8). Anterior portion concave and the posterior portion convex. Postpetiole with dorsal edge almost rounded (Figures 9-10). Anterior-ventral portion of petiolar and postpetiolar sternite bearing a deep and rounded process. Petiolar spiracle situated in anterior part of tergite. Postpetiolar spiracle situated anterior to midlength of tergite in lateral view.

Metasoma robust. Abdominal segment 4 about the same length as following segments combined. Tergite of abdominal segment 5 not ring-like but appearing to conceal abdominal segment 6. Abdominal segments 4-5 and 5-6 separated by deep incisions. Spiracle of abdominal segment 4 conspicuous and located at 2/5 length of tergite. Spiracle of abdominal segment 5 and 6 less conspicuous and located more anteriorly than spiracle of abdominal segment 4. Pygidium concealed by the preceding segment and U-shaped.

Legs long (FL 0.50-0.52). Tibia enlarged apically. Tibia of foreleg with a long pectinate spur. Metatibial gland absent. Tarsal claws simple.

Head and mesosoma dark reddish. Gaster lighter in color, to yellowish red. Body bearing abundant white pilosity, denser dorsally than ventrally. Head, mesosoma, petiole, and post-petiole densely foveolate. Body shining.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: (holotype, min.-max. of 13 specimens): HL 0.68, 0.65-0.68; HW 0.59, 0.56-0.59; SL 0.42, 0.39-0.42; FL 0.51, 0.50-0.52; LHT 0.54, 0.53-0.57; WL 0.75, 0.72-0.77; PL 0.20, 0.19-0.21; PPL 0.17, 0.17-0.20; CI 87, 85-88; SI 72, 68-73.

Comments: Known only from workers at the type locality. This species is reported as Leptanilloides sp. EC1 in Ward (2006).

The type colony was collected at night from a series of subterranean trails and small chambers along a trail-cut in a cloud forest. The trails emerged above ground for short sections spanning several centimeters. Workers flicked their antennae in a manner similar to that observed in ecitonine army ants. The colony contained numerous larvae at the same stage of development, and workers carried the larvae slung underneath their bodies in the same manner commonly observed among army ants (Gotwald 1995) and suspected for other Leptanilloides species (Figure 6 in Brandao, Diniz et al. 1999).