A new species of Miccostruma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from West Africa, with notes on the genus.

Abstract

Miccostruma tigrilla, new species, is the first West African member of the genus to be described. Its striking black-and-yellow color will serve to distinguish it from all other known species of related short-mandibulate higher dace tines. The distinctness of Miccostruma and other short-mandibulate strumigenite genera is threatened by the finding of increasing numbers of species with intermediate characters. The new species described below is the first Miccostruma novelty to come to light since 1914, and the first from West Africa. It belongs to subtribe Strumigeniti of tribe Dacetini, subfamily Myrmicinae. Miccostruma tigrilla new species (Figs. 1, 2) Holotype worker: Total length (TL) 2.0, head length (HL) 0.56, head width (HW) 0.48, cephalic index (CI) 86, projection of closed mandibles beyond anteriormost points of clypeal margin (ML) 0.05, mandibulo-cephalic index (MI) 9, length of trunk (WL) 0.55, scape L including basal lobe 0.23, greatest diameter of eye 0.07 mm. Form and color pattern of head and body as shown in the figures. Color: mandibles, antennae, clypeus, promesonotum, legs and a broad bilobate band occupying about the basal 2/5 of the first gastric tergite, straw yellow; rest black to piceous-black; even the spongiform appendages are dusky. Head, antennal scapes, truncal dor sum, legs and both nodes densely and finely ret?culoto granuloso-punctate, prevailingly opaque, except that antennal funiculus, sides of pronotum, fore coxae, much of sides of posterior trunk and sides of postpetiolar node have the sculpture effaced, more or less smooth and shining. Postpetiole with superimposed indistinct longitudinal striation in front; gaster smooth and shining (but with a thin patchy glaze of foreign matter or secretion), with the entire basal yellow area densely longi tudinally costulate. Body practically hairless, and almost completely without reclinate pubescence except for a short covering on mandibles, funiculi and legs. There are of course the conspicuous spatulate hairs of clypeus and xThis work was supported by NSF Grants G-23680 and GB-24822. Received for publication January 20, 1972. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.93 on Wed, 27 Jul 2016 04:14:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms