Paraparatrechina new species SL 105 Taylor &
Gunawardene
  Type location Sri Lanka,
Sinharaja Forest Reserve, collector Nihara Gunawardene.
Diagnosis: Smaller
than any candidates from the sub-continent or south Asia. Compares with
Prenolepis taylori
Forel, 1894 = Paraparatrechina
taylori but Forel states that taylori
has slightly longer scapes than indica
and TL was given as 1.8-2.0 mm. Paraparatrechina
minutula Forel
1901: 26, was described as dirty brownish-yellow, with lighter legs and
antennae, TL 1.5-1.8 mm.
Description:
Head
elongated ovoid, with flattened occiput; anterior clypeal margin
shallowly arcuate; eyes small; scapes reaching but not surpassing
occiput. Alitrunk with four pairs of erect hairs, one pair on the
propodeum; propodeum profile with a distinct dorsum and rounded
transition into the short declivity. Golden yellow, legs and antennae
same colour, gaster darker; very shiny without any obvious
sculpturation.
TL ca 1.4, HL 0.40, HW 0.33, SL 0.35, funiculus 0.48, PW 0.22, AL
0.39, posterior femur 0.4, CI 81, SI 105, EI 21.
Material examined.
Holotype worker and one paratype worker. Collection code SL 105. From
Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka, 06°20'-06°26' N, 80°23'-80°33' E;
173-657 m asl; collected by N R Gunawardene, pitfall traps,
iii.2005-iii.2007.
Remarks: A less commonly encountered ant (only 20 specimens
collected
from the entire two years) but was collected in logged forest, unlogged
forest and forest edge.
The type of Paraparatrechina
minutula can be seen at http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0911017
Although
quite similar to this the eyes are some 20% larger and the hind femora
and tibiae relatively shorter; the head in full face view is bigger and
has a near straight occiput.
|
The
photomontage is of a worker from Sri Lanka, Sinharaja Forest
Reserve; collector Nihara
Gunawardene (SL105).