MINOR new description - TL ca 2.7, CI 80, SI 137,
OI 34, MI 30-33, PI 67. Head a somewhat elongated oval (Iran and
Qaliobyia specimens more square); with a very narrow nuchal collar. In
profile the head evenly ovoid, with the anterior margin deeply incised
by the mandibular insertion. The mandibles are long, with an evenly
curved outer margin; the teeth are coarse and relatively large; and
with two small apical teeth. The clypeus is markedly convex, with
sharply defined lateral carinae. The anterior margin of the clypeus is
straight, without a median carina; the margin has four conspicuous
forward facing long hairs. Frontal carinae short, but reach back to
beyond the anterior of the eye; they are weakly divergent posteriorly
and are set quite close together, just over one-third the width of the
head at the level of the antennal insertions. The scapes are long and
slender, thickening only very slightly in the apical third, surpassing
the occiput by about one-quarter of their length; funiculus about 25%
longer than scape; the 3-segmented club has the apical segment only
about one-third longer than the pre-apical segment; the pre-apical
segments are about twice as long as they are wide; the club is about
the same length as the rest of the funiculus. The eye is unusually
large, almost circular and strongly convex; the anteriormost point is
less than its own length back from the anterior point of the genae. The
alitrunk profile has the promesonotum evenly and shallowly convex with
the pro-mesonotal suture quite pronounced and interrupting the profile,
also being incised laterally; the anterior of the mesonotum is raised
into a distinct but low transverse welt; the metanotal groove is
distinct but shallowly impressed both dorsally and laterally, with
cross-ribs in the lateral part; the propodeum has the dorsum very
weakly convex in profile and narrow lateral margination culminating in
relatively large triangular teeth, the declivity is weakly concave. The
petiole has quite a short narrow peduncle and a low triangular profile,
with the apex rounded; the postpetiole has a low profile globular above
but near flat below; from above the postpetiole is simply ovoid and
about twice as wide as the petiole. The gaster is narrowly ovoid viewed
from above but globular in profile; it has no obvious anterior margin.
The legs are relatively long with weakly swollen femora. The whole of
the head, body, antennae and legs bear fine, long, erect hairs; these
are fairly abundant on the head, both dorsally and ventrally. Short
oblique erect hairs give the scapes and legs a bristly appearance.
Overall very shiny with very little sculpturation other than quite
coarse puncturation on the lateral mesonotum and the whole of the
propodeum. The genae have sharp carinae rounding around above the eye.
Overall red-brown, the Israel specimens being darker, with somewhat
lighter appendages and pedicel.
|
The
photomontage
of a paralectotype minor worker of indica is collated from 
The
photomontage
of a minor worker, labelled as