Zasphinctus sarowiwai Hita Garcia 2017
Creators: name: Hita Garcia, Francisco
name: Gómez, Kiko
name: Keller, Roberto A.
name: Schurian, Bernhard
name: Economo, Evan P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Zasphinctus
Zasphinctus sarowiwai

description: Zasphinctus sarowiwai Hita Garcia, 2017
Figs 3 G, 4 G, 5 G, 6 G, 7 G, 8 G, 9 A, 9 B, 10 G, 11 G, 12 G, 13 G, 14 G, 15 G, 16 G, 17 G, 18 G, 19 G, 20 G, 21 G, 29
Type material examined.
Holotype • Pinned worker, Cameroon, Centre Province, Mbalmayo, 3.4597, 11.4714, ca 600 m, rainforest, collection code ANTC 39478, XI. 1993 (N. Stork) (NHMUK: CASENT 0764654). Paratypes • three pinned workers with same data as holotype (NHMUK: CASENT 0764646; CASENT 0764649; CASENT 0764650).
Cybertype • Dataset was published in Hita Garcia et al. (2017 a) and consists of the volumetric raw data (in DICOM format), as well as 3 D PDFs and 3 D rotation videos of scans of the head, mesosoma, metasoma, and the full body of the physical holotype (CASENT 0764654) and paratype (CASENT 0764650) in addition to montage photos illustrating head in full-face view, and profile and dorsal views of the body. The data was deposited at Dryad and can be freely accessed as virtual representation of the holotype (Hita Garcia et al. 2017 c; http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4s3v1). In addition to the cybertype data at Dryad, we also provided two freely accessible 3 D surface models of the holotype and paratype at Sketchfab (https://skfb.ly/6sQwn and https://skfb.ly/oX9VO).
Non-type material examined.
• One worker from: Cameroon, Centre Province, Mbalmayo, 3.4597, 11.4714, ca 600 m, rainforest, collection code ANTC 39478, XI. 1993 (N. Stork) (NHMUK: CASENT 0900310).
Differential worker diagnosis.
With characters of the Z. sarowiwai group plus the following: body size significantly much larger (HL 0.86–0.89; WL 1.20–1.30); torular – posttorular complex in profile comparatively much higher and funnel – shaped, funnel comparatively wider (Fig. 5 G); vertexal margin and posterior face of head weakly developed (Figs 6 G, 7 G); lateral arms of hypostomal carina strongly diverging anteriorly, relatively thick, and outline mostly rounded (Fig. 8 G); postgenal sulcus deeply impressed and running halfway to occipital margin (Fig. 8 G); posterodorsal margin of mesosoma continuous across its entire length (Figs 11 G, 12 G); subpetiolar process of petiole (AS II) in profile with thickened anterior and ventral margins and well developed concavity with differentiated fenestra (Fig. 13 G); petiolar tergum in dorsal view relatively thicker, ~ 1.0–1.1 × broader than long (DPI 102–109) (Fig. 14 G); abdominal sternum III in ventral view campaniform, comparatively broad and short, sides strongly rounded (Fig. 16 G); posterior end of abdominal segment III in ventral view with thinner, deep, sharply and relatively regularly outlined transverse groove (Fig. 16 G); prora in anteroventral view well-developed with sharply and very regularly shaped lateroventral margins (Fig. 16 G); abdominal segment VI in dorsal view distinctly shorter: ~ 1.9–2 × broader than long (DA 6 I 188–197) (Fig. 17 G); girdling constrictions between abdominal segments IV, V, VI cross-ribbed (Fig. 18 G); surface sculpture on cephalic dorsum and genae completely smooth and very shiny with widely scattered and small piliferous foveae (Figs 4 G, 5 G, 19 G, 20 G); general surface sculpture on mesosoma and metasoma almost completely smooth and very shiny with scattered, piliferous foveae (Figs 20 G, 21 G).
Measurements and indices.
Morphometric data is based on four workers from Cameroon and can be seen in Table 2, Suppl. material 3.
Distribution and biology.
Compared to its original description in Hita Garcia et al. (2017 a), the distribution range of Z. sarowiwai appears to be significantly smaller. While initially thought to occur from Ivory Coast to Uganda, at present it is only known from Cameroon (see Discussion below for further details).
description: Published as part of Hita Garcia, Francisco, Gómez, Kiko, Keller, Roberto A., Schurian, Bernhard & Economo, Evan P., 2025, A never-ending story: updated 3 D cyber-taxonomic revision of the ant genus Zasphinctus Wheeler (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Dorylinae) for the Afrotropical region, pp. 1-55 in ZooKeys 1223 on pages 1-55, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1223.131238