Harpegnathos alperti General, sp. n.
Creators: name: General, David Emmanuel M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Harpegnathos
Harpegnathos alperti

description: <b> <i>Harpegnathos</i> <i>alperti</i> General sp. n.</b> <b>urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6 B 58 C 862 - 57 D 7 - 4 EFA-BF 6 A-B 5 D 216 BA 99 A 3</b> <b>Holotype.</b> PHILIPPINES: Luzon Island, Camarines Sur, Naga City, Panicuason Village, 500-550 m ± 500 m, 13 ° 40 ’ 11 ” N, 123 ° 19 ’ 47 ” E ± 4 km, 12.iii. 2003, coll. D.E.M. General, G.D. Alpert, <i>et al.</i> (<b>PNM 13015</b>, deposited in PNM). <b>Description of worker (Figs. 5-8)</b> <b>Measurements:</b> TL 19.45, HL 2.81, HW 2.55, CI 91, SL 2.60, SI 102, MandL 3.54, MI 126, MLO 3.64, PW 2.03, ML 5.04, PetL 1.35, PetH 0.88, HFL 3.22, MtL 4.16, EL 1.40, EW 0.94, EI 55, MOW 0.11 (n= 1). In full face view, posterior margin of head straight; scape exceeds posterior margin of head by at least width of scape; ocelli present; frontal lobes broad, covering antennal sockets; frontal carinae short, as long as about twice width of scape, diverging; clypeus narrowly inserted between frontal lobes; triangular labral lobe present; eyes extremely large, ovate, occupying the anterior lateral margin of head; mandibles converging rather abruptly from attachments; head irregularly reticulo-punctate; antennal scape with sparse, short erect and suberect hairs. In lateral view, mesosoma long and cylindrical; front coxa well separated from mid- and hindcoxae; front coxa long but distal end not reaching midcoxa; promesonotal suture deeply impressed; metanotal groove obsolete; dorsal face of propodeum very long; propodeal declivity not bounded by lateral carinae; metapleural gland orifice opening laterally, not protected by guard hairs; petiole longer than tall; anterior subpetiolar process triangular; gaster long; sting present and functional; tarsal claws with median tooth. In dorsal view, irregular striae subparallel, but diverging posterior fourth of pronotum; irregular striae subparallel on mesonotum; propodeum coarsely punctate; petiole longer than broad; petiole coarsely punctate dorsally and laterally; first and second gastral tergite coarsely punctate over underlying punctulation. Sparse short hairs on body. Body black; mandibles and antennae chocolatebrown; legs yellowish chocolate-brown. <b>Comparative Note:</b> This specimen is superficially similar to <i>H.</i> <i>venator</i> <i>chapmani</i> Donisthorpe, 1937 which Donisthorpe (1937) considered a black variety of <i>H.</i> <i>venator</i> F. Smith, 1858, albeit with sculpturation similar to <i>H. v</i>. <i>rugosus</i> Mayr, 1862. The key (see below) summarizes the morphological differences with a non-type specimen of <i>H. v. rugosus</i>. Unfortunately, the holotype of <i>H. v. chapmani</i> cannot be located at the MCZC, AMNH, USNM, or BMNH, precluding a direct comparison and a confident determination (DEMG, personal observation; Natural History Museum Data Portal. 2016). <b>Etymology:</b> This species is named after my mentor and colleague, Dr. Gary D. Alpert, a true friend who hosted all my visits to Cambridge, MA, USA. Gary’s fortuitous visit to Naga City and Mt. Isarog firmly redirected my research interest from spiders to ants.
description: Published as part of <i>David Emmanuel M. General, 2016, A review of the ant genus Harpegnathos Jerdon, 1851 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Philippines, with the description of two new species, pp. 99-105 in Halteres 7</i> on pages 102-103, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.269827
description: {"references": ["Donisthorpe, H. 1937. A new species of Harpegnathos Jerd., with some remarks on the genus, and the other known species (Hym. Formicidae). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 73: 196 - 201."]}