Cephalotes pinelii
Creators: name: Oliveira, Aline Machado
name: Powell, Scott
name: Feitosa, Rodrigo Machado
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Formicidae
Cephalotes
Cephalotes pinelii

description: The pinelii species group
(Figs. 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
Thepinelii group was first proposed byKempf (1952), including six species (C. foliaceus, C. grandinosus, C.incertus, C. maculatus, C.pinelii, and C.scutulatus). Later,De Andradeand Baroni Urbani (1999) separated it in two groups, grandinosus and pinelii. The species C. foliaceus, and C. grandinosus were included in the grandinosus group, and the other four species in thepinelii group, along with C.kukulcan andthree new species described by De Andrade in De Andrade and Baroni Urbani (C. liepini, C. pileini and C. nilpiei).
In the morphological phylogeny (De Andrade and Baroni Urbani, 1999, see their Fig. 24), the grouppinelii isrecovered as monophyletic, with the species C. kukulcan, C. scutulatus and C. incertus forming a deeply nested grouping within the clade. In the molecular phylogeny (Priceet al., 2016, see their Fig.S3), the relationshipsbetween C.kukulcan, C. scutulatus and C. incertus were supported, but they were recovered as sister group of the texanus and bimaculatus groups, not related with the other species of the pinelii group. The remaining species of the pinelii group were recovered as related to the grandinosus group (Fig. 54), rendering the pinelii group proposed by De Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) polyphyletic. Morphology and molecular data suggest that C. kukulcan, C. scutulatus and C. incertus might form an additional group within Cephalotes, but the first two species were not included in this study, since they not occur in Brazil. On the other hand, the species of pinelii that occur in Brazil and are closely related to the grandinosus group likely form a monophyletic group with it, as discussed under the grandinosus group section.
Diagnosis: In workers, body strongly flattened dorsoventrally. In dorsal view, dorsum of mesosoma continuous, with lamellar lateral expansions. In workers and soldiers, hind femora without crest, lamellae, or angles (Fig. 2l, 3l). Petiole and postpetiole with lamellar lateral expansions.
Brazilian species of pinelii group
Cephalotes incertus (Emery, 1906)
Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus incertus
Cephalotes liepini De Andrade, 1999
Cephalotes maculatus (Smith, 1876)
Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus maculatus
= Cephalotes grandinosusmagdalenensis (Forel, 1899) Obsoletecombination:Cryptocerus grandinosusmagdalenensis = Cephalotes maculatus nanus (Forel, 1912)
Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus maculatus nanus Cephalotes mariadeandrade new species
Cephalotes nilpiei De Andrade, 1999
Cephalotes pinelii (Guérin-Méneville, 1844)
Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus pinelii
Key to the identification of Brazilian species of the pinelii group of Cephalotes based on workers
(Figs. 40 a-i)
1 Indorsalview, petiole andpostpetioleaslongasor longerthan wide (not including laterallamellar expansions) (Fig.40e)......................... C. incertus
1’ In dorsal view, petioleand postpetiole wider than long (not including laterallamellar expansions) (Fig.40d)...............................................................2
2 In dorsalview, anterior portion of the lamellar expansions of the gaster bent dorsally, not continuouswith thegastraltergite (Fig. 40g)......... C. liepini
2’ Indorsal view, anterior portion of the lamellar expansions of the gaster flat, continuouswiththegastraltergite (Fig.40h)................................3
3 In dorsal view, lamellar expansionsof propodeum presentonly on the declivousface, absent dorsally (Fig. 40c)............................................................ ......................................................................... C. mariadeandrade new species
3’ Indorsal view, propodeumentirely marginatedby lamellarexpansions (Fig. 40f, i).................................................................................................................4
4 In frontal view, frontal carinae concave anteriorly the eyes (Fig.40a). In lateral view, eyes occupying 1/3 of the length of the head................. ........................................................................................................... C. maculatus
4’ In frontal view, frontal carinae straight anteriorly the eyes (Fig. 40b). Inlateral view, eyesoccupyingless 1/3 of thelengthof thehead .........5
5 In dorsal view, propodealgroove deep, forminga depression (Fig.40f)... ............................................................................................................................. C. nilpiei
5’ In dorsal view, propodeal groove weak, not forming a depression (Fig. 40i).................................................................................................... C. pineliiKey to the identification of Brazilian species of the pinelii group
of Cephalotes based on soldiers
(Figs. 41 a-i, 43)
1 Cephalic disc full of many tubercular elevations (Fig. 43).................... ....................................................................... C. mariadeandrade new species
1’ Cephalic disc without tubercular elevations (Fig. 41 a-c).....................2
2 Cephalic disc with contiguous foveae (Fig. 41a) .................... C. liepini
2’ Cephalic disc with foveae separate by interspaces (Fig. 41b, c).........3
3 In frontalview, posterior portionof the head with acircular depression (Fig. 41b)...................................................................................................... C. pinelii
3’ In frontal view, posterior portion of head flat, without a depression (Fig. 41c)..........................................................................................................................4
4 Lateral expansions of pronotum with same color as the rest of the mesosoma (Fig. 41d). Dorsal face of propodeummeeting the declivous face at an angle of almost 90° (Fig. 41h).................................. C. maculatus
4’ Lateral expansionsof pronotum lighter than the restof the mesosoma (Fig. 41e). Dorsal face of propodeum continuous with the declivous face, not meeting at a distinct propodeal angle (Fig. 41g)........................5
5 In dorsal view, petiole and postpetiole as long as or longerthan wide (not including laterallamellar expansions) (Fig. 41f)............... C. incertus
5’ In dorsal view, petioleand postpetiole wider than long (not including laterallamellar expansions) (Fig. 41i)........................................... C. nilpiei
description: Published as part of Oliveira, Aline Machado, Powell, Scott & Feitosa, Rodrigo Machado, 2021, A taxonomic study of the Brazilian turtle ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Cephalotes), pp. 1-52 in Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 65 (3) on pages 36-37, DOI: 10.1590/1806-9665-RBENT-2021-0028, http://zenodo.org/record/5512220