Pogonomyrmex cunicularius
Mayr
Pogonomyrmex cunicularius Mayr, 1887: 613 (worker, male). Syntypes
examined: 2 workers [NMW], Uruguay; 1 male [NMW], Monte
Video, Uruguay; 2 workers [NMW],
Buenos Aires (Prof. Berg leg.). See also Gallardo, 1932: 120, fig. 13.
Pogonomyrmex cunicularis (sic) var. brevispinus Santschi, 1931: 275 (worker, queen). Syntypes examined:
1 worker, 1
ergatoid queen
[MACN], Estación Sosa, Entre Ríos Province, Argentina
(Mac Donagh leg.). Kusnezov, 1951: 251 (synonomy
under cunicularius). See also Gallardo,
1932: 123.
Lectotype
designation.
A syntype is designated as the lectotype of P. cunicularius in order to stabilize the identity of this
taxon. The
identity of the specimen is indicated by a label and the specimen is deposited
at NMW. This action restricts the type
locality to
Worker
Diagnosis. Workers of P. cunicularius can be distinguished from
other species in the P. cunicularius-group using the following combination of
characters: (1) in lateral view, node of petiole
broadly rounded, (2) inferior propodeal spine with
rounded tip, (3) first gastric tergite smooth and
strongly shining, (4) propodeal spines relatively
short, shorter than distance between their bases.
Measurements (mm) – lectotype (n = 16).
HL 2.38 (1.85-2.47); HW 2.07 (1.52-2.10); MOD 0.38
(0.31-0.42); OMD 0.62 (0.45-0.69); SL 1.55 (1.44-1.92);
Description. Head elongate (CI = 81.01-88.21),
broadest immediately posterior to mandibles, tapering posterior to eyes and
forming a broadly rounded vertex; posterior margin flat to slightly convex in
full-face view. Dorsum of head with weak
to moderately strong longitudinal rugae, wavy to irregular
or weakly rugoreticulate, often weaker to indistinct
near posterior margin; in full-face view median rugae
diverging only slightly towards posterior corners of head. Vertex weakly rugose
to weakly to moderately granulate, dull to sub-shining. Cephalic interrugal spaces weakly to moderately granulate,
sub-shining. Anterior
margin of clypeus flat to slightly convex; dorsal surface with more than
several subparallel longitudinal or oblique rugae.
Mandibles with six teeth; mandibular dorsum
coarsely striated. Eyes
relatively small, MOD ranging from 0.15–0.18x HL. Eyes in profile, situated anterior to middle
of head, OMD = 1.36-1.77x MOD; in full-face view, eyes protruding beyond
lateral margins of head. Antennal scapes long (SI = 74.88-100.00), surpassing vertex by less
than length of first funicular segment; entire scape
longitudinally striate. Basal flange of scape well-developed with
carinate margin. Psammophore poorly
developed, consisting of short to medium-length hairs scattered across ventral
surface of head.
Promesonotal
profile convex, propodeum flat. In dorsal view, humeral portion of pronotum rounded. All mesosomal surfaces with subparallel irregular rugae to
weakly rugoreticulate. Dorsum of promesonotum and sides of pronotum
with transverse, oblique, or longitudinal, irregular rugae
to rugoreticulate; mesopleura
with irregular rugae that angle posteriodorsally. Propodeal spines
long, strongly tapered to an acute tip, slightly longer than width between
their bases; spines connected by a well-defined keel; wavy to irregular
transverse rugae on propodeal
dorsum traverse ventrally or anterioventrally on
sides. Inferior propodeal spine well-developed, triangular, more broad than
high, with a broadly rounded to bluntly angulate tip. Propodeal spiracles narrowly ovate.
Interrugal spaces on mesosoma
smooth to weakly granulate, sub-shining to strongly shining. Legs long (HFL = 2.09-2.68 mm), weakly to
moderately shagreened to granulate, sub-shining.
Petiolar peduncle long, ventral surface with a bluntly angulate
to angulate triangular process. In side view, dorsum of petiole flattened; petiolar node asymmetrical with anterior surface shorter
than posterior surface, apex of node broadly rounded. In dorsal view, petiolar node about 1.5x longer than broad, widest towards
anterior margin, tapering to a rounded to weakly acute anterior margin. Sides and dorsum of petiole
with weak to moderately coarse, irregular, transverse rugae,
or granulate-punctate. Dorsum of postpetiole
convex in profile; in dorsal view, widest near posterior margin, tapering to
anterior margin, maximum width about equal to length, strongly granulate-punctate, dull to sub-shining. Dorsum of gaster smooth and strongly shining.
Erect to semi-erect yellowish pilosity moderately abundant on head, variable in length,
longest hairs approaching MOD. Moderately abundant suberect yellowish pilosity on scape; abundant
decumbent hairs on funicular segments.
Legs with moderately abundant subdecumbent
to decumbent yellowish setae. Mesosoma,
petiole, postpetiole, and dorsum of gaster with moderately dense erect setae, mostly similar in
length, longest hairs not exceeding MOD.
Entire body concolorous tannish-orange to tannish-red.
Queen
Diagnosis. Ergatoid, with
small ocelli on head; otherwise as in worker
diagnosis, and as illustrated in Figure 6. The mesosoma is
also weakly to moderately enlarged, and the scutellum
is weakly to well developed.
Measurements (mm) - (n = 12). HL 2.26-2.66; HW 1.96-2.38; MOD 0.35-0.45; OMD 0.54-0.66;
SL 1.53-1.87;
Male
Diagnosis.
Measurements
(mm) – (n = 12). HL 1.30-1.77; HW
1.17-1.54; MOD 0.51-0.64; OMD 0.21-0.32; SL 0.38-0.49; HFL 1.98-2.48; ML
2.51-3.25; PW 0.48-0.67; PPW 0.63-0.97.
Indices: SI 24.84-35.66; CI 82.89-92.81; OI 39.61-47.86; HFI
154.69-182.05.
Additional material examined.
Etymology. The specific epithet, cunicularius, (from Latin cunicul-, plus
the Latin suffix –arius, indicates
a miner or burrower), apparently refers to the soil nests excavated by this
species. Mayr
did not discuss the naming of this species.
However, Kusnezov (1949) wrote that P. cunicularius
is the only Argentinian species of Pogonomyrmex that
constructs a crater, even though they are relatively small and flat.