The fiebrigi species group

(Figs. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)

Kempf (1958a) created the jheringi subgroup of the angustus group in Paracryptocerus (Harnedia) with seven species ( C. bivestitus, C. bohlsi, C.bruchi, C.fossithorax, C.jheringi, C.prodigious, andC.quadratus). Later, De Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) separated it into three groups of Cephalotes . The first is the monotypic bruchi group, characterized by cephalicdiscincompleteinsoldiersandgynes,asignificantcharacterintheir analysis.Thesecondistheexclusively Argentinianprodigiosus groupwith the species C. bivestitus and C. prodigiosus, characterized by the concave cephalic disc insoldiers.Finally, the fourremaining species of thejheringi subgroup were joined to the Kempf’s pilosus group, originally formed by C.fiebrigi, C.liogaster,andC. pilosus; resultinginthecurrentfiebrigi group, with the addition of C.guayaki, C.lanuginosus, and C.supercilii described by De Andrade in De Andrade and Baroni Urbani, 1999.

Inthemorphological phylogeny(De Andradeand Baroni-Urbani,1999, see their Fig. 24) the bruchi group was recovered as sister to the fiebrigi group. The authors argued that the incomplete cephalic disc could be a secondary loss in bruchi group, and the unknown ancestor of C. bruchi should have had both soldiers and gynes with a complete disc, but they keptthespeciesinaseparatedgroup.However,themolecularphylogenies (Fig. 54) recovered C. bruchi within the fiebrigi group, as sister to the groupingformed byC. jheringi, C.bohlsi andC. specularis . Therefore,based onmorphologicalandmolecularevidence,weheretransfer C.bruchi tothe fiebrigi group, extinguishingthe bruchi speciesgroup (Fig. 54).

Diagnosis: In workers, dorsal and declivous faces of propodeum continuous, not meeting in a distinct propodeal angle, and converging posteriorly towards the petiolar insertion, the lateral marginswithout lamellar expansions (Fig. 2n). Anterior portion of gaster with opaque expansion, never extending posteriorly in the form of translucent lateral lamellae (Fig. 2q). In soldiers, propodeum with variable number of spines, if there are two pairs, the anterior one is never longer than the posterior. Anterior gastral expansions not translucent (Fig. 2q).

Brazilian species of fiebrigi group

Cephalotes bruchi (Forel, 1912)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus bruchi

= Cephalotes jheringi pampaensis (Santschi, 1931)

= Cephalotes ridiculus (Santschi, 1915)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus ridiculus

Cephalotes fiebrigi (Forel, 1906)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus pilosus fiebrigi

= Cephalotes guttifer (Santschi, 1919)

Obsoletecombination:Cryptocerus (Paracryptocerus) guttifer Cephalotes guayaki De Andrade, 1999

Cephalotes jheringi (Emery, 1894)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus jheringi

= Cephalotes peltatus (Emery, 1896)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus peltatus

= Cephalotes peltatus ellenriederi (Forel, 1911)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus peltatus ellenriederi Cephalotes liviaprado new species

Cephalotes pilosus (Emery, 1896)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus pilosus

Cephalotes quadratus (Mayr, 1868)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus quadratus

= Cephalotes convexus (Santschi, 1916)

Obsolete combination: Cryptocerus convexus

Cephalotes specularis Brandão, Feitosa, Powell and Del-Claro, 2014

Key to the identification of Brazilian species of the fiebrigi group of Cephalotes based on workers

(Figs. 27 a-l)

1 Body with long, flexuous and abundant hairs (Fig. 27j)........................2

1’ Pilosity with a different pattern (Fig. 27g, h, k).......................................3

2 In frontal view, frontal carinae with a lateral projection anteriorly to the eyes (Fig. 27d)................................................. C. liviaprado new species

2’ In frontal view, frontal carinae straight (Fig. 27e)................. C. pilosus

3 In dorsal view, frontal carinae strongly bent dorsally over the eyes (Fig. 27f)..................................................................................................... C. bruchi

3’ In dorsalview,frontalcarinae notbentdorsally over theeyes (Fig.27c)...4

4 In lateral view, first gastral tergite with erecthairs (Fig. 27h, k)........5

4’ In lateral view, first gastral tergite without erect hairs (Fig. 27g)....6

5 Firstgastral tergite withless than 50 erecthairs (Fig.27h)................ C. guayaki

5’Firstgastraltergitewithmorethan100erecthairs(Fig.27k)..................... C.fiebrigi

6 In lateral view, head veryconvex, forming deep depressionsanterior to theeyes (Fig.27a)................................................................................... C. quadratus

6’ In lateral view, head slightly convex or straight, not forming deep depressions (Fig. 27b)...........................................................................................7

7 Gaster shiny, with equal sized hairs, evenly distributed throughout the tergite (Fig. 27i)........................................................................ C. specularis

7’ Gaster opaque, with shorter andsparser hairs in the central portion, and longerandmore abundanthairs inthe anterior portion (Fig. 27l)........ ......................................................................................................................... C. jheringi Key to the identification of Brazilian species of the fiebrigi group of Cephalotes based on soldiers

(Figs. 28 a-l)

1 In frontal view, cephalic dorsum domeshaped, not totally marginated by a carina (blue dotted), and continuous with the vertexal corners (pink dotted) (Fig. 28c)........................................................................................2

1’ In frontal view, cephalic dorsum disc shaped, totally enclosed by a carina (blue dotted), which separate the dorsum from the vertexal corners (pink dotted) (Fig. 28a, b, d, e)............................................................3

2 In dorsal view, propodeal groove strongly impressed forming a depression in the integument (Fig. 28g)................................. C. quadratus

2’ Indorsal view, propodeal grooveweakly impressed, withoutdepression in the integument (Fig. 28h).............................................................. C. guayaki

3 In lateral view, dorsum of first gastral tergite only with appressed hairs (Fig. 28l)........................................................................................................4

3’ Inlateral view, dorsum of firstgastral tergite with erect hairs (Fig.28j); appressed hairs can be present (Fig. 28k).....................................................6

4 Cephalic dorsum with erect clavate hairs (Fig. 28f)......... C. specularis

4’ Cephalic dorsum with appressed canaliculate hairs (Fig. 28i)..........5

5 In frontal view, the distance between the anterior and posterior margins of the dorsum of head greater than the distance between the eyes (Fig. 28a)....................................................................................... C. jheringi

5’ In frontal view, distance between the anterior and posteriormargins of the dorsum of head shorter than or equal to the distance between theeyes (Fig. 28b)................................................................................... C. bruchi

6 In lateral view, first gastral tergite without canaliculate appressed hairs. Simple sparse appressed hairs can be present laterally (Fig. 28j)................................................................... C. liviaprado new species

6’ Indorsal view, first gastral tergite with evenly distributed, canaliculate appressed hairs (Fig. 28k)..................................................................................7

7 In frontal view, the long hairs posterior to the eyes are as long as the length eyes (Fig. 28d). Dorsum of head with comparatively small foveae, and canaliculate suberect hairs present only anteriorly (Fig. 28d).................................................................................................. C. pilosus

7’ Infrontal view, the long hairsposteriorto the eyes areshorter than half lengtheyes (Fig.28e). Dorsumof head withcomparativelylargefoveaeand canaliculate suberecthairs evenly distributed (Fig. 28e)........... C. fiebrigi