To cite this page, please use the following:

· For print:      Citation: AntWeb. Version 8.91.2. California Academy of Science, online at https://www.antweb.org. Accessed .

· For web:

Acromyrmex ameliaeHNS sp.n. (Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 14)

Types Holotype queen labeled'Brazil: Paraopeba MG/ 06 Oct 2003/ D. J. Souza'(MZUSP). Measurements (in mm): HL = 1.5; HW = 1.4; ML = 0.7; WL = 2.6; SL = 1.5; ED = 0.4.

Derivation of specific name This species is named after Amelia Maria de Souza, mother of the first author of this work.

© 2007 The Authors Insect Science (2007) 14, 251�257 Journal compilation © Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Description The measurements obtained from 20 queens are presented in Table 1. This new species has a palpal formula of 4, 2 and 11 antennal segments as is typical for attine ants. Acromyrmex ameliaeHNS queens have large and convex eyes and the inferior pronotal spines are straight and forward-positioned as in the host species. The color of the analyzed parasite queens vary from brownish to brownish-black and this is not associated with the subspecies of host ants since one can find queens of the parasite of either color in a single nest. Worker color is the only character that is presently used to separate the two host subspecies: A. subterraneus subterraneusHNS and A. subterrraneus brunneusHNS. The latter has a brownish-black color whereas the former is light brown to yellow (Gon9alves, 1961). The queens of A. ameliaeHNS are much smaller than those of its hosts, with a WL ~ 0.6 as great (Table 1). Acromyrmex ameliaeHNS further has a more abundant pilosity with thicker and longer hairs on the gaster, on the dorsal portion of the alitrunk and on the anterior portion of the head, in comparison to that on the host subspecies. The parasite queen also has prominent ridges on the head (Figs. 1 and 2) and on the first segment of the gaster and expansions on the anteroventral margin of the postpetiole that are not seen on the host subspecies (Figs. 5 and 6). The tubercles on the gaster of A. ameliaeHNS are more or less ordinated in four longitudinal lines similar to the host species. However, these tubercles are very much reduced and less prominent when compared to those of the hosts.

Table 1 Head length (HL), head width (HW) and Weber's length (WL) for the social parasite A. ameliaeHNS and its hosts A. subterraneus subterraneusHNS and A. subterraneus brunneusHNS. All measurements are in mm.