A Fine Morphological Study of the Rare <i>Anillidris bruchi</i> Santschi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) Male and Queen

Using optical and scanning electron microscopy, we describe the following new morphologically distinctive characters of the rare Neotropical ant <i>Anillidris bruchi</i> Santschi, 1936, male and queen: scattered setae inter-ommatidia, semicircular hypostomal notch, antennal cleaning, met...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stefano Cantone, Andrea Di Giulio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-08-01
Series:Insects
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/9/723
Description
Summary:Using optical and scanning electron microscopy, we describe the following new morphologically distinctive characters of the rare Neotropical ant <i>Anillidris bruchi</i> Santschi, 1936, male and queen: scattered setae inter-ommatidia, semicircular hypostomal notch, antennal cleaning, metatibial spurs, and the remnant of the M2 vein in the hindwings. In males, we show for the first time the morphology of maxillary and labial palpi, the absence of metapleural glands, and, in external genitalia, for the first time in ants, a new mechano-sensory area on the volsella that we called “volsella sensorium”, composed of several spine-like sensilla. Additionally, we give an updated morphological diagnosis of the alate caste, which will be useful for future studies to clarify the phylogeny of the genus <i>Anillidris</i>.
ISSN:2075-4450