Eurhopalothrix oxente sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a new riparian species of São Francisco River, northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Abstract. We report a new ant species of the genus Eurhopalothrix Brown & Kempf, 1961 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini), attributed to the bruchi group, which we named Eurhopalothrix oxente sp. nov. We found the new species in the leaf litter of a riparian forest fragment in the hydrographic Sub-middle region of the São Francisco River in Petrolina, State of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. This region is included in the Caatinga Domain, a region with poorly known biodiversity, especially of ants. In addition to the description of the new species, we provide an identification key for the two groups present in South America and for the species of the bruchi group. New data on the taxonomy of the bruchi group are also presented.