Asphinctopone pilosa Hawkes 2010
The discovery of new insect species continues apace. Today, the online journal Zootaxa presents this pretty little ponerine from Tanzania, described by Peter Hawkes.
Asphinctopone is a rather poorly-known genus previously collected only in the tropical forests of West Africa. Asphinctopone pilosa is larger than the other described species and the first record from East Africa, extending the range of the lineage thousands of kilometers to the east.
source: Hawkes, P.G. 2010. A new species of Asphinctopone (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) from Tanzania. Zootaxa 2480: 27-36.
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Cool. Let's celebrate with a picnic!
Does that genus name mean what I think?
a -- without
sphinct -- constriction
pone -- ponerine
Lacks the typical ponerine constriction between abdominal segments 3 & 4 (gastral 1 & 2).
(sphincter = that which constricts)