Oxyepoecus bidentatus
Oxyepoecus bidentatus is a Neotropical species of ant in the genus Oxyepoecus. The species is only known from workers from Paraguay.
Distribution
Oxyepoecus bidentatus is known from three localities of the Paraguayan dry Chaco. Because the maximal distance between localities was 340 km, O. bidentatus is suspected to be widely distributed in xeromorphic Chacoan forests, even if rarely found.Description
Its worker morphology places the species within the rastratus species-group. Oxyepoecus bidentatus is the only species of the genus to have both the dorsal surface of the head entirely covered by sculpture and a bidentate subpostpetiolar process. The anterior subpostpetiolar process of O. bruchi of the vezenyii species-group is also prominent and bidentate, but the dorsal surface of the head is mainly smooth and shining except for two patches of fine, longitudinal rugulae which do not reach posteriorly to the vertex margin nor laterally to the compound eye. Criteria separating O. bidentatus from other species of the rastratus species-group are the mesopleuron and lateropropodeum covered by longitudinal costae, and the presence of a reticulate-costulate sculpture on the dorsal surface of the head reaching posteriorly to the vertexal margin and laterally to the compound eye.Gynes and males are unknown