Attini, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Additional images: worker, dorsal view mesosoma (small, large), gastral dorsum (small, large).
Range
Costa Rica (Corcovado National Park and Monteverde, both Pacific slope sites).
Identification
Mandibles with 5 teeth; preocular carina curving mesad toward frontal carina; antennal scrobe poorly defined; lateral vertex margins forming acute teeth that project posteriorly; propodeum with distinct spines.
Natural History
Cyphomyrmex dixus has only been collected a few times. The type series was collected at 1100m elevation on the Pacific slope just below Monteverde (below Stucky farm on road to San Luis). The habitat was scrubby vegetation and pasture edges. The nest was in a cavity in the trunk of a small tree, about 1m above the ground. Two other collections were made in Sirena, Corcovado National Park. Nests were beneath epiphyte mats in the canopies of forest trees.
Comments
This species shares general habitus and arboreal tendencies with C. major. The overall size of the body and the shape of the teeth on the posterolateral vertex margins are similar. The two species appear to be allopatric or parapatric, with dixus being a Pacific slope form and major being an Atlantic slope form.
Literature Cited
Snelling, R. R., and J. T. Longino. 1992. Revisionary notes on the fungus-growing ants of the genus Cyphomyrmex, rimosus group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini). Pages 479-494 in D. Quintero and A. Aiello, editors. Insects of Panama and Mesoamerica: selected studies. Oxford University Press, Oxford. xxii + 692 p.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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