Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.66mm, head width 0.50mm, scape length 0.86mm, Webers length 0.87mm (n=1). Head with vertex collar narrow, little produced [much more pronounced in susannae]; promesonotal and metanotal grooves well impressed [metanotal groove not as deeply impressed as susannae]; propodeal spines very short; face largely smooth and shiny; pronotum smooth and shiny; mesonotum and propodeum uniformly foveolate, but mesosomal dorsum smooth and shiny, basal face of propodeum with median strip that is smooth and shiny, or very faintly foveolate [in contrast to susannae and kukrana, on which the mesonotal and propodeal dorsa are foveolate]; gaster smooth and shiny; pilosity moderately long, flexuous, some setae on mesosoma branched near apex; color dark brown.
Major worker: head length 0.96mm, head width 0.91mm, scape length 0.94mm (n=1). Most of face smooth and shiny, a few strong rugae between eye and antennal insertion, vertex lobes strongly foveolate, with an abrupt transition to the shiny face; hypostomal margin with pair of widely-spaced teeth, each tooth sharp and needle-like, located near small recessed tooth flanking mandible (Figure); head, mesosoma, and gaster densely pilose, with abundant long flexuous setae; vertex lobes and posterior face with particularly dense brush of setae; abundant erect setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Similar species: susannae, kukrana.
Range
Nicaragua south to Colombia, Guyana, Suriname (type locality); Puerto Rico. Costa Rica: Atlantic and southern Pacific lowlands.
Natural History
Generally occurs in open, highly disturbed areas; generalized forager; nests in ground.
Selected Records
La Selva: Clearing in mature wet forest (arboretum); nest in ground.
La Selva: recent road-cut through young second growth vegetation; scattered workers on roadbank.
La Selva: at honey/shortening bait in mature forest.
Corcovado National Park (Llorona): second growth vegetation near beach edge; nocturnal foragers on low vegetation; about 10 minors and one major carrying a dead moth.
Corcovado National Park (Llorona): small rock island near beach, separated from land even at low tide; vegetated on top; workers recruiting to freshly killed tabanid.
Page authors:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
Stefan Cover, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA. scover@oeb.harvard.edu
Date of this version: 2 September 2003.
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