Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.42mm, head width 0.41mm, scape length 0.33mm, Webers length 0.44mm (n=1). Head flattened behind; mesonotal suture absent; in profile, rear margin of promesonotum and dorsal face of propodeum forming a right angle; propodeal spines moderately long, spiniform; face uniformly foveolate; mesosoma smooth and shining throughout; first gastral tergum smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity sparse, moderately long, flexuous; color orange.
Major worker: head length 0.78mm, head width 0.70mm, scape length 0.35mm (n=1). Face foveolate throughout, overlain with subparallel, longitudinal rugae anteriorly, faint reticulate rugae posteriorly; antennal scrobes weakly present as shallow depressions beneath apices of scapes; hypostomal margin gently curved, with median tooth, and a pair of teeth about one half distance from midline to recessed teeth flanking mandible bases; dorsal pilosity abundant; head with abundant, short, suberect setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Variation: minor workers from Rancho Quemado (Osa Peninsula) and Carara are red brown.
Range
Costa Rica, Panama. Costa Rica: southwestern lowlands.
Natural History
This species occurs in wet forest. It is common in Winkler samples and comes to baits. In one observation, workers showed a weak recruiting response to a freshly killed tabanid placed 50cm from their nest entrance. A subsequent fly placed near the nest entrance also elicited a small response. No major workers came out. The nest was in a flattened cavity beneath loose bark on top of a rotten log. There were major workers in the nest.
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
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