Dacetonini, Myrmicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
John T. Longino
The Evergreen State College
Olympia WA 98505 USA
longinoj@evergreen.edu
30 July 1996
| Key to Costa Rican species of Glamyromyrmex | Species list |
The dacetonines are a diverse lineage found throughout the world. Many species are known to be strictly predaceous, and all are assumed to be. Most of them have highly modified mandibles relative to the standard triangular mandible common to most other ants. Many have mandibles that are elongate, linear, and with opposing tines at the tip (convergent with other lineages such as Odontomachus in the Ponerinae). Others have elongate mandibles like serrated scissors. Others have serrated mandibles that curve ventrally. Most dacetonines are slow-moving, small, and very cryptic. Most are found in or under rotten wood, and in the leaf litter. Dacetonines are difficult to locate by visual search, but litter sifting followed by extraction in Winkler bags or Berlese funnels often yields abundant material.
The dacetonine genera currently known for Costa Rica are Acanthognathus, Glamyromyrmex, Smithistruma, Strumigenys, and Trichoscapa. I avoid giving details of generic definitions here, because Barry Bolton of the British Museum is currently revising "smithistrumiform" dacetonines, and the generic definitions will change dramatically.
Glamyromyrmex is represented by few species in Costa Rica, and none of them are common. They are cryptic ants of forest leaf litter, and are obtained almost exclusively by Berlese or Winkler extraction.
Below is a key to the known Costa Rican species of the genus Glamyromyrmex.
All of the material on which the key was based was sent to Bolton
and verified by him.
Key to Costa Rican Glamyromyrmex
1a. Face with flexuous setae: 1.1
1b. Face and vertex completely lacking erect setae: 1.2
1.1a Face largely smooth and shining, with coarse rugose sculpture restricted to margin near frontal carinae; setae on face short and suberect to subdecumbent: dontopagis
1.1b Face coarsely rugose over disk, except for narrow median smooth area; setae on face and mesosoma long, abundant, and erect: excisus
1.2a Head in side view extremely flattened: longinoi
1.2b Head in side view convex above and below, not flattened:wheeleri
Page author: John T. Longino longinoj@evergreen.edu
Last modified: 08/29/1996