Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Range
Guatemala (PetŽn) south through Amazonia. Costa Rica: Cordillera de Guanacaste (Maritza), Barva Transect to 500m.
Identification
Mandible with more than ten teeth; mesosomal dorsum setose; in side view, dorsal outline of mesosoma forms a continuous convexity including mesonotum, metanotum and propodeal dorsum; propodeal groove obsolete or nearly so, and not strongly impressed; a distinct carina runs from the lateral wing of the clypeus near the mandibular insertion to or nearly to the anteromesal quarter of the margin around the eye; propodeal spiracle slit-shaped; acrotergite of second gastral tergum (when exposed) with a distinctly differentiated median stridulatory file with bands of rainbow colors; arolia present; petiolar node as seen from the side with front face rising abruptly to an angular summit at or near the front, from which it descends behind through a broad curve; posterior face of petiolar node densely and finely punctulate, not striate; clypeus with projecting anteromedian tooth; sides of head above and behind eyes densely punctate, similar to sculpture on face (smooth and shining on unidentata); coxae and legs brown (usually yellow in unidentata); compared to unidentata, sides of propodeum with more extensive rugulae between metathoracic spiracle and propodeal spiracle, but rugulae not extending very far onto dorsolateral face of propodeum; dorsolateral face of propodeum punctate, not shiny.
Two specimens, one from Osa Peninsula and one from Chiriqu’, Panama, are perhaps an allopatric or parapatric variant of antecurvata. The head sculpture and propodeal sculpture are identical to antecurvata, but the coxae and legs are clear orange instead of brown. (morphospecies JTL-009)
Similar species: P. rugulosa, P. unidentata.
Natural History
This species is a mature forest version of the widespread second growth species P. unidentata. It is very common in the canopy of mature forest at La Selva Biological Station, where it has been collected in canopy fogging samples from at least 5 different trees, and as strays in recent treefalls. I have collected workers in recent treefalls elsewhere in Costa Rica, and at sites in Honduras and Guatemala. The northernmost record is from Tikal National Park.
I collected a nest of the species at Lancetilla Botanical Garden, Honduras. The nest was in a live stem of a streamside Erythrina (Fabaceae) tree in mature forest.
Specimens with similar morphology are also known from Joachim Adis' canopy work in Amazonia and Terry Erwin's fogging samples from Tambopata, Peru.
Comments
This was previously Longino morphospecies JTL-008, discussed as part of a complex of species near unidentata. Mackay and Mackay (2010) described it as new, using a worker from a La Selva fogging sample as holotype.
Literature Cited
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1957. Biological investigations in the Selva Lacandona, Chiapas. 4. Ants from Laguna Ocotal (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 116:228-237.
Mackay, W. P., and E. E. Mackay 2010. The Systematics and Biology of the New World Ants of the Genus Pachycondyla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Edwin Mellon Press, Lewiston.
Mayr, G. 1862. Myrmecologische Studien. Verh. Zool.-bot. Ges. 12:649-776.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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