Myrmicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
|
|
|
Range
USA (Texas) to Colombia. Costa Rica: northwestern lowlands.
Identification
Antennae 12-segmented; petiolar peduncle longer than node; dorsal profile of mesosoma evenly arched; color black.
Natural History
Temnothorax subditivus occurs in seasonally dry habitats. It inhabits scrubby vegetation and roadsides, nesting in small dead twigs or other dead plant cavities. Colonies are monogynous.
I have collected this species four times in Costa Rica, as follows:
Santa Rosa National Park, ridge between Playa Naranjo and Nancite: xeric scrub on rocky ridge; nest in dead branch; branch was dry and brittle.
Road from PanAmerican Highway to Monteverde, La Pita to Guacimal (below 500m elevation): three different collections from scrubby roadside vegetation, sweep samples and strays from tree trunks.
I also have collected the species in the Santa Marta region of Colombia. I found a small, monogynous colony under loose bark on a 2-3cm dia dead branch. The area of the nest was no more than 1x2cm. Crematogaster carinata were nesting throughout the same dead branch.
Comments
Within Costa Rica there is variation in the strength of sculpture on the face and mesosoma. At the two extremes of variation the face may have a broad medial and posterior shiny portion, or it may be almost entirely punctatorugose.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
Go back to top