Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Range
Costa Rica to Argentina; introduced in southern Florida, USA (Deyrup et al. 1989, Lattke 1995). Costa Rica: La Selva and Osa Peninsula.
Identification
Promesonotal suture very faintly impressed, not breaking sculpture; scapes surpass margin of vertex when laid back; mandibles distinctly triangular, basal margin flat; propodeum with small peg-like teeth; pronotal dorsum with longitudinal costulae that extend all the way to the anterior margin, only occasionally with one or two obscure transverse costulae at the junction of pronotum and occiput; posterior lobe of subpetiolar process low, much smaller than large anterior tooth.
Natural History
Lattke (1995) reports this species as a millipede specialist found in humid forests. In Corcovado National Park, I observed a worker with milliped prey. triangularis has been introduced in south Florida (Deyrup et al. 1989).
The Costa Rican records I have of this species are as follows:
Puntarenas: Sirena, Corcovado National Park, 8¡29'N, 83¡36'W, 5m (J. Longino). (1) Worker on log. (2) Single worker with millipede prey. (3) Workers on large tree trunk. (4) Canopy Ficus; dealate queen walking on branch.
Lattke (1995) reports a collection from La Selva Biological Station.
Taxonomic Notes
Costa Rican material has shiny, smooth scapes, with no trace of striae. As a result, it does not key correctly in Lattke (1995).
Type data
Ectatomma (Gnamptogenys) triangularis Mayr 1887:544. Type queen: Uruguay.
Literature Cited
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1958. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118:175-362.
Deyrup, M., C. Johnson, G. C. Wheeler, and J. Wheeler 1989. A preliminary list of the ants of Florida. Florida Entomologist 72:91-101.
Lattke, J. E. 1995. Revision of the ant genus Gnamptogenys in the New World (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 4:137-193.
Mayr, G. 1887. Sudamerikanische Formiciden. Verhandlungen der zoologische-botanische Gesellschaft Wien 37:511-632.
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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