Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.50mm, head width 0.46mm, scape length 0.40mm, Webers length 0.57mm (n=1). Head flattened behind; mesonotal suture absent; humeri produced as small tubercles; propodeal spines short; face smooth and shining; pronotum smooth and shining; katepisternum with center smooth and shining, margin foveolate; anepisternum foveolate; ventral half of side of propodeum smooth and shining, dorsal half and dorsum foveolate; gaster smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity abundant, moderately long, flexuous; color red brown.
Major worker: head length 0.91mm, head width 0.81mm, scape length 0.39mm (n=1). Face yellow to orange; anterior one third of face with subparallel, longitudinal rugae; rest of face smooth and shining; clypeus with longitudinal rugae; hypostomal margin straight, with no median tooth, two sharp teeth one half to two thirds distance to recessed teeth flanking mandible bases; dorsal pilosity abundant; head with abundant, short setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Range
Costa Rica (Atlantic lowlands).
Natural History
This species occurs in young to mature forest. It is arboreal, and nests opportunistically in plant cavities such as hollow dead stems and ant-plant cavities.
Selected Records
La Selva: Canopy fogging and Malaise trap samples.
La Selva: In branch Cecropia obtusifolia.
La Selva: In recently fallen large dead snag with large Bauhinia vine tangle; nest in same dead stick lumen with Camponotus nest, no partition between them.
La Selva: In recent treefall, a small Stryphnodendron and some other tree; nesting in dead branches and twigs.
La Selva: In recently fallen small trees and dead snag with abundant Bauhinia vines, epiphytes; nests in dead branch, under bark flap near top of snag, and in dead vine stem.
La Selva: In second growth forest; medium to large trees over abandoned cacao; nests in three different live nodes of Cordia alliodora; one nest with dealate queen; one nest with males.
La Selva: Clearing edge in second growth forest; colony in internode of Cecropia obtusifolia sapling.
Braulio Carrillo National Park, 500m: Mature wet forest; in tree canopy; nest in dead stick attached to tree.
Laguna Arenal: roadside vegetation; nest in Cecropia sapling.
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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