Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.72mm, head width 0.61mm, scape length 0.72mm, Webers length 0.89mm (n=1). Head evenly rounded to slightly flattened behind, with no vertex collar; mesonotal suture moderately impressed, metanotal groove well-impressed; propodeal spines nearly absent, junction of propodeal dorsum and declivity marked by transverse carina that is slightly produced into tubercles laterally, where spines would be in other species; face, mesosoma, and gaster shiny; thin, sharp, transverse rugae on mesonotal and propodeal dorsum; gastral dorsum smooth and shiny; dorsal pilosity moderately abundant, long, flexuous; color red brown.
Major worker: head length 1.36mm, head width 1.26mm, scape length 0.87mm (n=1). Face largely smooth and shining, with longitudinal rugae between eyes and antennal insertions; hypostomal margin with pair of teeth; each tooth located just under half the distance from midline to small, recessed tooth flanking mandible.
Range
Costa Rica (upper elevations of Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Tilaran; type locality is "La Palma," near Bajo la Hondura).
Natural History
This species occurs in cloud forest and montane wet forest habitats. It is arboreal, nesting under epiphyte mats in the canopy. Colonies can be large.
Selected Records
Braulio Carrillo National Park (Bajo la Hondura): montane wet forest; nesting under moss mat of small living tree; nest 1m high.
Penas Blancas Valley: clearing in mature wet forest; recently felled Licaria tree; nests under large epiphyte clumps.
Monteverde: mature leeward cloud forest; freshly cut Eugenia cf. acapulcensis (det. B. Haber) tree; column of workers leading to canopy.
Monteverde: forest edge, nest under epiphyte mat on recently felled Nectandra(?).
Monteverde: leeward cloud forest; nest under thick epiphyte clump in recent Ficus treefall.
Monteverde: leeward cloud forest; nest under moss clump in crown of canopy Inga; Homoptera were on epiphyte roots embedded in moss (Homoptera were not on Inga branch); two walking stick eggs were found in the ant chambers; one of the eggs later hatched.
Monteverde: leeward cloud forest; nest in epiphyte mat on fallen branch.
Monteverde: colony in epiphyte mat on Hibiscus (Werklea) trunk overhanging San Luis river.
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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