Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.41mm, head width 0.40mm, scape length 0.30mm, Webers length 0.42mm (n=1). Antenna 11-segmented; head flattened behind; mesonotal suture absent; promesonotum box-like, forming a sharp step with propodeum; propodeal spines moderately long; face and mesosoma foveolate throughout, promesonotal dorsum overlain with rugae; first gastral tergum smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity abundant, long, flexuous; color orange.
Major worker: head length 0.71mm, head width 0.64mm, scape length 0.30mm (n=1). Face transversely reticulate rugose throughout; shallow antennal scrobes present, surface of scrobes foveolate; hypostomal margin gently curved, with median tooth, and a pair of sharp teeth about one half distance from midline to recessed teeth flanking mandible bases; dorsal pilosity moderately abundant; head with abundant setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Range
Panama (type locality), Costa Rica. Costa Rica: Atlantic and southern Pacific lowlands.
Natural History
This species inhabits mature wet forest, where it nests in soil. Wheeler (1925) described the species from a colony found nesting in the soil immediately around the fungus chamber of a Sericomyrmex amabilis nest.
Selected Records
La Selva: Mature wet forest edge; nest in clay soil of lawn at River Station, in partial shade.
Osa Peninsula: forager at extrafloral nectary of Passiflora pittieri.
Literature Cited
Wheeler, W. M. 1925. A new guest-ant and other new Formicidae from Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Biol. Bull. Mar. Biol. Lab., Woods Hole 49:150-181.
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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