Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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La Selva
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Barva Transect, 1100m
Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.50mm, head width 0.48mm, scape length 0.39mm, Webers length 0.54mm (n=1). Head flat behind; mesonotal suture absent; propodeal spines medium length, erect; face and mesosoma, including side of pronotum, punctatorugose; first gastral tergum smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity of medium abundance, moderate length, moderately stiff; tibiae with dense pilosity of uniform length, subdecumbent, shorter than width of tibia; color orange.
Major worker: head length 1.14mm, head width 0.97mm, scape length 0.51mm (n=1). Face generally rugose/foveolate; medial area between frontal carinae with longitudinal rugae; area between eyes and frontal carinae reticulate rugose foveolate, grading to fainter sculpture on vertex lobes; hypostomal margin flat; median tooth absent; stout lateral teeth about one third distance from midline to recessed teeth flanking mandible bases; dorsal pilosity abundant; head with abundant short suberect setae projecting from sides of head.
Similar species: JTL-140, beloceps, JTL-139, rectitrudis.
Range
Costa Rica: Atlantic and southern Pacific lowlands.
Natural History
This species occurs in wet to moist forest. It is most abundant in the lowlands, from sea level to 1100m. Workers are most commonly encountered in Winkler samples of sifted litter from the forest floor and in Berlese samples. Chris Thompson found a nest in dead wood on the ground at La Selva and J. Longino found a nest in soil at the 1100m site on the Barva transect. It is relatively more frequent in Berlese samples than in Winkler samples, suggesting it may be largely subterranean.
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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