Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.79mm, head width 0.59mm, scape length 1.10mm, Webers length 1.00mm (n=1). Head with vertex collar present and well developed; promesonotal and metanotal grooves well impressed; metanotal groove deep, juncture with basal face of propodeum abrupt, step-like; propodeal spines very short; face largely smooth and shiny; pronotum smooth and shiny; mesonotum and propodeum uniformly foveolate dorsally and on sides; gaster smooth and shiny; pilosity moderately long, flexuous, some setae on mesosoma branched near apex; color dark brown.
Major worker: head length 1.52mm, head width 1.45mm, scape length 1.05mm (n=1). Most of face strongly punctatorugose, with moderately abrupt transition to smooth and shiny vertex lobes; hypostomal margin with pair of widely-spaced teeth, each tooth sharp and needle-like, located near small recessed tooth flanking mandible; head covered with long, silky, appressed pilosity; erect setae present on face, but no erect setae projecting from sides of head in face view.
Similar species: kukrana, cocciphaga (see there for differentiating characters).
Range
Mexico south to Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad; Puerto Rico (type locality Guatemala). Costa Rica: Atlantic and Pacific lowlands.
Natural History
Occurs in various habitats, including highly disturbed areas (city parks), seasonal dry forest, mature lowland rainforest, second growth rainforest, on the ground, and in the canopy; nests opportunistically in small cavities.
Selected Records
Winkler samples from Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve, 19km S Ciudad Neily, Finca La Pacifica (riparian forest).
La Selva: arboretum; nest under barkflap and in abandoned termite galleries at base of big Pithecelobium tree.
La Selva: foragers in Virola tree felled previous day at edge of lab clearing.
La Selva: inside housing unit; abundant ants emerged from crack around bathtub when inundated.
San Jose: foragers in Parque Morazan.
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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