Myrmicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Additional images: minor worker dorsal view (small, large)
Range
Costa Rica: Cordillera Volcanica Central (Barva transect, 1100m).
Identification
Minor worker: head length 0.47mm, head width 0.44mm, scape length 0.43mm, Webers length 0.57mm (n=1). Head flattened behind, shallowly excavate; mesonotal suture absent; propodeal spines moderately long, spiniform; face uniformly foveolate, abrupt transition to smooth and shiny undersurface of head; pronotum smooth and shining; propodeal dorsum foveolate; katepisternum and side of propodeum foveolate; first gastral tergum smooth and shining; dorsal pilosity sparse, moderately long, flexuous; color brown.
Similar species: monteverdensis, boltoni.
Natural History
This species inhabits montane wet forest. During ALAS project sampling of the Barva transect, multiple collections were made at the 1100m site. Workers occurred in Winkler and sweep net samples.
Comments
The three species JTL-138, monteverdensis, and boltoni seem to form a related group that progressively replaces each other across the Barva transect elevational gradient. JTL-138 is abundant at 1100m, monteverdensis at 1500m, and boltoni at 2000m. The morphological differences among them are small but consistent. All of them share the uniformly punctate face with an abrupt transition to smooth and shiny sculpture on the side of the head. They differ in the sculpture of the mesosoma. JTL-138 has smooth pronotum, foveolate katepisternum and foveolate dorsal and lateral faces of propodeum. monteverdensis is similar but lacks foveolate sculpture on the dorsal face of the propodeum. boltoni has sculpture similar to JTL-138 but with additional foveolate sculpture extending onto dorsum of pronotum. boltoni also seems to be a bit larger and lighter colored in some collections.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
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