Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Range
Southern Mexico to southeastern Brazil. Costa Rica: in wet forest habitats in Atlantic and Pacific lowlands, to 1700m in Cordillera de Talamanca, 1600m in Cordillera Volcanica Central, 1600m in Cordillera de Tilaran.
Identification
Mesosomal dorsum setose; no carina between mandible and eye; orifice of propodeal spiracle circular, not slit-shaped (note that other species may have a circular boss around the spiracular orifice, but orifice itself is slit-shaped); clypeus truncate anteriorly; color red brown.
This species or species complex shows strong geographic variation in petiole shape (figure: reduced original). Specimens from four different collections from the Osa Peninsula and Carara, in the Pacific lowlands, are quite uniform and have a strongly cuboidal petiole. An alate queen from La Selva, in the Atlantic lowlands, has a similar cuboidal node but is considerably smaller. A worker and a queen from two different collections from Estacion Biologica Pittier, in the Cordillera de Talamanca, have the petiole thinner and more narrowed toward the apex. Workers from 5 different collections from Monteverde, and a worker from 1600m on the northern slope of Volcan Barba, have the node strongly narrowed toward the apex.
This lineage may resolve into a number of parapatric or allopatric species. The type locality of ferruginea is Mexico, and a variety panamensis was described from Bugaba, Panama. Future work may result in one or both of these names being applicable to particular forms in Costa Rica.
Natural History
This is a poorly known species that inhabits forest floor leaf litter in rainforest and cloud forest. Workers and dealate queens are taken in Winkler samples of sifted litter from the forest floor. At Estacion Biologica Pittier I observed a dealate queen under a stone, and at La Selva an alate queen was taken at a blacklight.
Type Data
Ponera ferruginea F. Smith 1858:100. Syntype queen: Mexico.
Ponera ferruginea var. panamensis Forel 1899:15. Syntype queen: Panama, Bugaba.
Literature Cited
Forel, A. 1899. Formicidae. Biologia-Centrali Americana 3:1-169.
Smith, F. 1858. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum (Natural History), 216 p.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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