Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
Range
Costa Rica to Bolivia. Costa Rica: Atlantic slope wet forest.
Identification
Mandible with more than ten teeth; mesosomal dorsum setose; in side view, dorsal outline of mesosoma forms a continuous convexity including mesonotum, metanotum and propodeal dorsum; propodeal groove obsolete or nearly so, and not strongly impressed; a distinct carina runs from the lateral wing of the clypeus near the mandibular insertion to or nearly to the anteromesal quarter of the margin around the eye; propodeal spiracle slit-shaped; acrotergite of second gastral tergum (when exposed) with a distinctly differentiated median stridulatory file with bands of rainbow colors; arolia present; petiolar node as seen from the side with front face rising abruptly to an angular summit at or near the front, from which it descends behind through a broad curve; posterior face of petiolar node densely and finely punctulate, not striate; clypeus with projecting anteromedian tooth; sides of head above and behind compound eyes smooth, microreticulate, differing from dense and fine punctation of face; front coxae dark brown with variable stripe of orange at femoral insertion, middle and hind coxae and rest of legs clear orange; sides of propodeum with extensive rugulae between metathoracic spiracle and propodeal spiracle, rugulae extend up over much of dorsolateral face of propodeum.
Similar species: antecurvata, unidentata
Natural History
On the Barva Transect this species is moderately abundant at 500m elevation, where it was collected in a canopy fogging sample, in multiple Malaise trap samples, and in a sweep sample. It has never been collected at La Selva, in spite of intensive collecting there. At Casa Plastico near Rara Avis, students found workers in a Cecropia insignis sapling. I found a stray worker at Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve. I also have workers collected by Phil Ward (PSW#11398) from a roadside Cecropia in Ecuador, and they are essentially identical to the Costa Rican collections. At LACM I examined material from Venezuela, Peru, Brazil (Rondonia), and Bolivia. Dinah Davidson collected the species from Cecropia membranacea at Tambopata, and "river Cecropia" near Cocha Cashu. The Venezuelan specimens were quarantine interceptions, "ex Cattleya mossiae." This species appears to prefer cavities in live plants as a nest site, and seems to be most easily collected by looking in the internodes of Cecropia saplings.
Comments
This was previously Longino morphospecies JTL-010, discussed as part of a complex of species near unidentata.
See further comments under unidentata.
Notes on Pachycondyla rugosula from Emery collection, Genoa, July 1990.
3 pins, 1 worker each: / Marcapata Peru Staudinger /
Similar to JTL1829 [morphospecies JTL-002, from Venezuela Cecropia saplings]. Sculpture on petiole and side of propodeum exact. Dorsum of pronotum transversely striate also. The pronotal sculpture on these three workers is variable. One is largely transversely striate. One has transverse striae very reduced, restricted to median, rest like JTL1829. One has coarse oblique striae converging medially where they are longitudinal.
1 pin, alate queen: / Mapir’ Bolivia Staudinger /
Exact match to JTL1829 queen, including sculpture on pronotum.
2 pins, 1 worker each: / Pachitea, Peru, Staud. /
Emery pencil label suggests new var. unidentata. They are just like above Marcapata specimens, but pronotum is completely smooth and shiny.
There is a whole series of Staudinger material from Peru and Bolivia, unidentata-like forms. They show a great range of variation and combinations in pronotal and propodeal sculpture. Pronotum ranges from shiny (unidentata s.s.) to punctate to striate. Propodeum may be shiny or striate.
It is not clear which of the above specimens are syntypes, and Emery's publication does not specify.
Notes on a Venezuelan morphospecies
Morphospecies JTL-002: The head and mesomal sculpture and the color are similar to rugulosa. Unlike rugulosa, the petiole is more sharply margined and has more extensive longitudinal striations extending up the side. I made four nest collections of this species, all from one site in Trujillo Province, Venezuela, and all from the internodes of Cecropia saplings. This could prove to be an allopatric or parapatric version of rugulosa.
Literature Cited
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1957. Biological investigations in the Selva Lacandona, Chiapas. 4. Ants from Laguna Ocotal (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 116:228-237.
Mayr, G. 1862. Myrmecologische Studien. Verh. Zool.-bot. Ges. 12:649-776.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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