Acropyga smithii Forel 1893

Formicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia

worker face view

worker lateral view

Additional images: male genitalia, dorsal, lateral, ventral.

Range

The species has a large range from Central America (Belize, Honduras and Panama) southwards probably throughout tropical South America. It has not been recorded from Costa Rica.

Identification

Basal tooth of mandible not enlarged, roughly triangular in shape; TL less than 1.7mm; head width less than 0.4mm.

Natural History

Acropyga smithii is known to inhabit rainforests and cacao plantations. It occurs in the soil and litter; Weber (1944) reported nests from red clay soils down to a depth of 7.5 cm. Queens have been recorded from under the bark of a rotten log. Weber (1944) reported that at least two queens were found in one nest, indicating that this species may be polygynous. Winged reproductives have been collected from January-May.


Page author:

John LaPolla, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA. lapolla@eden.rutgers.edu

John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu


Date of this version: 14 July 2004.
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