Formicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Range
Costa Rica to Brazil. Costa Rica: moist and wet forested habitats throughout the country, sea level to 500m elevation (Braulio Carrillo National Park, La Selva, Est. Maritza in Guanacaste Conservation Area, Hitoy Cerere, Osa Peninsula, Carara).
Identification
Minor worker: propodeum very narrow and elongate, in cross section tectiform (tent-like, like an inverted "V"), without a distinct angle separating lateral and dorsal faces; clypeus with median longitudinal keel; in face view, head broadest at mandibular insertions, tapering posteriorly to narrow neck and strongly flanged occipital collar; scapes very long, with sparse erect setae.
Similar species: JTL-021.
Natural History
This species inhabits mature wet to moist forest habitats. It is usually encountered as individual foragers on vegetation in the forest understory. Foragers appear to be strictly nocturnal; I have only seen foragers at night. I have twice collected major workers, also as isolated workers collected at night. On one of the occasions there were raiding army ants in the vicinity, so it could be that major workers are only encountered when they are flushed by army ants. I have never found a nest.
At La Selva this species has been collected mainly by manual search at night, although a few workers and an alate queen were collected in a Malaise trap. The species has not occurred in canopy fogging samples. Thus C. ager appears to be a relatively low density species, and the nesting habits are completely unknown. In spite of its apparent low density, workers are relatively easy to find because they are dramatically large ants, easily seen at night by searching with a flashlight.
Type Data
Notes
Literature Cited
Smith, F. 1858. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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