Formicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Range
Costa Rica (Monteverde).
Identification
Minor worker: scapes relatively short compared to JTL-042; scapes with abundant subdecumbent setae, lacking differentiated erect setae; cheeks with projecting erect setae; sides and dorsum of pronotum both relatively flat and meeting at a rounded angle; sides of pronotum with erect setae anterodorsally; dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum subequal in length, relatively flat, meeting at a rounded but distinct angle; first gastral tergite with abundant erect white or clear setae, underlying pubescence abundant, subdecumbent, not fully appressed, and not sharply differentiated from erect setae; integument of first gastral tergite moderately shining, feebly shagreened; color solid black, some series with violaceous reflections.
Major worker: I have examined relatively few collections, all from Monteverde, and a few contain larger workers that might be considered major workers. They are somewhat larger and have allometrically larger heads, but otherwise are not differentiated from minor workers.
Similar species: JTL-027, cuneidorsus, JTL-016, JTL-042.
Natural History
I know this species from only five collections, all from the cold, wet cloud forest above Monteverde. One collection is from the Bull Pen above Campbells'. Two were foragers collected from two different treefalls, one a freshly felled Eugenia cf. acapulcensis below Bill Calvert's house and one a freshly fallen Ficus on the Lowther farm. Two nests were found when vegetation was being cleared back from the road edge near the Cloudforest Reserve building. One nest was in a large dead branch, and another was in the internodes of a Cecropia angustifolia sapling.
Rampant Speculation
This species is an interesting combination of JTL-042 and JTL-016. The scape and gastral pilosty are like JTL-042, the propodeum shape is like JTL-016, and the dorsolateral pronotal margin is intermediate between the two. Given that JTL-042 appears to be a rare species known only from the highest areas of the Monteverde cloud forest, JTL-010 is known only from the same general vicinity, and both are surrounded by an ocean of JTL-016, could it be that JTL-010 specimens are hybrids between JTL-016 and JTL-042? Or are the similarities between JTL-042 and JTL-010 caused by similar selection pressure in their cloud forest habitat?
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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