Formicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Range
Costa Rica (lowland wet to moist forest on both Atlantic and Pacific slopes).
Identification
Minor worker: scapes with fine, completely appressed pubescence, and with 0-4 short erect setae scattered along shaft (often none); cheeks with a few projecting erect setae near mandibular insertions, less abundant (usually absent) posteriorly; sides and dorsum of pronotum both flat and meeting at a sharp keel that is produced and projecting forward anterolaterally; dorsal face of propodeum shorter than posterior face, both faces weakly convex and meeting at a distinct angle; first gastral tergite with sparse erect setae; underlying pubescence fully appressed, long, dense, often yellowish; integument of first gastral tergite shagreened; head, mesosoma, and gaster ground color shining black, posterior margins of gastral tergites yellow, forming sharply differentiated bands, scapes yellow to red brown, legs red brown.
Major worker: face truncate; face and cheeks with dense spatulate setae; face yellow up to eyes.
Natural History
This species is moderately common in lowland rainforest areas throughout Costa Rica. Although most of my collections are from rainforest sites below 300m elevation (La Selva, Tortuguero, Corcovado, Punta Quepos) I also have one collection from Pacific slope moist forest below Monteverde, at 800m elevation, and one from coconut palm beach strand vegetation near Puerto Viejo de Limon. Diurnal foragers occur on vegetation from low second growth to the high canopy of primary forest. Workers often forage at extrafloral nectaries. Nests are in small dead branches and sticks, attached to trees or lodged in vegetation. One nest series I collected at Punta Quepos was polygynous, with several dealate queens.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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