Neivamyrmex asper Borgmeier 1955

Ecitoninae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia

worker face view

worker lateral view

Range

Costa Rica: Atlantic slope, from sea level to 900m elevation.

Identification

Face densely foveolate-granular, matte to slightly shiny; dorsum of postpetiole and first gastral tergite smooth and shining, contrasting with foveate-granular sculpture of petiole; in face view posterolateral margins of head without strongly produced triangular projections.

Natural History

This species occurs in Atlantic slope wet forest. At Tortuguero I found a colony inside a nasutiform termite nest. Workers were scattered throughout, but separate from the areas inhabited by termites. Brood occurred in spatially separated small batches of 10-20 larvae. In the Pe–as Blancas Valley east of Monteverde, at 800m and 900m elevation, I twice observed nocturnal columns on the ground. During the ALAS expeditions on the Barva Transect, workers were obtained in a Winkler sample from the 500m site and a sweepnet sample from the 300m site.


Page author:

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


Date of this version: 14 July 2005.
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