Myrmicinae, Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Range
Mexico to Costa Rica. Costa Rica: widespread in wet forest habitats, from sea level to 1000m elevation.
Identification
Antennae 12-segmented; petiolar peduncle shorter than node; antennal scapes in repose fail to reach vertex margin; color variable but at least partially orange.
Natural History
This species is a relatively common inhabitant of mature wet forest canopy. Workers can be found in most fresh treefalls. It occurred in 29 of 52 trees fogged by the ALAS project at La Selva. In spite of its commonness in treefalls, I have rarely found nests. In one treefall I found alate queens, one male, and brood packed in a dead stick. In another instance I found scattered workers in small chambers in the live stems of a small hemiepiphytic Coussapoa (Cecropiaceae). In a third instance I found nests in live stems of a Ficus (Moraceae) in a fresh treefall.
Comments
Costa Rican specimens show variation in color. Lowland specimens are smaller and more infuscated (upper images). Upland specimens more robust and more uniformly orange (lower images).
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA. longinoj@evergreen.edu
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