Formicidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Additional images: Queen, face view (small, large); lateral view (small, large); mandible (large).
Range
Costa Rica: montane forests, 800m and above.
Identification
Montane habitats; uniform brown coloration; clypeal carinae subparallel to moderately divergent, projecting to form pronounced anterior teeth; mandible with four teeth, basal tooth smaller than third tooth but often larger and more distinct compared to JTL-005, so that mandible appears to have more differentiated masticatory and basal margins.
Queen, relative to JTL-005 and JTL-027: fourth tooth of mandible larger, paralleling a similar difference in worker; density and size of facial punctures similar to JTL-005, sparser and smaller than JTL-027; eyes intermediate in size between JTL-005 and JTL-027; overall size larger and head proportionately longer and thinner compared to JTL-005 and JTL-027; clypeal teeth stronger. Two queens from a Winkler sample from Rancho Quemado on the Osa Peninsula, 200-300m elevation, are very similar to JTL-001 queens, with proportionately longer heads than JTL-005. Queens of JTL-005, with typical shorter heads, are abundant in Winkler samples from other sites on the Osa. The Rancho Quemado queens differ in having weak clypeal teeth.
Similar species: JTL-005, JTL-027.
Natural History
This species inhabits wet montane forest habitats. It occurs in leaf litter on the forest floor, under epiphytes in old treefalls, and under epiphytes in canopy trees. Workers are common in Winkler samples of sifted litter from the forest floor. I have most often found nests by looking under epiphytes. Colonies are polygynous and can be large, with scattered aggregations of workers, queens, and brood throughout an old treefall.
Comments
In Monteverde cloud forest there are two similar sympatric species. JTL-001 is uniformly brown and is found on the ground and in the canopy. JTL-002 is bicolored and is more restricted to canopy habitats, under epiphytes.
This is basically an upland form of JTL-005. All the JTL-005 I have identified have been from sea level to 600m elevations. All the JTL-001 have been from 800m or higher, with the exception of the Rancho Quemado queens.
Page author:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu
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