Strumigenys deltisquama

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Strumigenys deltisquama
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Strumigenys
Species: S. deltisquama
Binomial name
Strumigenys deltisquama
Brown, 1957

Strumigenys deltisquama lacm ent 002369 profile 1.jpg

Strumigenys deltisquama lacm ent 002369 dorsal 1.jpg

Strumigenys deltisquama group

Known from a small number of specimens, some of which have been found in dry forest. This is in contrast to the type material, stated as being from a locality "covered with rainforest" (Barro Colorado Island).

Identification

Bolton (2000) - The only member of the Strumigenys deltisquama-group. One of the most easily identified Neotropical species, adequately defined by the group characters. In short, the combination of broad head with short flattened wide scapes, dense squamate-orbicular pilosity with lack of standing hairs on head and promesonotum, densely sculptured gaster and strange mandibular structure render this remarkable species immediately recognisable.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 19.5229667° to 6.684167°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Strumigenys deltisquama lacm ent 002369 head 2.jpg
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Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • deltisquama. Strumigenys deltisquama Brown, 1957c: 99, fig. 1 (w.) PANAMA. See also: Bolton, 2000: 508.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Strumigenys deltisquama Brown.jpg

Holotype worker: TL 2.6, HL 0.63, ML 0.34, WL 0.60 mm.; CI 97, MI 54. Scape, exposed L 0.28 mm.; funiculus L 0.48 mm.; apical segment L 0.23 mm. Paratypes, all from type nest series, showed only very slight variation: TL 2.5-2.7, HL 0.62-0.67, ML 0.34, WL 0.60-0.63 mm.; CI 95-97, MI 51-55.

Form of head, mandibles and a scape shown in fig., with pilosity omitted from all parts except anterior clypeal and scape borders. With all the pilosity in place, the head appears relatively shorter and broader and the mandibles shorter, a common type of illusion in heavily pilose dacetine ants. Each inner mandibular margin bears a straight border of translucent lamella extending to the apical quarter of the exposed length, where it ends abruptly and subrectangularly just basad of the proximal preapical tooth (see fig. 1, a). Apical fork with a single intercalary tooth. Dorsal surface of head gently and evenly convex. Compound eye circular, moderate in size, slightly prospicient and usually just barely visible in direct dorsal view of head, with about fifteen facets, four in greatest diameter (equal to 0.04-0.05 mm.). Lateral surfaces of head just in front of eyes broadly and rather deeply concave, the concavity not interrupting the preocular lamina, which arches above it to reach the-eye behind; the concavities are not extended mesad ventrally to form any “postoral grooves.”

Promesonotum broad, subcircular in dorsal view, without humeral angles, depressed, surface gently convex, feebly impressed at site of obsolete promesonotal suture. Posterior mesonotum much narrowed, metanotal groove feeble, scarcely interrupting uniconvex alitruncal profile. Propodeum short, narrow, with a pair of sturdy acute teeth slightly shorter than the distance between the centers of their bases and subtended by narrow, concave, cariniform infradental lamellae. Petiolar peduncle slender, arched, naked beneath, subequal in length to the node; node distinct, just about as long as it is broad behind; from side view with differentiated subequal anterior and dorsal profiles; spongiform appendages confined to a thick rim around posterior margin of node. Postpetiole transverse-oval, small, but wider than petiolar node, maximum width about 0.17 mm., convex, with narrow spongiform margins and moderate lobes beneath; sides partly naked.

Mandibular apices and under-surfaces, apical gastric segments and median posterior gastric venter more or less smooth, shining; body otherwise completely and densely punctulate and opaque. Base of gaster with feeble superimposed costulation extending about half the length of the first segment. Head, with clypeus and scapes, and promesonotum densely covered with thick, orbicular, opaque, yellowish, squamose or stud-like hairs, pseudoappressed, uniform in size, but those on the promesonotum slightly larger. A few other thick squamose hairs also along the sides of the propodeal dorsum, and one applied to the dorsal surface of each propodeal tooth, a few each on the petiolar node and around lateral and posterior borders of postpetiolar node. The squamose hairs of the anterior scape borders have their blades curved ventrad at the apices, and thus appear deltoid to dorsal view; the specific name is in reference to this. Legs with reclinate spoon-shaped hairs; nodes with a few posteriorly-curved, suberect, narrowly spatulate hairs. Gastric dorsum with about six transverse rows of six posteriorly inclined, erect, flattened-clavate hairs, all conspicuous. Inconspicuous fine pilosity on ventral surfaces of head and gaster. Each mandible with three or four dorsal rows of slender, oblique pointed hairs. No trace of specialized erect hairs on head or alitrunk. Feebly concave sides of alitrunk largely naked; only three or four squamose hairs along ventrolateral prothoracic margin on each side. Color uniform light ferruginous.

Bolton (2000) - TL 2.5-2.7, HL 0.63-0.67, HW 0.63-0.65, CI 95-98, ML 0.33-0.34, MI 50-55, SL 0.28-0.30, SI 44-46, PW 0.32-0.34, AL 0.60-0.63 (6 measured).

Type Material

Holotype selected from a series of workers taken by K. W. Cooper during January, 1941, on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone. Holotype and paratypes in Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University; paratypes in U.S. National Museum, Coll. K. W. Cooper, and elsewhere. Paratypes, all from the type nest series.

Bolton (2000) - Holotype and paratype workers, PANAMA: Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island, 7.i.1941 (K. W. Cooper) (National Museum of Natural History, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo) [examined].

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Achury R., and A.V. Suarez. 2017. Richness and composition of ground-dwelling ants in tropical rainforest and surrounding landscapes in the Colombian Inter-Andean valley. Neotropical Entomology https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-017-0565-4
  • Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
  • Brandao, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.
  • Brown W. L. Jr. 1962. The neotropical species of the ant genus Strumigenys Fr. Smith: synopsis and keys to the species. Psyche (Cambridge) 69: 238-267.
  • Brown W. L., Jr. 1957. The neotropical species of the ant genus Strumigenys Fr. Smith: group of cultriger Mayr and S. tococae Wheeler. J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 63: 97-102.
  • Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
  • Fernandes, P.R. XXXX. Los hormigas del suelo en Mexico: Diversidad, distribucion e importancia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
  • Kempf W. W. 1975. Report on Neotropical Dacetine ant studies (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Revista Brasileira de Biologia 34: 411-424.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Maes, J.-M. and W.P. MacKay. 1993. Catalogo de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Nicaragua. Revista Nicaraguense de Entomologia 23.
  • Sosa-Calvo J., S. O. Shattuck, and T. R. Schultz. 2006. Dacetine ants of Panama: new records and description of a new species. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 108: 814-821.
  • Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133