Strumigenys extirpa

Strumigenys extirpa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Strumigenys
Species:	S. extirpa
Binomial name
	Strumigenys extirpa; Bolton, 2000 Specimen labels

Few collections have been made of this apparently arboreal species.

Identification

Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys tococae-group. Like Strumigenys tococae extirpa has the first gastral tergite smooth behind the basigastral costulae. Unlike that species extirpa lacks flagellate hairs on the waist segments and gaster.

Longino (Ants of Costa Rica) - Apical fork of mandible with two intercalary teeth; mandible with two pronounced preapical teeth; eye large, with over 35 facets; dorsal and ventral teeth of propodeal lamella pronounced, acute; gaster smooth with basal costulae; gaster covered with closely appressed, spatulate setae.

Keys including this Species

Key to Neotropical and Nearctic Strumigenys

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.433° to 9.266667°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

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

Distribution based on AntMaps

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.

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.

Biology

Explore Overview of Strumigenys biology

Strumigenys were once thought to be rare. The development and increased use of litter sampling methods has led to the discovery of a tremendous diversity of species. Many species are specialized predators (e.g. see Strumigenys membranifera and Strumigenys louisianae). Collembola (springtails) and other tiny soil arthropods are typically favored prey. Species with long linear mandibles employ trap-jaws to sieze their stalked prey (see Dacetine trap-jaws). Larvae feed directly on insect prey brought to them by workers. Trophallaxis is rarely practiced. Most species live in the soil, leaf litter, decaying wood or opportunistically move into inhabitable cavities on or under the soil. Colonies are small, typically less than 100 individuals but in some species many hundreds. Moist warm habitats and micro-habitats are preferred. A few better known tramp and otherwise widely ranging species tolerate drier conditions. Foraging is often in the leaf litter and humus. Workers of many species rarely venture above ground or into exposed, open areas. Individuals are typically small, slow moving and cryptic in coloration. When disturbed individuals freeze and remain motionless. Males are not known for a large majority of species.

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Castes

Images from AntWeb


Worker. Specimen code jtlc000002535. Photographer D. J. Cox, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by JTLC.

Nomenclature

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

extirpa. Strumigenys extirpa Bolton, 2000: 564 (w.) COSTA RICA.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype. TL 3.3, HL 0.80, HW 0.59, CI 74, ML 0.47, MI 59, SL 0.53, SI 90, PW 0.38, AL 0.84. First gastral tergite smooth and shining behind basigastral costulae, the sclerite with numerous appressed spatulate hairs that are directed posteromedially and are quite distinct. First gastral tergite without flagellate hairs though a few occur on segments 2 to apex. Petiole and postpetiole with spatulate hairs but lacking flagellates. Maximum diameter of eye 0.12, with 8-9 ommatidia in the longest row. Distance separating preapical teeth on mandible greater than length of distal preapical tooth. Apicoscrobal hair absent. Propodeal spine longer than the acutely triangular tooth at base of declivity; in profile distance between the two down declivity greater than the length of the upper spine. Postpetiole reticulate-punctate, without superimposed longitudinal costulae. Ventral spongiform crest of petiole slender, deepest posteriorly.

Type Material

Holotype worker, Costa Rica: Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva, 50-150 m., 10°26'N, 84°01'W, 4.vii.1993, INBio-OET, Pentaclethra macroloba, FPM/08/28 (no collector's name) (The Natural History Museum).

References

Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 65:1-1028.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
Longino J. T., J. Coddington, and R. K. Colwell. 2002. The ant fauna of a tropical rain forest: estimating species richness three different ways. Ecology 83: 689-702.
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.