Strumigenys laevinasis

Strumigenys laevinasis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Strumigenys
Species group:	clypeata
Species:	S. laevinasis
Binomial name
	Strumigenys laevinasis; Smith, M.R., 1931 Specimen Label

Strumigenys laevinasis most often inhabits heavily canopied forest with deep litter accumulation in eastern forests and forest remnants in the western portion of their range. This species is often nests in rotting logs and in pockets of leaf litter. (Booher, 2021) Brown (1964) notes a collection from Asheville, North Carolina, from oak-hardwood leaf mold, and from Catawaba Co. in a oak-beech-hardwood forest in a stream ravine. In addition, he reports a dealate female coming from Dauphin Island, Alabama, in a pine tree-crotch hole (W. Suter leg.).

Identification

Bolton (2000) - A member of the clypeata group.

Booher (2021) - Strumigenys laevinasis is morphologically most similar to Strumigenys brevisetosa but can be easily separated by the shape of the extremely fine setae on the surface of the clypeus. These setae are inclined anteriorly at their base and curve evenly along their midlength so that their apices point upward or posteriorly. Strumigenys laevinasis is less frequently collected than S. brevisetosa but also has a mostly eastern range overlapping almost completely with its close relative. It is suspected that S. laevinasis and S. brevisetosa hybridize infrequently over their range which has led to some taxonomic confusion (Booher 2019). There are two confirmed collections from Texas, one from Houston County in Big Slough State Park, and one from Walker County, Huntsville State Park (MacKay & Anderson 1993; Bolton 2000).

Keys including this Species

Distribution

USA; widespread in eastern USA from Florida to Maryland and west to Missouri; in western USA occurs in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas (Booher, 2021).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 40.186° to 30.61°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (type locality).

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

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Worker. Specimen code casent0104198. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.


Worker. Specimen code casent0104472. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Queen

Images from AntWeb


Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0103820. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ABS, Lake Placid, FL, USA.

Nomenclature

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

laevinasis. Strumigenys (Cephaloxys) clypeata var. laevinasis Smith, M.R. 1931c: 701, pl. 3, fig. 11 (w.) U.S.A. Brown, 1953g: 62 (q.). Combination in S. (Trichoscapa): Smith, M.R., 1947f: 587; Creighton, 1950a: 308; in Smithistruma: Smith, M.R., 1951a: 827; Brown, 1953g: 61; in Pyramica: Bolton, 1999: 1673. Subspecies of pilinasis: Creighton, 1950a: 308. Raised to species: Brown, 1953g: 61; in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 122. See also: Bolton, 2000: 105.

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

Description

Worker

Bolton (2000) - TL 2.2-2.5, HL 0.61-0.67, HW 0.42-0.46, CI 67-70, ML 0.10-0.13, MI 16-21, SL 0.30-0.36, SI 72-80, PW 0.26-0.30, AL 0.62-0.68 (12 measured).

Very close to Strumigenys pilinasis and matching all features mentioned there except for clypeal pilosity, which here is much longer and finer. Hairs on clypeal dorsum fine and filiform, acute apically; in full-face view hairs directed anteriorly and away from the midline. In profile hairs on posteromedian area (i .e. in from the marginal zones) distinctly elevated, inclined anteriorly or sweeping forward and upward ; those closer to the margins curved toward the adjacent margin . In full-face view hairs projecting from lateral clypeal margins directed anterolaterally or with an extremely feeble posterior curvature; these hairs are not, or only fractionally, longer than those that arise mid-dorsally.

Type Material

Bolton (2000) - Lectotype worker (by designation of Brown, 1 953a: 62) and paralectotype workers, U.S.A. : Mississippi, Louisville, 1 5 . v. 1930 (M.R. Smith) (National Museum of Natural History) [examined].

References

Baroni Urbani, C. & De Andrade, M.L. 2007. The ant tribe Dacetini: limits and constituent genera, with descriptions of new species. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale “G. Doria” 99: 1-191.
Bolton, B. 1999. Ant genera of the tribe Dacetonini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Nat. Hist. 3 33: 1639-1689 (page 1673, Combination in Pyramica)
Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 65:1-1028.
Booher, D.B. 2021. The ant genus Strumigenys Smith, 1860 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in western North America north of Mexico. Zootaxa 5061, 201–248 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5061.2.1).
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1953g. Revisionary studies in the ant tribe Dacetini. American Midland Naturalist. 50:1-137. (page 62, queen described, Combination in Smithistruma, page 61, raised to species)
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1964b. The ant genus Smithistruma: a first supplement to the World revision (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 89:183-200.
Creighton, W. S. 1950a. The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 104: 1-585 (page 308, subspecies of pilinasis)
Ivanov, K. 2019. The ants of Ohio (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): an updated checklist. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 70: 65–87 (doi:10.3897@jhr.70.35207).
MacGown, J.A., Booher, D., Richter, H., Wetterer, J.K., Hill, J.G. 2021. An updated list of ants of Alabama (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with new state records. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 147: 961-981 (doi:10.3157/061.147.0409).
Smith, M. R. 1931c. A revision of the genus Strumigenys of America, north of Mexico, based on a study of the workers (Hymn.: Formicidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 24: 686-710 (page 701, pl. 3,, fig. 11 worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Brown W. L. 1964. The ant genus Smithistruma: a first supplement to the world revision (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 89: 183-200.
Brown W. L., Jr. 1953. Revisionary studies in the ant tribe Dacetini. Am. Midl. Nat. 50: 1-137.
Deyrup M., C. Johnson, G. C. Wheeler, J. Wheeler. 1989. A preliminary list of the ants of Florida. Florida Entomologist 72: 91-101
Deyrup, M. 2003. An updated list of Florida ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 86(1):43-48.
Dubois, M.B. and W.E. Laberge. 1988. An Annotated list of the ants of Illionois. pages 133-156 in Advances in Myrmecology, J. Trager
Forster J.A. 2005. The Ants (hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alabama. Master of Science, Auburn University. 242 pages.
Ivanov, K. 2019. The ants of Ohio (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): an updated checklist. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 70: 65–87.
Ivanov K., L. Hightower, S. T. Dash, and J. B. Keiper. 2019. 150 years in the making: first comprehensive list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Virginia, USA. Zootaxa 4554 (2): 532–560.
MacGown J. A., J. G. Hill, R. L. Brown, T. L. Schiefer, J. G. Lewis. 2012. Ant diversity at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Oktibbeha, Noxubee, and Winston Counties, Mississippi. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Bulletin 1197: 1-30
MacGown J. A., J. G. Hill, and R. L. Brown. 2010. Native and exotic ant in Mississippi state parks. Proceedings: Imported Fire Ant Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, March 24-26, 2008: 74-80.
MacGown, J. 2011. Ants of Tennessee (species list). Accessed 21 April 2011
MacGown, J.A and J.A. Forster. 2005. A preliminary list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alabama, U.S.A. Entomological News 116(2):61-74
MacGown, J.A. and JV.G. Hill. Ants of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee and North Carolina).
MacGown, J.A., J.G. Hill, R.L. Brown and T.L. 2009. Ant Diversity at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Oktibbeha, Noxubee, and Winston Counties, Mississippi Report #2009-01. Schiefer. 2009.
MacKay W. P. and Anderson R. S. 1993. New distributional records for the ant genus Smithistruma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in southern United States. The Southwestern Naturalist 38: 388-389
Macgown J. A., S. Y. Wang, J. G. Hill, and R. J. Whitehouse. 2017. A List of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Collected During the 2017 William H. Cross Expedition to the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas with New State Records. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 143(4): 735-740.
O'Keefe S. T., J. L. Cook, T. Dudek, D. F. Wunneburger, M. D. Guzman, R. N. Coulson, and S. B. Vinson. 2000. The Distribution of Texas Ants. The Southwestern Entomologist 22: 1-92.