Nesomyrmex vargasi

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Nesomyrmex vargasi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Nesomyrmex
Species: N. vargasi
Binomial name
Nesomyrmex vargasi
Longino, 2006

Nesomyrmex vargasi jtlc000008518 profile 1.jpg

Nesomyrmex vargasi jtlc000008518 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

This species occurs in mid-elevation wet forest habitats. So far it is known only from the Volcan Barva transect in Braulio Carrillo National Park, from 1000 - 1100 m elevation. I collected a nest in a treefall gap, in the 1.25 cm diameter live stem of a melastome vine. It contained 32 workers, 1 dealate queen, and abundant brood of various sizes. One specimen was collected in a Project ALAS sweep sample. Workers have been collected as foragers on low vegetation. (Longino 2006)

Identification

Longino (2006) - This species keys to Nesomyrmex pleuriticus in Kempf (1959). The two species have a parapatric distribution on the Barva Transect in Braulio Carrillo National Park, N. pleuriticus occurring at La Selva Biological Station and the 500 m site, N. vargasi occurring around the 1100 m site. Nesomyrmex vargasi differs from N. pleuriticus in the much smoother and shinier surface sculpture.

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.33333° to 10.26666667°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (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

Nomenclature

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

  • vargasi. Nesomyrmex vargasi Longino, 2006b: 136, figs. 11, 12 (w.q.) 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: HL 0.764, HW 0.722, SL 0.603, MeL 0.938.

Antenna 11-segmented; eye with about 11 ommatidia across greatest diameter; mandible smooth and shiny to weakly striate; all surfaces of body shiny; generally smooth and polished except for about 5 longitudinal rugae between eye and antennal insertion, about 6 longitudinal rugae on promesonotum, a few longitudinal rugulae on dorsal face of propodeum, about 3 longitudinal rugae on ventral half of side of pronotum, irregular rugulae on katepisternum and side of propodeum, about 4 longitudinal rugae on side and dorsum of petiole; side and dorsum of pronotum flat, meeting at carinate right angle; propodeal spiracles large, horizontal, opening dorsally; inferior propodeal lobes large, produced as an acute but rounded angle; anteroventral margin of petiole with acute, ventrally-directed tooth; scapes with abundant erect setae, these shorter than maximum width of scape, and with abundant underlying suberect pubescence; face with abundant short erect setae, these about as long as setae on scapes; in full face view abundant short suberect setae projecting from sides of head and margin of vertex; mesosomal and petiolar dorsa with abundant flexuous setae, these longer than those on face, longest about as long as propodeal spines; postpetiole, gastral dorsum, femora, and tibiae with abundant erect setae, these about as long as those on scapes and face; color red brown.

Type Material

Holotype worker: Costa Rica: Heredia Prov., 15 km SSE La Virgen (10° 17' N, 84° 05' W), 1000 m elevation, 12.VII. 1986, leg. J. Longino#1365, specimen code INBIOCRI0 02281227 (Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad). Paratypes: 1 worker and 1 dealate queen on same pin, same data as holotype, specimen (pin) code INBIOCRI002 281 28 (John T. Longino Collection); 2 5 workers, same data as holotype but 9.VII.1986, leg. J. Longino#1380-s, JTLC000008515 (Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History), JTLC00000 8516 (Museum of Comparative Zoology), JTLC000008517 (University of California, Davis), JT LC000008518 (California Academy of Sciences), JTLC000008519 (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna); 1 worker, Costa Rica: Heredia Prov., 16 km SSE La Virgen (10°16' N 84°05' W), 1100 m elevation, leg. R. Vargas C. 11/RG/RVC/009, INB0003225385 (INBC); 1 worker, same data but 15 - 17.XI.2000, leg. J. Longino#4365-s, INBIOCR I0022 82019 (National Museum of Natural History); 1 worker same data but 11.II.2001, leg. J. Longino#4385-s, LACM ENT 144699 (The Natural History Museum).

Etymology

Named for Ronald Vargas C., ALAS Parataxonomist from 1992 to 2005.

References

  • Longino, J.T. 2006. New species and nomenclatural changes for the Costa Rican ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten. 8:131–143.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Longino J. T. 2006. New species and nomenclatural changes for the Costa Rican ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 131-143.
  • Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/