Strumigenys tococae group

Strumigenys tococae group Bolton (2000)

Species

Neotropical-Nearctic

Worker Diagnosis

Apical fork of mandible with two intercalary denticles. Mandible with two preapical teeth that are both small and close to the apical fork, and are usually slightly inclined anteriorly. Proximal preapical tooth followed immediately by a thin cuticular crest that extends almost to base of mandible. MI 55-60.

Leading edge of scape with all hairs curved or inclined toward apex of scape. Scape slender, subbasal bend extremely feeble, almost effaced; SI 87-94.

Preocular carina weakly defined.

Eyes relatively large; ventrolateral margin of head in front of eyes indented or weakly concave. Postbuccal groove shallowly impressed.

Upper scrobe margin not strongly defined behind level of eye.

Propodeal declivity in profile with an upper spine or acute tooth; base of propodeal declivity with a triangular to spiniform propodeal lobe, the two linked by a narrow lamella or carina.

Ventral surface of petiole usually with a continuous spongiform crest (merely a minute carina in one species).

Pilosity. Pronotal humeral hair flagellate. Ground-pilosity of head and alitrunk of small spatulate hairs. Specialised standing hairs sparse on head and alitrunk, varying with species but always with a pair of short erect hairs on vertex close to occipital margin.

Sculpture. Head and alitrunk entirely reticulate-punctate, including mesopleuron. Disc of postpetiole densely reticulate-punctate, sometimes also with weak costulae.

Notes

The five known species of this small group appear to be associated with plants, being found in epiphytes or sometimes ant-plants. All would appear to be arboreal or subarboreal rather than dwellers in the litter and topsoil layers, but records are by no means numerous.

References

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