Strumigenys ayersthey

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Strumigenys ayersthey
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Strumigenys
Species: S. ayersthey
Binomial name
Strumigenys ayersthey
Booher & Hoenle, 2021

The only known specimen of Strumigenys ayersthey was collected during a field trip to the Reserva Río Canandé in Ecuador (Esmeraldas Province) on 2 May 2018. The reserve belongs to the Chocó-Darién bioregion, and is characterized by evergreen tropical forest with a wet season from January to March, and a dry season from September to December. The reserve contains low- to mid-elevation forest spanning a range of approximately 200 to 600 m. The specimen was collected in old-growth forest, along the ridge of small plateau at 507 m elevation. The specimen was collected alive by hand.

Identification

The ayersthey group contains one member and exhibits most morphological resemblance to the mandibularis group (Bolton 2000), from which it is most easily separated by differences in sculpture and pilosity. Strumigenys ayersthey has little to no sculpture anywhere on its body and has only fine simple to flagellate setae, whereas mandibularis species group members are predominately sculptured and not shining with mostly decumbent to appressed apically expanded or flattened setae. Also separating these two groups are morphological differences in dorsal articular processes of mandibles, in S. ayersthey these processes project from the dorsal surface at the base of each mandible without distinct lamellate lateral edges. In mandibularis species-group members, these processes arise from laterally expanded lamella at the base of mandibles that are continuous with the dorsal surface of each mandible. Strumigenys ayersthey can be distinguished from all other Strumigenys species by shining sculpture, MI 65, and ML 41, other Strumigenys predominately lacking sculpture and shining have MI < 40 and ML < 0.25.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Ecuador (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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Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • ayersthey. Strumigenys ayersthey Booher & Hoenle, 2021: 8, figs. 3-5 (w.) ECUADOR.

Type Material

  • Holotype worker: Ecuador: Esmeraldas Province, Reserva Río Canandé, 2 May 2018, Elevation 507m, 0.5263, -79.1682, Part of diversity study Hoenle & Blüthgen plot F1N31, hand-sampling on forest floor in primary forest, specimen broke in several parts, leg. P. Hoenle. Specimen identifier code (casent0875770), deposited at [MEPN] (Museo de Colecciones Biológicas Gustavo Orcés, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador).

Description

References