Strumigenys orchibia

Strumigenys orchibia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Strumigenys
Species group:	schulzi
Species:	S. orchibia
Binomial name
	Strumigenys orchibia; (Brown, 1953) Specimen Labels

Occurs in cloud forest. The types was collected from an orchid.

Identification

Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys schulzi-group. Closely related to Strumigenys schulzi but orchibia is a larger species with much denser and more extensive basigastral costulae and fewer standing hairs on the mesonotum. It is also close to Strumigenys metrix but this species is darker in colour (dark brown with blackish brown gaster) and has the mesopleuron smooth and shining. Also, in metrix the transverse row of standing hairs behind the highest point of the vertex contains 6 hairs that are relatively very short, only slightly longer and more erect than the ground-pilosity. In orchibia the transverse row contains 4 hairs that are very obviously erect and much longer and more conspicuous than the small appressed hairs of the ground-pilosity.

Santos-Neto et al. (2024) - We recorded Strumigenys orchibia for the first time outside the Amazon region, in the city of Una, Bahia, Brazil, in Atlantic Forest biome (Figure 3A,B). The Una population shows some differences from the holotype locality (Figure 3C,D), namely smaller total size, lower mesopleuron with faint reticulation and small smooth areas (rather than strongly reticulate), basigastral costulae occupying less than a quarter of the first gastral tergite, dorsum of head with less dense ground pilosity. The pilosity of specimens from both regions is highly comparable, with S. orchibia exhibiting lower abundance of pilosity on the first gastral tergite. In the specimen from the Atlantic Forest, this trait is also evident in the ground pilosity of the head. The scarcity of specimens poses a challenge on whether these two forms represent merely geographic variations of S. orchibia or distinct species.

Santos-Neto et al. (2024), Fig. 3. Strumigenys orchibia, specimen collected in Atlantic Forest, head in full face view (A), lateral view (B). Paratype [BMNH1013599]. from the Amazon region, head in full-face view (C), lateral view (D). Scale bars are 0.2 mm.. Available at AntWeb.org.

Keys including this Species

Key to Neotropical Strumigenys (as Pyramica)

Distribution

Santos-Neto et al. (2024), Fig. 2. Distribution of the new species and new records for previously described species of the schulzi group.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 10.5° to -16.7°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: [Brazil]], Colombia, Venezuela (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

Nomenclature

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

orchibia. Smithistruma (Smithistruma) orchibia Brown, 1953g: 105, pl. 2, fig. 24 (w.m.) VENEZUELA. Combination in Pyramica: Bolton, 1999: 1673; in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 125. See also: Bolton, 2000: 224.

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 2.2-2.4, HL 0.60-0.64, HW 0.44-0.47, ML 0.09-0.10, MI 15-17, SL 0.26-0.28, SI 59-61, PW 0.30-0.34, AL 0.60-0.68 (4 measured). Anterior clypeal margin transverse to very feebly concave. Dorsum of head with ground-pilosity of small spatulate hairs that are closely applied to the surface, but behind highest point of vertex there is a transverse row of 4 much longer erect simple hairs that are straight or only very weakly curved. Apicoscrobal hair curved anteriorly, feebly clavate. Scape strongly dorsoventrally flattened, short and broad, its broadest point proximal of its midlength. Eye large, with 5-6 ommatidia in the longest row. Pronotal humeral hair straight, flattened apically; a single pair of erect hairs present on mesonotum. All dorsal and lateral surfaces of alitrunk reticulate-punctate, as are the dorsal surfaces of the petiole and postpetiole. Petiole in profile with dorsal length of node greater than the height of the anterior face of the node; petiole without a ventral spongiform strip. Dorsum of first gastral tergite with numerous short erect stout hairs that are simple or very slightly expanded apically. Basigastral costulae very numerous, fine and extremely closely packed across the entire basal width of the segment to give a uniformly striolate appearence, the costulae extend over the basal half of the sclerite.

Type Material

Bolton (2000) - Holotype worker, paratype workers and males, VENEZUELA: in U.S. Plant Quarantine at San Francisco from an orchid plant, Cattleya mossiae, shipped from Caracas, Venezuela, the exact locality of collection unknown. Label dated 7.iii.1946, with quarantine no. SF 20295 46-2402. (Museum of Comparative Zoology, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna) [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. (page 224, fig. 152 redescription of worker)
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1953f. The neotropical species of the ant genus Strumigenys Fr. Smith: group of smithii Forel. J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 61: 101-110 (page 105, pl. 2, fig. 24 worker, male described)
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1953g. Revisionary studies in the ant tribe Dacetini. Am. Midl. Nat. 50: 1-137.
Santos-Neto, E.A., Chaul, J.C.M., Delabie, J.H.C. 2024. New species and new records of Strumigenys Smith, 1860 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from the Neotropical schulzi species group. Taxonomy 4(3), 633–648 (doi:10.3390/taxonomy4030032)
Kempf, W. W. 1972b. Catálogo abreviado das formigas da regia~o Neotropical. Stud. Entomol. 15: 3-344 (page 231, catalogue)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
Brown W. L., Jr. 1953. Revisionary studies in the ant tribe Dacetini. Am. Midl. Nat. 50: 1-137.
Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
Pires de Prado L., R. M. Feitosa, S. Pinzon Triana, J. A. Munoz Gutierrez, G. X. Rousseau, R. Alves Silva, G. M. Siqueira, C. L. Caldas dos Santos, F. Veras Silva, T. Sanches Ranzani da Silva, A. Casadei-Ferreira, R. Rosa da Silva, and J. Andrade-Silva. 2019. An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. 59: e20195938.