Octostruma balzani

Forest or tree-plantation areas; nests in soil or leaf litter, sometimes in small natural cavities in objectrs in the litter; apparently forages in the litter (Brown and Kempf 1960)

Distribution
Longino 1999 for what is called the balzani complex - Tropical Mexico south through Central and South America at low and moderate elevations to the Bolivian Andes and to Parana and Sao Paulo states in southeastern Brazil; Trinidad, Dominica, and probably other islands of the Lesser Antilles (Brown and Kempf 1960).

This taxon was described from Bolivia. It is also found in Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Suriname, Paraguay, French Guiana, Guyana, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Nomenclature

 *  balzani. Rhopalothrix balzani Emery, 1894c: 217, pl. 1, fig. 10 (w.q.) BOLIVIA. Combination in Octostruma: Brown, 1949f: 92. Senior synonym of barberi, equilatera, lutzi: Brown & Kempf, 1960: 194; of amrishi: Bolton, Sosa-Calvo, et al. 2008: 62..
 * lutzi. Rhopalothrix (Octostruma) lutzi Wheeler, W.M. 1913d: 241 (w.q.) DOMINICA. Combination in Octostruma: Brown, 1949f: 92. Junior synonym of balzani: Brown & Kempf, 1960: 194.
 * barberi. Rhopalothrix (Octostruma) barberi Mann, 1922: 42 (w.) GUATEMALA. Combination in Octostruma: Brown, 1949f: 92. Junior synonym of balzani: Brown & Kempf, 1960: 194.
 * equilatera. Rhopalothrix (Octostruma) equilatera Weber, 1934a: 52, fig. 10 (w.) NICARAGUA. Combination in Octostruma: Brown, 1949f: 92. Junior synonym of balzani: Brown & Kempf, 1960: 194.
 * amrishi. Pyramica amrishi Makhan, 2007a: 1, figs. 1, 2 (w.) SURINAM. Combination in Octostruma: Bolton, Sosa-Calvo, et al. 2008: 62. Junior synonym of balzani: Bolton, Sosa-Calvo, et al. 2008: 62.

Worker
Ferrugineo fusca, antennis pedibusque rufescentibus, vel tota ferruginea, opaca, creberrime punctata, capite lato, absque crista transversa, scapo valde dilatato, angulo basali subloformi, thorace convexo, sutra meso-metanotali distincta, metanoto spinis trigonis armato, pedunculi segmento 1° postice superne nodo parum latiore quam longiore. Long. 1 3/4 mm.

Queen
Caput et antennae fere ut in worker, spinae metanoti validiores, petioli nodus 1. superne trapezoideus, antice latior quam postice, circiter dimidio latior quam longior. Alae fuscatae. Long. 2 mm.