Strumigenys spathula

A wide ranging and fairly common Central American that inhabits wet-forests.

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys elongata-group. Closest related to Strumigenys tachirensis within the group, but in that species the gastral hairs are not short and remiform.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

Nomenclature

 *  spathula. Strumigenys spathula Lattke & Goitía, 1997: 390, figs. 29, 40, 46 (w.q.) VENEZUELA. See also: Bolton, 2000: 511.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 2.2-2.7, HL 0.62-0.67, HW 0.45-0.50, CI 73-78, ML 0.35-0.40, MI 55-61, SL 0.41-0.48, SI 84-94, PW 0.28-0.33, AL 0.58-0.70 (8 measured). As Strumigenys elongata but differing as follows.

1 Standing hairs on first gastral tergite short stout and strongly remiform, curved posteriorly.

2 Erect hairs on mesonotum long-remiform.

3 Metapleuron entirely reticulate-punctate.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Holotype worker, VENEZUELA: Edo. Barinas, Res. For. Ticoporo, 17 km. SW Ciudad Bolivia, 8°04'N, 70°48'W, 240 m., 26.viii.1987, #1861-S (J. Longino); paratype workers, VENEZUELA: Edo. Carabobo, cerca Patanemo, 10°25'N, 67°34'W, 150 m., 25.vii.1987 (J. Lattke); Edo. Miranda, Rio Salmeron con Quebrada el Bagre, 24.ii.1980 (J. Lattke) [examined].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Achury R., and A.V. Suarez. 2017. Richness and composition of ground-dwelling ants in tropical rainforest and surrounding landscapes in the Colombian Inter-Andean valley. Neotropical Entomology https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-017-0565-4
 * Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
 * Branstetter M. G. and L. Sáenz. 2012. Las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Guatemala. Pp. 221-268 in: Cano E. B. and J. C. Schuster. (eds.) 2012. Biodiversidad de Guatemala. Volumen 2. Guatemala: Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, iv + 328 pp
 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
 * Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
 * Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
 * Medeiros Macedo L. P., E. B. Filho, amd J. H. C. Delabie. 2011. Epigean ant communities in Atlantic Forest remnants of São Paulo: a comparative study using the guild concept. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 55(1): 7578.
 * Santos P. P., A. Vasconcelos, B. Jahyny, and J. H. C. Delabie. 2010. Ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated to arboreal nests of Nasutitermes spp. (Isoptera, Termitidae) in a cacao plantation in southeastern Bahia, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 54(3): 450-454.