Strumigenys ayersthey

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.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador.

Nomenclature

 * . 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).