Temnothorax tuscaloosae

Mackay (2000) "The type series was taken at the base of a large oak in an open area fringing a bay-gum swamp at Guthrie's Nursery (Wilson, 1950). It was in a small cavity in the bank of earth under a bed of moss. The additional colony from near Elrod was found in a small cavity in the earth covered partly by an overhanging root and partly by thin leaf litter. This locality was in a densely shaded area also on the fringes of a bay-gum swamp. Both colonies were apparently polygynous. Stray workers were collected during the day on low bushes near both nests, thus this species is diurnally active.

Carter (1962) reported this species from North Carolina, from numerous Berlese funnel collections of leaf mold and litter, especially from oak-hickory-beech forest located west of Durham on NC State Highway 98. It is a moderate slope facing a densely shaded, mixed hardwood bottomland forest. They were especially common from oak beech forests of Flanner's Beach near the Nuese River. Nearly all samples were collected in the vicinity or at the base of beech trees, during June, July and August."



Identification
Mackay (2000) "This is a small, dark species with an 11-segmented antenna, Most of the head and mesosoma are smooth and shining, rugae are present on the lower surfaces of the side of the mesosoma, the petiole and postpetiole are finely punctate, the gaster is smooth and glossy. None of the sutures break the dorsum of the mesosoma, the propodeal spines are well developed, long and slender, the petiolar node is low and rounded and the subpeduncular process is poorly developed.

Wilson (1950) carefully compared this species to the 2 species which are morphologically most similar. It is superficially similar to T. curvispinosus, differing in being dark brown (T. curvispinosus is light brown), having a nearly smooth dorsal surface of the head (heavily punctate in T. curvispinosus). The smooth dorsum of the head could result in it being confused with T. longispinosus. It differs as the propodeal spines are shorter (0.12mm) (0.25mm in T. longispinosus) and more elevated (angle of about 150° with the dorsal face of the propodeum, whereas the angle in T. longispinosus is about 180°). Thus it is a distinct species that would be difficult to confuse with any of the others."

Abundance
xxxxx Only known from a few collections. xxxxx

Biology
xxxxx

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Original Combination
Leptothorax tuscaloosae Wilson, 1951: 128 (w.q.) U.S.A. Combination in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 272. See also: MacKay, 2000: 419.

Type Material
As reported in Mackay (2000) "USNM, MCZC. University of Alabama [seen]."