Strumigenys cascanteae

This species is known from the 300 m site on the Barva transect in Braulio Carrillo National Park and from Arenal National Park. Workers have been collected in Berlese samples of epiphytic material, in a flight intercept trap, and in a sweep sample. (Longino 2006)

Identification
Longino (2006) - Mandibles in full-face view linear, elongate and narrow; ventral surface of petiole without spongiform tissue; leading edge of scape with freely projecting hairs; inner margin of mandible without a tooth or distinctly enlarged denticle at or near the midlength; labral lobes short, trigger hairs at apices of lobes long; outer margins of mandibles relatively straight; mandibles short and thick, with inner margin convex; mandible with 3 small preapical teeth and no denticles; ground pilosity of head abundant and conspicuous; erect setae on gaster remiform; only a portion of katepisternum smooth and shining, side of propodeum punctate.

Differing from Strumigenys paniaguae as follows: (1) preapical mandibular dentition consisting of three distinct teeth or two apical teeth followed by a pair of denticles, two apical teeth nearly equal in size or second (more basad) tooth larger; (2) side of mesosoma mostly punctate, only katepisternum smooth and shining; (3) size smaller (see measurements).

Intensive collecting at La Selva Biological Station and the Barva Transect has revealed a complex of five closely similar but consistently separable species related to Strumigenys subedentata. Strumigenys subedentata occurs throughout the Neotropics, usually in lowland wet to somewhat seasonal sites, in both mature and second growth forests. It is often collected in samples of litter and rotten wood from the forest floor. Strumigenys trieces occurs on the Atlantic slope of Central America from Nicaragua to Panama, from sea level to 1100 m elevation. It occurs most abundantly in mature wet forest where, like S. subedentata, it inhabits leaf litter and rotten wood on the forest floor. The three new species described here – Strumigenys oconitrilloae, Strumigenys cascanteae, and Strumigenys paniaguae – occur as a graded series of elevational specialists, with S. oconitrilloae occurring at La Selva and the 300 m site on the Barva Transect, S. cascanteae occurring at the 300 m site and at a 600 m site in the nearby Arenal National Park, and S. paniaguae occurring at the 500 m, 1100 m, and 1500 m sites on the Barva Transect. These three all show a tendency to be arboreal, nesting under bark flaps or epiphytes and rarely occurring in samples of litter and rotten wood from the forest floor. A sixth species in this complex, Strumigenys connectens (Kempf, 1958), occurs in Colombia and Ecuador.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica.

Nomenclature

 *  cascanteae. Pyramica cascanteae Longino, 2006b: 138, figs. 16, 20 (w.) COSTA RICA. Combination in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 117

Worker
Holotype: ML 0.348, HL 0.634, HW 0.530, SL 0.265, MeL 0.616.

Differing from Strumigenys paniaguae as follows: (1) preapical mandibular dentition consisting of three distinct teeth or two apical teeth followed by a pair of denticles, two apical teeth nearly equal in size or second (more basad) tooth larger; (2) side of mesosoma mostly punctate, only katepisternum smooth and shining; (3) size smaller (see measurements).

Type Material
Holotype worker: Costa Rica: Heredia Prov., 11 km ESE La Virgen (10° 21' N, 84° 03' W), 300 m elevation, 9.III. 2004, leg. Project ALAS 03/B/BE/037, INB0003623928. Paratypes: 1 worker, same data as holotype but 10. II.2004, 03/B/BE/004, INB0003623947 ; 1 worker, 13.II.2004, 03/TN/17/010, INB0003619741 ; 1 worker, Costa Rica: Alajuela Prov., Par. Nac. Arenal, Sendero Pilon (10° 27' N, 84° 43' W), 600 m elevation, 26.II.2003, leg. J. S. Noyes, JTLC000004301.

Etymology
Named for Flor Cascante, Project ALAS Parataxonomist from 2001 to 2005.