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."

Range
USA. Known from Alabama and North Carolina.

Biology
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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.

Worker
Holotype worker. - Total length approximately 1.9 mm.; length of alitrunk, measured from the dorsal base of the pronotal collar to the tip of the posterior propodeal flange, 0.554 mm.; length of head, measured in profile from the anterior margin of the clypeus to the extreme occipital border, 0.512mm.; cephalic index 93.5. (All measurements except total length given in this description with a maximum error of +0.016 mm.)

Eye oval, moderately prominent, with nine ocelli across its greatest length, located nearer the anterior than the posterior border of the head. Head subrectangular, with weakly convex posterior border, rounded posterior angles, and weakly convex, subparallel sides. Clypeus depressed, 1.2 times longer than broad, its anterior border rounded and entire. Antenna eleven-segmented; scape failing by approximately its greatest width to meet the occipital angle; funicular club three-jointed, as long as the remainder of the funiculus, the apical segment longer than the preceding two combined. Mandible with five teeth, the apical tooth the largest. Alitrunk slender, seen from above 0.272 mm. across its greatest width at the pronotum, evenly arcuate in profile, sloping to the base of the propodeal spines; humeri well rounded; pro-mesonotal and mesoepinotal sutures absent; other thoracic sutures weak or absent. Propodeal spines slender and acute, slightly and gradually curved inward and downward, approximately as long as the declivious face of the propodeum, the basal portions in profile forming an angle of approximately 1200 with the basal face of the propodeum, their bases 0.096 mm. apart. Femora and tibiae noticeably incrassated. Petiolar node in profile with anterior face concave, and meeting the dorsal face in a bluntly rounded angle. Dorsum of postpetiole 1.5 times broader than long, not constricted in posterior half, with subparallel sides.

Mandibles covered dorsally by close-set, longitiudinal striae. Clypeus with a dark median carina running from anterior to posterior border; the remainder of the clypeus more or less longitudinally rugulose. Frontal area, frontal lobes, and cheeks rugulose. Remainder of head, most of the thorax, and the gaster moderately shining, with extremely fine punctures. Propodeum and meso- and metasternal regions of thorax rugulose, the rugulae of the declivious face of the propodeum transverse. Petiole and postpetiole densely and coarsely granulose.

Body covered by moderately abundant, long, coarse, grayish, erect hairs. Antennae with moderately abundant, short, very fine hairs over entire surface; many of these hairs on funiculus and a small number on scape sub erect to erect but the maj ority appressed. Legs with a sparse growth of hairs similar to those on antennae; most of these appressed by a scattered few suberect to erect.

Body dark brown; mandibles, antennae, and legs pale yellow; femora infuscated over entire surface except for ends.

Queen
Gynetype. - Differing from the worker in the usual characters separating these two phases. Total length approximately 2.7 mm., length of alitrunk 0.912 mm., greatest width of alitrunk 0.576 mm., length of head 0.568 mm., cephalic index 100. Propodeal spines short and robust, their length less than the distance between their bases and approximately half the length of the declivious face of the propodeum. Sculpturing, pilosity, and color essentially the same as in the worker.

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

Type Locality
Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Etymology
Geographical. After the type locality.