Temnothorax rugatulus

Mackay (2000) "This tends to be a high coniferous forest species which occurs in moist habitats (Cole, 1934, 1942; Wheeler and Wheeler, 1986) in shaded grassy slopes with pines (Cole, 1954), or grasslands (Wheeler and Wheeler, 1963), although Conklin (1972) states it does not usually enter meadows or even ecotones. It also occurs in pinyon juniper forests and cool desert habitats (Wheeler and Wheeler, 1986). Nests are found in the soil, under rocks (Cole, 1942, 1954; Wheeler and Wheeler, 1963; Mackayet al., 1988), in decaying wood (Wheeler and Wheeler, 1986) in grasses (Wheeler, 1917; Cole, 1953, 1954; Gregg, 1963; Borchart andAnderson, 1973; Moody and Francke, 1982), or in trees (Van Pelt, 1983). One nest had more than 100 workers and eight females (Wheeler, 1903a), although Frumhoff and Ward (1992) state that nests are monogynous. Cole (1954) found that nests are very populous and also found multiple queens in nests. There are 2 queen morphs in this species, with mostly macrogynes found in monogynous colonies and microgynes in polygynous colonies (Ruppell et al., 1998). Sexuals occur in nests in July and Aug. (Gregg, 1963) to September in Idaho (Cole, 1934). This species moves the nest if it is disturbed (Moeglich, 1978). The beetle Amecocerus sp. (Melyridae) occurred in a nest in Nevada (Wheeler and Wheeler, 1986). Insecticide treatments for the spruce budworm in eastern Oregon had little impact on this species (Murphy and Croft, 1990)."



Identification
Mackay (2000) "Workers of this species have an 11 segmented antenna, a coarsely rugose dorsal surface of the head, the dorsum (and sides to a lesser extent) of the mesosoma and petiole are rugose as the head, the propodeal spines are well developed, longer than the distance between their bases, the dorsum of the postpetiole has rough punctures.

This species can be recognized by the coarse rugae on the head, the areas between the rugae are punctured, but shiny (Fig. 156). This characteristic separates T. rugatulus from T. bradleyi and T. smithi. It is smaller than T. josephi and is basically concolorous medium yellowish-brown, often with dark infuscation on the head and mesosoma. The node of the petiole is rounded in profile, not truncate as in T. ambiguus. The subpetiolar process is often about as wide at the tip as it is at the base, although specimens that were previously referred to as T. rugatulus tend to have a tapered subpetiolar process. The propodeal spines are well developed, which separates it from T. schaumii, and T. whitfordi."

Range
USA, CANADA. US - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas; Canada: British Colombia, Alberta.

Abundance
Common

Original Combination
Leptothorax (Leptothorax) rugatulus Emery, 1895c: 321 (w.) U.S.A. Taber & Cokendolpher, 1988: 95 (k.). Combination in L. (Myrafant): Smith, M.R. 1950: 30; in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 272. Subspecies of curvispinosus: Wheeler, W.M. 1903c: 241. Revived status as species: Wheeler, W.M. 1917a: 509. Senior synonym of annectens, cockerelli, mediorufus: Creighton, 1950a: 269; of brunnescens: MacKay, 2000: 394.

Type Material
AMNH,MCSN (as reported in Mackay 2000)

Type Locality
The original description lists specimens from Colorado and South Dakota. Creighton (1950) gives the type locality as Colorado "by present restriction."

Etymology
Morphology. A reference to the rugosity found on the body.