Temnothorax stenotyle

Mackay (2000) "The nest of the type colony was found under a stone on a moist slope covered with pine and spruce. A second nest was also under a stone. The populations range from 53-55 workers. Alate females were found in a nest in August (Cole 1956a)."



Identification
Mackay (2000) "This is a roughly sculptured, relatively large, dark brown ant, with a 12 segmented antenna. The head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole are covered with coarse rugae, the intrarugal spaces are shining. There may be a central area at the vertex without sculpture. The propodeal spines are poorly developed and are essentially elongate angles (approximately 0.05mm in length). The petiole is thick in profile with a blunt apex.

This species can be distinguished from T. tricarinatus as it has a more slender mesosoma and a narrower post-petiolar node. It differs from T. neomexicanus in that it is longer, more rugose and has an opaque head, which lacks distinct punctures and smaller postpetiole. It differs from T. obliquicanthus as the eye is of normal size and shape for the genus. It can be separated from the smaller T. rugithorax as the head is covered with coarse sculpture; the head of T. rugithorax has fine rugulae."

Range
USA. Southeastern Arizona, Cochise Co., Chiricahua Mountains.

Biology
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Original Combination
Leptothorax stenotyle Cole, 1956e: 214. Replacement name for angustinodus Cole, 1956b: 28. [Junior primary homonym of angustinode: Stitz, 1917: 336.] Combination in L. (Myrafant): Smith, D.R. 1979: 1395; in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 272. See also: MacKay, 2000: 410.

Worker
Holotype, worker (Cole ColI., AR-201).

Head subrectangular, with subparallel sides, nearly straight occipital border, and rounded posterior corners. Antennae l2-segmented, the scapes exceeding the posterior corners of the head by a little less than their greatest distal width. Eyes oval, rather prominent, situated distinctly at more than their greatest diameter from the mandibular articulations. Frontal area rather distinct, smooth, shining. Clypeus with a prominent median carina and two lateral carinulae.

Thorax viewed from above slender, the pronotal humeri distinctly angulate, pronotum in lateral profile very broadly convex; mesonotum and epinotum in lateral profile nearly flat, with only a faint trace of a mesoepinotal impression. Epinotal spines short, subdentiform, not more than one-half as long as the distance between their bases, broad at the base, acute, rather sharp at the tips. Postpetiolar node viewed from above subquadrate, only slightly (less than 1 ½ times) broader than long, the anterior and posterior borders nearly straight, the sides subparallel, and the anterior corners rounded. Venter of petiolar peduncle with a prominent, ventrally directed tooth which is broad at the base and rather acute apically.

Head, thorax, petiole, and postpetiole subopaque. Clypeus, frontal area, and a narrow, median, longitudinal band extending from frontal area to occipital border somewhat shining. Gaster smooth and strongly shining. Mandibles finely, longitudinally striated, with scattered piligerous punctures. Head granulose and irregularly, longitudinally rugulose, the rugulae being most prominent on the genae, occipital lobes, and especially around the eyes, finer and less numerous mesally. There are some rather weak reticulations between the eyes and the occipital corners. Thorax reticulaterugose, more coarsely so laterally, less coarsely so on mesonotum than on pronotum and epinotum. Petiolar node coarsely reticulate-rugose; postpetiolar node coarsely and densely granulose and weakly and irregularly rugulose. Intraspinal space of epinotum transversely and rather coarsely striate, bordered in front by two lateral carinulae which originate at the base of the spines and converge anteriorly to form the apex of a triangle. Epinotal declivity transversely striate.

Body covered with numerous, scattered, coarse, blunt, silvery, erect and suberect, medium-long hairs. Hairs on cephalic dorsum perceptibly shorter than those elsewhere. Coxae, trochanters, and femora with scattered, slender, pointed, erect, suberect, and appressd hairs. Tibial hairs mostly appressed. Pubescence absent from gaster.

Body a rather uniform, deep brownish black; mandibles, funicular bases, and legs (especially the tarsi) lighter.

Length of head, 0.77 mm.; width of head, 0.63 mm.; length of thorax, 1.04 mm.; maximum width of pronotum, 0.49 mm.; minimum width of thorax, 0.35 mm.; width of petiolar node, 0.19 mm.; length of postpetiolar node, 0.19 mm.; width of postpetiolar node, 0.27 mm.; length of gaster, 1.18 mm.; total body length, 3.55 mm.

Queen
Paratype female (nest queen). (Cole Coll., AR-201).

Head, excluding mandibles, nearly as wide as long, subquadrate, subopaque, rather uniformly covered with irregular, longitudinal rugae, the interrugal spaces smooth and somewhat shining; reticulate-rugose between eyes and mandibular articulations, from the mandibular articulations the rugae sweep in an even curve around and in front of the eyes back to the occipital corners. Frontal area distinctly impressed, smooth, and shining. Mandibles striate and finely granulose. Scapes reaching posterior corners of head. Eyes large, placed at a distance from the mandibular articulations of about two-thirds of their greatest diameter.

Thorax, except for the shining scutellum, subopaque. Sides of thorax, except for meso thoracic epimera, episterna, sternites, and the. metathoracic epimera longitudinally rugose; mesothoracic epimera, episterna, and sternites, and the metathoracic epimera, faintly striolate; scutum and paraptera longitudinally rugulose; scutellum smooth and shining. All interrugal spaces smooth and somewhat shining. Epinotal spines short, no more than one•third as long as the space between their bases, stubby, broad at the base, flattened laterally, rather blunt at the apex. Intraspinal space and epinotal declivity transversely striate. Petiolar node in profile with the anterior declivity longer than the posterior one; the apex of the node sloping perceptibly posteriorly, the surface coarsely granulose and with two prominent, vertical rugulae. Viewed from above the anterior declivity of the petiolar node is finely and faintly vertically striate. Petiole, viewed from above, broadest across the region of the base of its node, the anterior portion being longer than the posterior portion; apex of the node irregularly, transversely rugulose, the posterior declivity finely granulose and rather smooth. Postpetiole in profile with steep, broadly convex, anterior declivity and a very short, abrupt, posterior declivity, the apex between being broadly convex. Viewed from above the postpetiole is about one and one-half times as broad as long, the anterior width greater than the posterior, the humeral angles convex and well developed, the overall shape being somewhat that of a truncated cone. Postpetiolar node transversely rugose, the remainder of the postpetiole granulose.

Gaster large, elliptical, smooth, strongly shining.

Body covered with scattered, coarse, blunt, erect and suberect, rather short, silvery hairs; shortest on scutum, longest on petiolar and postpetiolar nodes, absent from the basal and declivious surfaces of the epinotum. Hairs on legs similar to those on legs of holotype.

Body dark brown; mandibles, appendages, pronotal collar, petiole and postpetiole (except nodes) lighter.

Length of head, 0.89 mm.; width of head, 0.83 mm.; length of thorax, 1.64 mm.; length of petiolar node, 0.41 mm.; width of petiolar node, 0.31 mm.; length of postpetiolar node, 0.27 mm.; width of postpetiolar node, 0.43 mm.; length of gaster, l.71 mm.; total body length, 4.95 mm.

Type Material
As reported in Mackay (2000) "Holotype worker and paratype female in Cole collection, paratype workers in USNM, MCZC, Cole collection, W. Creighton collection and R. Gregg collection [seen]."

Type Locality
The holotype worker, paratype queen, and a series of 55 para type workers were collected by the writer near Rustler's Park, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, on August 2, 1954. The nest (AR-201) was beneath a stone on a moist slope covered with pine and spruce. Another nest (AR-273) was under a nearby stone and from it were collected 53 workers and two alate females, all of which have been incorporated into the paratype series. Inasmuch as both nests were aspirated carefully, I believe that nearly all specimens were collected. There was no evidence of foraging workers. In the moist soil under stones on the same slope were nests of T. rugatulus Emery, a new species of Stenamma being described by Dr .M. R. Smith, and Myrmica lobicornis fracticornis Emery.