Strumigenys feae

The only information known about this ant's biology is ecological data from a specimen: collected from litter in a limestone substrate rainforest.

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the feae complex in the Strumigenys mayri-group. Resembling Strumigenys exilirhina in almost all characters but feae with a very much smaller preapical tooth on the mandible. In feae this tooth is short and narrow (may be denticle-like) and its length is at most only one-quarter of the width of the mandible at the point where the tooth arises. In exilirhina the preapical tooth is stoutly triangular and its length approaches the width of the mandible at the point where the tooth arises.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam. Palaearctic Region: China.

Nomenclature

 *  feae. Strumigenys feae Emery, 1895k: 473 (w.q.) MYANMAR. See also: Bolton, 2000: 882.

Worker
TL 2.6-2.8, HL 0.75-0.80, HW 0.47-0.52, CI 62-68, ML 0.33-0.36, MI 41-46, SL 0.48-0.50, SI 94-102, PW 0.27-0.28, AL 0.72-0.80 (8 measured).

Characters of the feae-complex. Preapical tooth very small and narrowly triangular, reduced almost to a denticle in some; length of preapical tooth one-quarter or less of the width of the mandible at the point where the tooth arises. Outer margin of mandible in full-face view straight to extremely shallowly convex from close to base to level of preapical tooth; inner margin almost or quite straight. Upper scrobe margin with two freely laterally projecting long flagellate hairs, the posterior one in apicoscrobal position. Cephalic dorsum with 4-6 erect sub flagellate or looped hairs along the occipital margin, a similar but shorter pair at level of highest point of vertex. Preocular notch absent but ventrolateral margin of head narrowed immediately in front of eye. Maximum diameter of eye slightly greater than maximum width of scape; usually 4 ommatidia across the greatest diameter. Pronotal humeral hair flagellate; pronotal dorsum finely, sometimes superficially, reticulate-punctate and without erect hairs. Mesonotum with 2 pairs of erect flagellate hairs. Dorsal surfaces of waist segments and first gastral tergite with flagellate hairs. Pleurae and side of propodeum smooth. One or two long fine erect flagellate hairs present on the dorsal (outer) surface of the hind basitarsus and 1-2 on the hind tibia; similar pilosity present on the other legs. Petiole in profile with anterior face of node slightly shorter than length of dorsum. Disc of postpetiole smooth. Basigastral costulae about equal in length to disc of postpetiole.

Type Material
Syntype workers and queen, BURMA ( = Myanmar): Palon, Pegu, viii-ix.1887 (L. Fea) [examined].