Adelomyrmex silvestrii

Adelomyrmex silvestrii is perhaps the most easily identified Adelomyrmex species, and it is widespread and abundant. It occurs in a wide variety of habitats, mature to secondary, wet to seasonally dry, and sea level to 1700 m elevation cloud forest. It can occur in over 70% of quantitative miniWinkler samples. In spite of its abundance, a nest has never been reported. (Longino 2012)

Identification
Distinguished from other species of the genus by the shape of postpetiole and anterior emargination of the gaster.

Distribution
northern Mexico (Tamaulipas) to Costa Rica.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua.

Castes
Males have yet to be collected.

Nomenclature

 * . Apsychomyrmex silvestrii Menozzi, 1931b: 270, fig.6 (w.) COSTA RICA.
 * Combination in Adelomyrmex: Kempf, 1972a: 18.
 * Status as species: Borgmeier, 1937b: 240; Smith, M.R. 1947b: 469 (redescription); Kempf, 1972a: 18; Bolton, 1995b: 58; Fernández, 2003b: 28 (redescription); Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012: 257; Longino, 2012: 32.

Worker
Fernández (2003) - (n=8). HL 0.56-0.57 HW 0.52-0.54 SL 0.36-0.38 EL 0.05-0.06 WL 0.50-0.55 GL 0.74-0.77 TL 2.30-2.35 CI 94 SI 71-72.

Sides of head evenly convex. Mandibles with 5 teeth decreasing in size from the apical teeth. Basal margin of the mandible with the tooth feebly developed. Dorsum of clypeal plate with two curved ridges very closed, prolongued into frontal carinae. Eyes small, with less than 10 facets, most with 5–6 facets. Hypostomal tooth small but clearly visible in frontal oblique view. Promesonotum slightly convex to flat, with strong transversal fringe on anterior pronotal margin. Metanotal groove weak. Propodeum sloping with two spines long, stout, directed backwards and nearly horizontal. Petiole stout in profile, with feebly concave posterior side, ventral face convex with several transverse rugae, appearing as serrations in profile. Postpetiole high, campaniform with a ventral transverse ridge toothlike as seen in profile. In dorsal view and lateral view, postpetiole extending posteriorly over basal gaster, as a blunt point. Gaster with emarginate base and humeral angles. Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and mesonotum with coarse, longitudinal rugulae. Transverse rugae between propodeal spines and sides of petiole and postpetiole. Declivity face of propodeum from smooth to covered with transverse rugae. Mandibles, clypeal plate, legs, petiole, postpetiole and gaster shining. Meso and hind tibia with some long hairs. Hairs yellowish, long and sparse (most hairs about 0125 mm long, as long as basal width of apical flagelomere), more short and apressed on antennae and legs. Body black to dark brown or dark reddish, antennae and legs more lighter, brown to yellowish.

Queen
Similar to worker except for queen-specific characters of large compound eyes, ocelli, and enlarged mesosoma with queen-typical sclerites; pronotum smooth medially, reticulate rugose laterally; dorsal mesonotum mostly longitudinally rugose, weaker anteromedially; scutellum longitudinally rugose; katepisternum smooth and shining with thin strip of rugosity along posterior border; anepisternum and side of propodeum longitudinally rugose.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Ahuatzin D. A., E. J. Corro, A. Aguirre Jaimes, J. E. Valenzuela Gonzalez, R. Machado Feitosa, M. Cezar Ribeiro, J. Carlos Lopez Acosta, R. Coates, W. Dattilo. 2019. Forest cover drives leaf litter ant diversity in primary rainforest remnants within human-modified tropical landscapes. Biodiversity and Conservation 28(5): 1091-1107.
 * Castano-Meneses, G., M. Vasquez-Bolanos, J. L. Navarrete-Heredia, G. A. Quiroz-Rocha, and I. Alcala-Martinez. 2015. Avances de Formicidae de Mexico. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
 * Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
 * Fernandes, P.R. XXXX. Los hormigas del suelo en Mexico: Diversidad, distribucion e importancia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
 * Fernández, F. 2003. Revision of the myrmicinae ants of the Adelomyrmex genus-group. Zootaxa 361: 1-52.
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * INBio Collection (via Gbif)
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
 * Longino J. T. L., and M. G. Branstetter. 2018. The truncated bell: an enigmatic but pervasive elevational diversity pattern in Middle American ants. Ecography 41: 1-12.
 * Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.
 * Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
 * Longino, J.T. 2010. Personal Communication. Longino Collection Database
 * Maes, J.-M. and W.P. MacKay. 1993. Catalogo de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Nicaragua. Revista Nicaraguense de Entomologia 23.
 * Menozzi C. 1931. Contribuzione alla conoscenza del microgenton di Costa Rica. III. Hymenoptera - Formicidae. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici. 25: 259-274.
 * Philpott, S.M., P. Bichier, R. Rice, and R. Greenberg. 2007. Field testing ecological and economic benefits of coffee certification programs. Conservation Biology 21: 975-985.
 * Schonberg, L.A., J.T. Longino, N.M. Nadkarni and S.P. Yanoviak. 2004. Arboreal Ant Species Richness in Primary Forest, Secondary Forest, and Pasture Habitats of a Tropical Montane Landscape. Biotropica 36(3):402-409.
 * Smith M. A., W. Hallwachs, D. H. Janzen. 2014. Diversity and phylogenetic community structure of ants along a Costa Rican elevational gradient. Ecography 37(8): 720-731.
 * Smith M. R. 1947. Ants of the genus Apsychomyrmex Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro) 17: 468-473.
 * Varela-Hernandez, F., M. Rocha-Ortega, W. P. Mackay, and R. W. Jones. 2016. Lista preliminar de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del estado de Queretaro, Mexico. Pages 429-435 in . W. Jones., and V. Serrano-Cardenas, editors. Historia Natural de Queretaro. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Mexico.
 * Vasquez-Bolanos M. 2011. Checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mexico. Dugesiana 18(1): 95-133.
 * Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133