Procryptocerus tortuguero

The nest series from which the holotype was selected was collected from lowland rainforest. The nest was in a trailside woody plant stem whose apex was an old machete cut. The ants inhabited the dead terminus of the branch, just distal to the live portion. The live stem was solid, and the ants were in chambers excavated either by themselves or by a previous stem-boring insect. The entire nest was sampled and contained 108 workers, one dealate queen, one alate queen, and brood. The other specimens from the type locality were collected from low vegetation. The worker from below Volcan Barba was collected from the canopy of primary rainforest, approximately 20 m high. Workers from 17 km south of Puerto Viejo were in the crown of a recent treefall in primary wet forest. (Longino and Snelling 2002)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica.

Nomenclature

 *  tortuguero. Procryptocerus tortuguero Longino & Snelling, 2002: 28, fig. 1F (w.q.) COSTA RICA.

Worker
Holotype: HW 1.615, HL 1.462, SL 0.812, EL 0.365, MeL 1.821, MeW 1.165, PrW 0.812, PrL 0.552, PrS 0.236, PrT 0.787, MTL 1.015, PtL 0.555, PtW 0.457, PpW 0.592, PtH 0.452, AL 1.821, AW 1.510, ASW 0.041.

Paratype: (LACM ENT 141766): HW 1.572, HL 1.469, SL 0.810, EL 0.375, MeL 1.958, MeW 1.239, MTL 1.041, MFL 1.092, MFW 0.383, PtL 0.613, PtW 0.429, PpW 0.575, PtH 0.455, AL 1.977, AW 1.560.

Similar to Procryptocerus impressus, Procryptocerus paleatus, and Procryptocerus subpilosus; entire disc of the face with evenly dispersed erect setae; face sculpture, head shape, mesosomal profile, mesonotal teeth, propodeal suture, mesosomal sculpture, petiole shape and sculpture, and postpetiole shape and sculpture similar to P. paleatus; striae on the first gastral tergite fade out distally and posteriorly, similar to P. subpilosus; density of pilosity on gaster intermediate between P. impressus and P. paleatus, setae aligned on longitudinal axis subcontiguous, not or barely overlapping, but not as widely spaced as on P. paleatus.

Kempf (1951:53), identifying the series from Zent as P. paleatus, thoroughly described the worker.

Shape, sculpture, and pilosity as in worker, except for mesosomal characters typical of caste; pronotum with coarse piligerous foveae, confluent laterally and posteriorly, smaller and separated by broad interspaces anteromedially; mesoscutum, axillae, and scutellum with mixture of longitudinal rugae and elongate piligerous foveae; dorsal face of propodeum with longitudinal, vermiculate rugae; wings smoky brown.

Type Material
HOLOTYPE WORKER. Costa Rica, Prov. Limon, Tortuguero, 108329N 838319W, ,5 m, 1–5 Jul 1985 (Longino #382). Barcode: LACM ENT 141741.

PARATYPES. All from same nest series as holotype. One alate queen, LACM ENT 141766 [INBC]; one worker and one dealate queen, LACM ENT 141755 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141765 ; two workers, LACM ENT 140647 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141742 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141743 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141744 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141745 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141746 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141747 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141748 ; two workers, LACM ENT 141749 CHAH.

Etymology
This species is named for the type locality. It is a noun in apposition, and thus invariant.