Strumigenys princeps

The type colony was found in second growth rain forest or "capoeira", about 100 m from the river bank; the nest was a large one, containing several hundred workers with brood and alate females, and was in a rotten palm stump in deep shade. Just above the Strumigenys princeps nest and completely interdigitating with it was a populous nest of the much larger ponerine ant Neoponera apicalis and below and surrounding it was a large nest of a yellowish Crematogaster. (Kempf and Brown 1969)

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys precava-group. The largest species yet known in the group, princeps lacks the long flagellate gastral hairs characteristic of Strumigenys formicosa and Strumigenys precava, and lacks the densely costulate first gastral tergite that is so conspicuous in Strumigenys thomae. The spongiform appendages of the waist segments are smaller in princeps than in the other species and its cephalic sculpture is an uninterrupted dense, sharply defined reticulate-punctation.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil.

Nomenclature

 *  princeps. Strumigenys princeps Kempf & Brown, 1969: 21, figs. 4, 5 (w.q.) BRAZIL. See also: Bolton, 2000: 548.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 4.2-4.6, HL 1.19-1.30, HW 0.92-1.03, CI 77-81, ML 0.50-0.54, MI 41-45, SL 0.72-0.78, SI 75-80, PW 0.45-0.50, AL 1.10-1.22 (6 measured).

Ground-pilosity of cephalic dorsum suberect, short stubbly and simple; a few longer more erect hairs present on posterior half of dorsum. Hairs on leading edge of scape short and stubbly, more or less straight, not all inclined toward apex of scape; those on basal third at approximate right-angles to long axis of scape. In full-face view lateral margins of occipital lobes with numerous very short but freely projecting simple stubbly hairs. Pronotal humeral hair stiff and straight, stout and truncated apically. Dorsum of head densely reticulate-punctate, without overlying rugular sculture. First gastral tergite with numerous erect short stiff hairs. With waist segments in profile lateral spongiform lobe of petiole no more than a slight expansion of apex of posterior collar; lateral lobe of postpetiole reduced to a narrow longitudinal strip along ventral margin of tergite; ventral lobe of postpetiole well developed. Spongiform pad at base of first gastral sternite very small to vestigial. Disc of postpetiole finely and densely reticulate-punctate. Basigastral costulae short but sharply defined, gaster otherwise glassy smooth.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Holotype worker, and paratype workers and queens, BRAZIL: Amazonas, Manaus, 1.ix.1962, No. 3073 (K. Lenko); Amazonas, N of Manaus, Ponta Negra, ix.1962, M-135 (W. L. Brown) [examined].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Bolton, B. 2000. The Ant Tribe Dacetini. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 65
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).