Strumigenys praefecta

Strumigenys praefecta may be arboreal, as much of the examined material was collected from under moss on trees, under bark on trees, foraging on tress, and from canopy fogging (Sarnat and Economo 2012).

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the signeae complex in the Strumigenys godeffroyi-group. The larger non-paratypic specimens are also darker in colour than the remainder and tend to have more pairs of hairs on the head and alitrunk. In some the disc of the postpetiole is entirely smooth and there may be 3 pairs of pronotal erect hairs and 2 mesonotal pairs. For the present I am treating all as belonging to a single species but the situation, and relationship of this material to Strumigenys mailei, should be re-assessed when more material is present. See notes under mailei.

Sarnat and Economo (2012) - Strumigenys praefecta is a mid-sized dark reddish brown species with very short antennal scrobes, no humeral hairs, a punctate-reticulate head and mesosoma with a mostly polished smooth mesopleuron and metapleuron, a mostly polished postpetiolar dorsum, and basigastral costae approximately the length of the postpetiole. The species belongs to the signeae group, which is discussed in more detail under the notes for Strumigenys mailei. There are several good nest series from the Nadarivatu area (Viti Levu) in which the workers are consistently larger and redder. The smaller morphotype, which agrees with the type series, occurs very close by in the Monasavu Dam area, in addition to the islands of Koro and Gau. It is interesting that the small morphotype is maintained across a large geographic scale, but that all the close-by Nadarivatu specimens show a consistently larger size and more red coloration.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Fiji.

Nomenclature

 *  praefecta. Strumigenys praefecta Bolton, 2000: 826 (w.q.) FIJI IS.

Worker
Holotype. TL 2.6, HL 0.69, HW 0.44, CI 64, ML 0.32, MI 46, SL 0.44, SI 100, PW 0.28-0.32, AL 0.70. Characters of signeae-complex. With head in profile side flattened behind level of eye but scrobe absent. Dorsolateral margin of head with a short simple fine hair in apicoscrobal position and margin posterior to this with 2 projecting short hairs; these hairs directed more dorsally than laterally. Cephalic dorsum with a transverse row of 4-6 erect hairs at occipital margin and with a single pair of standing hairs at or just in front of highest point of vertex. Apical antennomere slender and constricted basally. Pronotal humeral hair absent; pronotal dorsum with 1-2 pairs of short erect hairs, mesonotum with 1 pair. Cephalic dorsum and dorsal alitrunk entirely reticulate-punctate. Side of alitrunk with katepisternum smooth; metapleuron and side of propodeum with at least anterior half smooth and shining. Propodeal teeth acute, free; propodeal declivity carinate, its posterior (free) margin concave and closely paralleling the curve of the declivity. Petiole node reticulate-punctate dorsally. In profile anterior face of node short and oblique, very much shorter than the long, shallowly convex dorsum. Lateral spongiform lobe small, confined to posterolateral portion of node. Disc of postpetiole more or less smooth medially but elsewhere with superficial fine sculpture. First gastral tergite with short stiff simple standing hairs. Basigastral costulae about as long as disc of postpetiole.

Paratypes. TL 2.5-2.6, HL 0.66-0.70, HW 0.42-0.45, CI 64, ML 0.30-0.32, MI 45-46, SL 0.42-0.44, SI 95-100, PW 0.26-0.28, AL 0.65-0.70 (3 measured).

The non-paratypic material averages larger than the type-series. HL 0.71-0.88, HW 0.48-0.57, CI 63-67, ML 0.32-0.37, MI 42-45, SL 0.46-0.50, SI 92-102 (4 measured).

Type Material
Holotype worker, Fiji Is: Viti Levu, Namosi/Queens Rd Divide, 23.vii.1987, QM Berlesate No. 787, 18.05 S, 178.10 E, 500 m., rainforest, litter and moss (G. Monteith).

Paratypes. 3 workers and 1 queen with same data as holotype (ANIC, ).