Strumigenys marginiventris

Brown (1962) - Nests in the soil, often in paths or other openings, in rain forest or plantations, and the workers forage over the open ground among leaves or herbs by day as well as night. Common on Barro Colorado Island [Panama]. Longino (Ants of Costa Rica) - I have never encountered this species in Winkler samples from Costa Rica. My collecting is biased toward closed canopy mature forest, where there is a litter layer. This supports Brown's observations that this species prefers open areas and synanthropic habitats.

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the Strumigenys marginiventris-group. The sharp lateral marginations of the first gastral tergite are unique and immediately diagnostic of this species. Within the group marginiventris is the only species to have a broad convex lamella on the propodeal declivity, all other known species have merely a narrow concave carina.

Longino (Ants of Costa Rica) - Apical fork of mandible without intercalary teeth; mandible with one strong preapical tooth; dorsum of gaster with raised lateral margins; gaster punctulate-striolate, opaque; gaster with long flagelliform setae.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Venezuela.

Nomenclature

 *  marginiventris. Strumigenys (Strumigenys) fusca st. marginiventris Santschi, 1931c: 275 (w.) PANAMA. Brown, 1958e: 127 (q.). Raised to species: Brown, 1958e: 126. See also: Bolton, 2000: 543.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 2.8-3.1, HL 0.70-0.75, HW 0.55-0.59, CI 78-80, ML 0.54-0.56, MI 73-77, SL 0.53-0.60, SI 95-102, PW 0.30-0.35, AL 0.68-0.75. Preapical tooth small, slender and peg-like to tuberculiform, tending to arise from dorsum of mandible rather than from inner margin. Long flagellate hairs present: in apicoscrobal position; on pronotal humerus; a pair on mesonotum; several on dorsa of petiole and postpetiole; abundant on first gastral tergite. Cephalic dorsum with a single pair of erect simple hairs located near occipital margin. Propodeal teeth subtended by a broad lamella that has a shallowly convex posterior (free) margin. Petiole ventrally with a spongiform strip. First gastral tergite with a sharply raised longitudinal ridge or carina on each side that separates dorsal and lateral surfaces of tergite and extends almost entire length of sclerite. Head, alitrunk and waist segments reticulate-punctate, most surfaces usually also with some weak overlying low longitudinal rugulae. Behind basigastral costulae the first tergite punctulate-striolate, more posteriorly the sclerite densely punctulate; gastral sculpture variable in intensity.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Holotype worker, PANAMA: France Field (A. Bierig) [not seen].