Strumigenys reliquia

This species is a western endemic known from six workers taken in two collections in the spring of 1986. Both collections were taken in the same remnant patch of riparian oak woodland in the Sacramento Valley of California, United States (Ward, 1988; Booher, 2021).

Identification
Bolton (2000) - Strumigenys reliquia is easily separated from Strumigenys pilinasis by the following characters:

Booher (2021) - Other than pilosity, Strumigenys reliquia is morphologically quite like Strumigenys collinsae and shares several mandible characters. In S. reliquia the first tooth arises after a long diastemmic gap and this tooth shorter than the following teeth. These first teeth also do not overlap when mandibles are closed, both characters shared with S. collinsae, but unlike S. collinsae these first teeth are more than half the length of the following teeth where the first teeth in S. collinsae are only about 1/4 the length of the following tooth. Of the four teeth following this first short tooth, the third is shorter than the first two or last. In S. collinsae the third and fourth are nearly equal in size. The clypeal groove is also not visible along the anterior border unlike S. collinsae. Other major differences are discussed under S. collinsae.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States.

Nomenclature

 *  reliquia. Smithistruma reliquia Ward, 1988: 117, fig. 7 (w.) U.S.A. Combination in Pyramica: Bolton, 1999: 1673; in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 126. See also: Bolton, 2000: 110.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 2.1-2.2, HL 0.58-0.62, HW 0.38-0.40, CI 65-67, ML 0.09-0.10, MI 16-18, SL 0.33-0.34, SI 83-87, PW 0.24-0.26, AL 0.58-0.61 (3 measured).

First (basal) tooth on mandible much shorter than second; diastema between basal lamella and basal tooth longer than length of basal tooth. Anterior clypeal margin evenly smoothly convex; clypeal dorsum densely reticulate-punctate. Eye with 3-4 ommatidia in longest row. Propodeal dorsum with punctate sculpture partially effaced. Entirety of body pilosity simple and fine, filiform to flagellate; without spatulate, spoon-shaped or other bizarre pilosity anywhere. Hairs on anterior clypeal margin shallowly curved away from midline; on lateral margins inclined anterolaterally or feebly recurved; on clypeal dorsum fine hairs elevated, subdecumbent to suberect at least in their apical halves. Leading edge of scape with most hairs curved toward apex of scape but one or two of the longer hairs, close to the subbasal bend, curved toward the base of the scape. Dorsolateral margin of head with 2 long fine laterally projecting flagellate hairs; one apicoscrobal, the other anterior to this. Cephalic ground-pilosity curved-filiform, very fine; close to occipital margin with a transverse row of 4 more erect hairs that are longer and even finer, subflagellate or looped. Dorsal alitrunk with pronotal and mesonotal pairs of long flagellate hairs. Long curved sinuous to flagellate hairs also present on waist segments and first gastral tergite. Dorsal (outer) surface of hind tibia and basitarsus with projecting long flagellate hairs.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Holotype worker and paratype workers, U.S.A. California, Yolo Co., 4 km. E Yolo, 15 m., 4.iv.1986, sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood), riparian woodland, #8266-5 (P. S. Ward); paratype workers, same locality, 8.v.1986, #715 (S. Shattuck) [examined].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Ward, P. S. 1988. Mesic Elemets in the Western Nearctic Ant Fauna: Taxonomic and Bilogical Notes on Amblyopone, Proceratium, and Smithistruma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 61:102-124