Stenamma sequoiarum

This species is known from a few collections. The types consisted of numerous workers and a female found in colonies nesting under stones in a redwood forest. Stenamma sequoiarum has also been found in oak woodland, pine forest and chaparral.

Identification
The worker can be distinguished by the following characters: Eye rather small for a Stenamma, approrimately 0.10 mm at its greatest width and with four or five ommatidia; epinotum with two well developed spines which are from one-fourth to one-third the length of the base of the epinotum; petiolar node slender and high, subconical; postpetiolar node subcampanulate, with the appearance of being longer than broad and bearing sharply defined, longitudinal rugulae; thorax above very coarsely rugulose-reticulate, the sculpturing on the promesonotum often taking a longitudinal trend, the interspaces variable in size but often 0.10 mm or more in width and rather smooth and shining; base of gaster with prominent, longitudinal rugulae, some of which are as long as 0.20 mm or more; head and thorax light brown or yellowish brown to reddish brown.

Smith 1957

Distribution
This taxon was described from U.S.A.

Range
USA. California and Washington.

Nomenclature

 *  sequoiarum. Stenamma brevicorne subsp. sequoiarum Wheeler, W.M. 1917a: 520 (w.q.) U.S.A. Subspecies of diecki: Creighton, 1950a: 137. Raised to species: Smith, M.R. 1957b: 156.

Type Material
Types are deposited in the MCZ and USNM. As per Creighton (1950).

Type Locality Information
Muir Woods on Mount Tamalpais (near San Francisco), California.

Etymology
Descriptive. The types were found within a coastal redwood forest (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and is named for the Sequoia.

Additional References

 * Snelling, R. R. 1973. Studies on California ants. 7. The genus Stenamma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Contributions in Science (Los Angeles). 245:1-38.
 * Wheeler, W. M. 1917. The mountain ants of western North America. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 52:457-569.