Temnothorax iris

Little is known about the biology of .

Identification
Wheeler (1931) - There is considerable variation in the metallic coloration of the head and thorax. Roger describes his specimen as having the thorax purplish violet, the femora dark metallic green or brown, the tarsi and funiculi paler brown. Santschi (1930) has very recently described a var. nigripes of this species from the Sierra de los Organos, Pinar del Rio, with the antennae and legs, excepting the tarsi, black. Since many of my specimens have the antennal scapes and tibiae distinctly brown or black, I am inclined to regard the proposed variety as not worthy of recognition.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Cuba, Greater Antilles.

Biology
Wheeler (1931) - Redescribed from several workers sent me by Dr. C. G. Aguayo from three Cuban localities, namely: El Guabinacho, Rangel; San Diego de los Banos, and Subida al Rangel, all in the province of Pinar del Rio. The species has not been taken since Gundlach found the type at the entrance to the Yurumi valley, near Matanzas.

Nomenclature

 *  iris. Macromischa iris Roger, 1863a: 188 (w.) CUBA. Combination in M. (Croesomyrmex): Mann, 1920: 408; in Croesomyrmex: Wheeler, W.M. 1931b: 23; in Leptothorax: Baroni Urbani, 1978b: 454; in Temnothorax: Bolton, 2003: 271. Senior synonym of nigripes: Wheeler, W.M. 1931b: 24; of rufithorax, tristis: Baroni Urbani, 1978b: 454.
 * nigripes. Macromischa (Croesomyrmex) iris var. nigripes Santschi, 1930e: 78 (w.) CUBA. Junior synonym of iris: Wheeler, W.M. 1931b: 24.
 * rufithorax. Croesomyrmex iris var. rufithorax Wheeler, W.M. 1931b: 24 (w.) CUBA. Junior synonym of iris: Baroni Urbani, 1978b: 454.
 * tristis. Croesomyrmex iris var. tristis Wheeler, W.M. 1931b: 25 (w.) CUBA. [Unresolved junior secondary homonym of tristis Bondroit, above.] Junior synonym of iris: Baroni Urbani, 1978b: 454.

Worker
Wheeler (1931) - Length 4-4.5 mm.

Head rectangular, about 1/5 longer than broad, as broad in front as behind, with broadly rounded posterior corners and straight posterior border. Eyes moderately large and convex, a little in front of the middle of the sides. Mandibles rather broad, with moderately convex external borders, two large apical and three smaller, irregular basal teeth. Clypeus convex behind, depressed anteriorly, with broadly rounded, medially sinuate anterior border. Frontal area distinct, elongate-triangular, continued back as a short furrow representing the anterior end of the frontal groove. Antennae slender; scapes extending about i their length beyond the posterior border of the head; first funicular joint somewhat longer than 2 and 3 together, joint 2 slightly longer than 3; club 3-jointed. Thorax broadest through the pronotum, with evenly and feebly rounded dorsal outline, nearly straight in the middle. Metasterna small and rounded. Petiole about five times as long as broad, peduncle with a rudimentary anteroventral tooth, node strongly laterally compressed, as long as the peduncle, nearly as long as high, evenly rounded above and constricted behind. Postpetiole campanulate, convex above, as broad as long, about three times as broad behind as at the petiolar node. Gaster small, elongate-elliptical, pointed; sting small. Legs long, femora thin basally, strongly incrassated distally, tibiae only slightly thickened.

Mandibles striate-punctate, shining; clypeus irregularly rugulose; cheeks indistinctly striate, frontal area shining, head opaque, evenly and densely punctate, the posterior corners somewhat smoother and shining. Thorax shining, longitudinally rugose, the rugae stronger on the pronotum, transverse on the epinotum but continuous on each side with the longitudinal rugae of the pleurae. Peduncle and sides of petiolar node longitudinally rugulose; the narrow upper surface of the node, the postpetiole, gaster, coxae and swollen portions of the femora very smooth and shining; the slender bases of the femora, the tibiae and antennal scapes opaque, finely punctate-striate.

Hairs glistening white, obtuse, moderately long and abundant, erect on the body, more oblique on the appendages.

Mandibles, cheeks and clypeus piceous brown; head dull metallic green or purple; thorax metallic green or cupreous; peduncle of petiole yellow, node metallic green; postpetiole metallic purple; gaster, legs and antennae very dark piceous brown or black, terminal tarsal joints brownish.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Alayo D. P. 1974. Introduccion al estudio de los Himenopteros de Cuba. Superfamilia Formicoidea. Academia de Ciencias de Cuba. Instituto de Zoologia. Serie Biologica no.53: 58 pp. La Habana.
 * Baroni Urbani C. 1978. Materiali per una revisione dei Leptothorax neotropicali appartenenti al sottogenere Macromischa Roger, n. comb. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomol. Basil. 3: 395-618.
 * Borgmeier T. 1952. Algumas formigas do gênero Macromischa Roger (Hym. Formicidae). Arquivos do Museu Nacional (Rio de Janeiro) 42: 107-111.
 * Brandao, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.
 * Emery C. 1896. Sur les fourmis du genre Macromischa Rog. (Hym.). Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France 1896: 102-103.
 * Fernandez Garcia I., and J. L. Fontenla. 2005. Nuevas adiciones a la entomofauna del Area Protegida Mil Cumbres, Pinar del Río, Cuba. Cocuyo 15: 20-22.
 * Fontanla Rizo J.L. 1997. Lista preliminar de las hormigas de Cuba. Cocuyo 6: 18-21.
 * Fontenla J. L. 2001. Claves para las especies cubanas del taxon Macromischa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptothorax). Cocuyo (Havana) 11: 15-17.
 * Fontenla J. L., and J. Alfonso-Simonetti. 2018. Classification of Cuban ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) into functional groups. Poeyana Revista Cubana de Zoologia 506: 21-30.
 * Fontenla Rizo J. L. 1997. Lista preliminar de las hormigas de Cuba (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Cocuyo 6: 18-21.
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
 * Kusnezov N. 1963. Zoogeografia de las hormigas en sudamerica. Acta Zoologica Lilloana 19: 25-186
 * Mann W. M. 1920. Additions to the ant fauna of the West Indies and Central America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 42: 403-439.
 * Santschi F. 1930. Quelques fourmis de Cuba et du Brésil. Bulletin. Société Entomologique d'Egypte. 14: 75-83.
 * Santschi F. 1931. Fourmis de Cuba et de Panama. Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro). 1: 265-282.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1905. The ants of the Bahamas, with a list of the known West Indian species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 21: 79-135.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1913. The ants of Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 54: 477-505.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1931. New and little-known ants of the genera Macromischa, Creosomyrmex and Antillaemyrmex. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 72: 1-34.