Adelomyrmex microps

Adelomyrmex microps occurs in lowland rainforest and is extremely rare. It is currently known from 13 specimens. Ten of those are from La Selva Biological Station, from eight different Berlese and MiniWinkler samples (far less than 1% of samples). The LLAMA project collected a specimen in a MiniWinkler sample from a 280 m elevation site near La Ceiba, Honduras, and two in MiniWinkler samples from 310 m elevation on Cerro Saslaya, Nicaragua. (Longino 2012)

Identification
Adelomyrmex microps is a lowland version of Adelomyrmex laevigatus, differing in lighter color, less robust sculpture, and denser, longer pilosity. Additional material shows that the key characters used in Fernández and Mackay (2003) will not separate the species: both usually have smooth shiny areas on the side of the pronotum and stout hypostomal teeth. Ommatidial count is variable. One specimen from Costa Rica (La Selva Biological Station), currently considered a nanitic or aberration, has short, sparse, completely appressed pilosity on the face and gaster, and the overall sculpture is feeble. The specimen from Honduras has several longitudinal rugae on the side of the pronotum instead of a smooth patch. (Longino 2012)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua.

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  microps. Adelomyrmex microps Fernández, in Fernández & Mackay, 2003: 602, fig. 8C (w.) COSTA RICA. See also: Fernández, 2003b: 23.

Worker
Mandibles with 6 teeth, the three apical-most larger. Anterior margin of clypeal plate strongly concave. Eyes reduced to about 2 ommatidia. Hypostomal tooth small. Promesonotum evenly convex and higher than propodeum. Metanotal groove wide, shallow. Propodeal spines long, much longer than wide. Petiole rounded above. Postpetiole with narrow concavity posteriorly. First tergum anteriorly concave in dorsal view. Head with dense rugo-foveolate sculpture. Most of promesonotum smooth and shining, with longitudinal striae on periphery. Sides of mesosoma with irregular striae. Pilosity dorsal on body long, dense. Body reddish-brown.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Fernández F., and W. P. MacKay. 2003.  The myrmicine ants of the Adelomyrmex laevigatus species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology. 41: 593-604.
 * Fernández, F. 2003. Revision of the myrmicinae ants of the Adelomyrmex genus-group. Zootaxa 361: 1-52.
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Longino J. T. 2012. A review of the ant genus Adelomyrmex Emery 1897 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Central America. Zootaxa 3456: 1-35
 * Longino J. T. 2013. Ants of Nicargua. Consulted on 18 Jan 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/longinollama/reports/ants-of-nicaragua
 * Longino J. T., and R. K. Colwell. 2011. Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2(3): 16pp.
 * Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/