Solenopsis striata

Workers of S. striata were collected in Berlese extraction litter samples from adjacent to a sphagnum bog, lowland forest, mixed oak, ridge forest, montane hardwood, montane transitional and wet montane cloud forests in Panama and Costa Rica at 600-1175 m.

Identification
A New World thief ant that is a member of the molesta species complex.

Pacheco and Mackay (2013) – Worker - The worker is golden yellow. The funicular segments are 0.120 mm in total length. The eye is small with 3-5 ommatidia. The mesopleuron and metapleuron are completely horizontally striated. The petiolar peduncle has a small tooth ventrally.

The horizontally striated mesopleuron will separate S. striata from most others in the Solenopsis molesta species complex, including Solenopsis laeviceps (Belize to Brazil), in which the mesopleuron is nearly completely smooth and shiny. Solenopsis striata is also similar to Solenopsis joergenseni (Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil) but can be separated as S. striata has a smaller eye composed of 3-5 ommatidia, compared to 8-10 ommatidia for S. joergenseni.

Keys

 * Key to New World Solenopsis Species Complexes
 * Key to Solenopsis molesta species complex / Clave a las obreras del complejo Solenopsis molesta

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama.

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  striata. Solenopsis striata Pacheco & Mackay, 2013: 301, figs. 278-279, map 68 (w.) COSTA RICA.

Worker
Measurements (n=5). TL 1.44-1.62 (1.51); HL 0.420-0.426 (0.421); HW 0.360-0.390 (0.369); EL 0.030-0.036 (0.035); ED 0.030; SL 0.288-0.324 (0.313); FSL 0.120-0.132 (0.126); CI 84.5-92.9 (87.8); SI 68.6-77.1 (74.4); PL 0.078-0.084 (0.082); PW 0.090-0.126 (0.113); PI 66.7-86.7 (73.3); PPL 0.102-0.108 (0.106); PPW 0.120-0.144 (0.131); PPI 70.8-90.0 (81.3); WL 0.324-0.342 (0.330); PSL 0.030; PSW 0.030.

Small; concolorous golden yellow; head subquadrate, slightly longer than broad, sides of head convex, posterior border straight; lateral clypeal teeth well developed, extralateral teeth developed as only slightly swollen areas; scape nearly reaching posterior lateral corner of head; eyes small, 3-5 ommatidia; notopropodeal suture deeply depressed; punctures on head small, only slightly larger in diameter than hairs arising from them, all surfaces smooth and glossy, except for mesopleuron and metapleuron, which are latitudinally striated (at least lower half); petiole wider than postpetiole viewed laterally; petiolar node rounded, peduncle with small tooth ventrally; postpetiolar node oval, lacking tooth or flange ventrally.

Abundantly hairy with yellow pilosity; erect and suberect hairs abundant on most surfaces, including scapes and tibiae; longest hairs on mesosoma 0.012 mm; hairs on petiole, postpetiole and gaster curve posteriorly.

Type Material
Holotype worker and 61 paratype workers (,, , , , MCZC, , , ), Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Pitilla Field Station, 600 - 1175m, 2-v-1996, 14-ii-1998, R. Anderson #' s 17679, 17691, 17692, 17694, 17715, 17721, 17722, 17741.

Etymology
From Latin, stria for furrow, referring to the sculpture on the lower mesopleuron and metapleuron.