Strumigenys ohioensis

An inhabitant of the soil cover and upper soil layers, often utilizing such shelters as are afforded by small chips and twigs lying on, or wood partly buried in, the soil (Brown 1953).

Identification
Bolton (2000) – A member of the Strumigenys ohioensis-group.

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



Biology
Wesson and Wesson (1939) from their description of the synonymized S. manni: 32 workers obtained by sifting dirt and humus in a small cedar grove (western Pike County, Ohio) located on the gently sloping base of a hill. Mingled with the cedars were a few small oaks and an occasional maple sapling. The soil was a black clay from 5 to 8 cm deep above the limestone bed rock. The ground was shaded by cedar and small oak trees and was covered with a rather thick, loose humus abounding with springtails.

Brown (1964) - I found this species rather common in Giant City State Park, and at nearby Grassy Lake, near Carbondale in southern Illinois, nesting in rotten logs or rotten chips in the leaf litter in rich hardwood forest on August 11 and 12, 1958. Males, but no females with wings, were still present in some nests; presumably the females had all already flown. Athens, Georgia, in tree-crotch hole. Brown County, Indiana, a worker from mud and thin litter under red cedar at the edge of bottomland flood forest near the entrance to the State Park. Howardsville, New Jersey, a worker from a small rotten log in a thicket, oak grove on white sand.

Nomenclature

 *  ohioensis. Strumigenys ohioensis Kennedy & Schramm, 1933: 98, figs. 1, 2 (w.) U.S.A. Brown, 1953g: 87 (q.m.). Combination in S. (Cephaloxys): Wesson, L.G. & Wesson, R.G., 1939: 108; in S. (Trichoscapa): Smith, M.R., 1947f: 587; Creighton, 1950a: 308; in Smithistruma: Smith, M.R.1951a: 828; Brown, 1953g: 87; in Pyramica: Bolton, 1999: 1673; in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 125. Senior synonym of manni: Smith, M.R. 1951a: 828; Brown, 1953g: 87. See also: Bolton, 2000: 109.
 * manni. Strumigenys (Cephaloxys) manni Wesson, L.G. & Wesson, R.G., 1939: 97, pl. 3, fig. 3 (w.) U.S.A. Combination in S. (Trichoscapa): Smith, M.R., 1947f: 587; Creighton, 1950a: 306. Junior synonym of ohioensis: Smith, M.R. 1951a: 828; Brown, 1953g: 87.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 2.3-2.5, HL 0.59-0.65, HW 0.43-0.46, CI 69-74, ML 0.13-0.15, MI 21-25, SL 0.28-0.34, SI 67-74, PW 0.26-0.30, AL 0.58-0.66 (20 measured).

Mandibular teeth strong and conspicuous, the first tooth following the basal lamella without a diastema. Anterior clypeal margin appearing transverse but at higher magnifications seen to be very shallowly convex. Lateral margins of clypeus with narrowly spatulate projecting hairs that are J-shaped and distinctly curved posteriorly; hairs on anterior clypeal margin not curved away from midline. Dorsum of clypeus with narrowly spatulate curved hairs. Apicoscrobal hair fine, curved filiform to sub flagellate, not strongly distinguished from, nor much longer than, the other dorsolateral marginal pilosity. Leading edge of scape with hairs of the secondary row almost as long and strongly developed as those of the primary row, but more strongly curved. All hairs of the secondary row curve strongly toward the apex of the scape; most hairs of the primary row are similarly oriented but near the subbasal bend one or two of the longest hairs are shallowly curved (at least in the apical third) toward the base of the scape. Cephalic ground-pilosity extremely narrowly spatulate. Dorsal alitrunk with fine curved hairs, some longer and finer than others but lacking strikingly elongate flagellate hairs. Dorsal (outer) surface of hind basitarsus with a long flagellate hair; no such hair on the tibia.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Holotype worker and paratype worker, U.S.A. Ohio, Meigs Co., Tuppers Plains (M. M. Schramm) [not seen].