Labidus praedator sedulus

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia.

Nomenclature

 *  sedulus. Eciton (Labidus) sedulus Menozzi, 1926d: 30, fig. 2 (m.) COLOMBIA. Borgmeier, 1955: 112 (s.w.); Borgmeier, 1958: 198 (q.). Combination in Labidus: Borgmeier, 1953: 11. Currently subspecies of praedator: Borgmeier, 1953: 11.

Taxonomic Notes
Jack Longino: Borgmeier (1955) recognized two subspecies: Labidus praedator s. str. and Labidus praedator sedulus (Menozzi 1926). The type locality of praedator s. str. is Brazil, of sedulus Colombia. The male of praedator s. str. had the frons relatively flat and the mandibles acuminate; the male of sedulus had the frons more elevated and the tip of the mandible obliquely truncate and somewhat emarginate. The soldier of praedator s. str. had the rear margin of the head more or less flat, not deeply emarginate; the soldier of sedulus had the rear margin deeply emarginate. The material examined by Borgmeier showed overlapping or interdigitated ranges. He identified workers of praedator s. str. from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Guyana, throughout Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina; and males from Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. For sedulus, he identified workers from Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia; and males from Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Bolivia.

The males I have examined from Costa Rica have the emarginate mandibles of sedulus. The degree of emargination of the head of the soldier depends greatly on the size of the soldier, and I do not trust that character without a more quantitative assessment. Until variation is investigated more thoroughly, I prefer to refer to the Costa Rican material as praedator s. str. and to ignore sedulus until it is better defined.