Strumigenys choii

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
Lyu (2007) - Strumigenys choii is similar to Strumigenys lewisi, but can be separated based on the presence of spatulate hairs on the head, antennal scapes, alitrunk, pedicel, legs, gaster, as opposed to the simple long hairs that occur in S. lewisi. Moreover, the area on the side of the pronotum in S. choii is smooth, while it is areolate in S. lewisi.

Strumigenys choii belongs to the Strumigenys godeffroyi group but can be distinguished from other species of this group based on the presence of the spatulate hairs on body and a smooth region on pronotum and propodeum.

Lubertazzi (2017, Antwiki, unpublished): Based on the above associations, the species is provisionally placed in the godeffroyi complex of the Strumigenys godeffroyi group

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Republic of Korea.

Nomenclature

 *  choii. Strumigenys choii Lyu, 2007: 117, figs. 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A (w.) KOREA.

Worker
n=29. Total Length 3.30 (2.85-3.60); Head Length 0.62 (0.57-0.67), Head Width 0.49 (0.46-0.52); Cephalic Index 79.19 (73.42-85.55)%; Scape Length 0.45 (0.42-0.49); Scape Index 92.08 (85.77-98.74)%; Alitrunk Length 0.75 (0.71-0.80); Propodeum Width 0.20 (0.18-0.23); Petiole Length 0.39 (0.343-0.42); Petiole Height 0.20 (0.19-0.22); Petiole Width 0.18 (0.16-0.19); Postpetiole Length 0.19 (0.17-0.22); Postpetiole Height 0.22 (0.21-0.24); Postpetiole Width 0.25 (0.23-0.26).

Antennae 6-segmented, with the funicular segment separated from a segmented apical club by two small segments. Antennal scape with spatulate hairs in 3 rows. Surface of head with areolae. One apically forked mandible with no distinct intercalary teeth or denticles and one mandible with a smooth and shiny surface that contains 1 preapical tooth. Compound eyes with 12 ommatidia at the largest width. Antennal scape not reacing the occiput. Dorsum of the pronotum with spatulate hairs and a smooth, shiny surface. Dorsum of the mesonotum with spatulate hairs and a weakly aerolate surface. Propodeal spines of moderate length, with mostly smooth sides and dorsum. Propodeal declivity with lamella and weakly expressed propodeal spines. Smooth dorsum of the petiolar node with spatulate hairs. Small petiole with a postlateral spongiform love that is rotundate in the lateral view and contains a weakly areolate stalk approximately 2/3 the length of the petiole. Smooth postpetiolar node dorsum and an anterior subpostpetiolar spongiform typical for Strumigenys workers. The posterior subpostpetiolar spongiform approximately ½ the height of the postpetiole. The costae of the gaster is coarse, however the remaining portions of the gaster are smooth and shiny.

Spatulate hairs present on head, scapes, alitrunk, legs, petiole, postpetiole, and gaster. Hairs on head erect to suberect. Hairs on venter of head suberect to appressed. Hairs on clypeus erect to suberect. Setae on mandible suberect to decumbent. Hairs on scape decumbent. Hairs on funiculus appressed. Hairs on alitrunk decumbent to suberect. Hair son legs mostly suberect to appressed. Each flagellate hair on side of the pronotum long. Hairs on anterior surface of petiolar node stiff, straight, short and appressed, whereas hairs on dorsum of petiolar node spatulate, stiff and short and those on posterior surface and side of petiolar node decumbent to appressed. Hairs on venter of petiole decumbent. Hairs on postpetiole spatulate, stiff and decumbent to suberect on all surfaces, becoming more suberect on the anterior surface of node. Hairs on gaster spatulate, stiff, short and erect to suberect. Body predominantly brown except alitrunk and appendages as well as of the gaster dark brown. Compound eyes black and setae yellow.

Type Material
Holotype: worker, Is. Soheuksan-do, 25 April 1994 (BM Choi), housed at Sangji University, Wonju, South Korea (SJU), with a red, partially handwritten label that read, “Strumigenys choii Holotype”. Paratypes: 28 w, same data as the holotype, distributed as follows: 21 and Sangji University, Wonju, South Korea (SJU); 3 at the Natural History Museum, London, UK (BMNH); 2 at the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA ; 2 at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Each paratype worker had a yellow, partially handwritten label that read: “Strumigenys choii Paratype”.

Etymology
The new species, S. choii, is named in honor of the Korean myrmecologist, Dr. Byoung Moon Choi, who has studied Korean ants for 20 years and collected the only known colony of this species.