Strumigenys tumida

The dozen or so known records of this species are all from forest habitats and, when noted, were found in litter samples.

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the signeae complex in the Strumigenys godeffroyi-group. Immediately diagnostic of tumida is its very swollen postpetiole disc, reminiscent of the condition seen in the Neotropical godmani. See notes under Strumigenys mailei.

Sarnat and Economo (2012) - Strumigenys tumida belongs to the signeae complex, and can be distinguished by other species in that group by the extremely swollen postpetiole, which is conspicuously twice as broad as the petiole in dorsal view. See the identification notes under Strumigenys mailei for additional discussion of the Fijian members of the signeae complex.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Fiji.

Nomenclature

 * wheeleri. Strumigenys wheeleri Mann, 1921: 466, fig. 24 (w.q.) FIJI IS. [Junior secondary homonym of Epitritus wheeleri Donisthorpe, above.] Replacement name: tumida Bolton, 2000: 830.
 *  tumida. Strumigenys tumida Bolton, 2000: 830. Replacement name for Strumigenys wheeleri Mann, 1921: 466. [Junior secondary homonym of Epitritus wheeleri Donisthorpe, 1916a: 121 (now in Strumigenys).]

Worker
TL 3.8, HL 1.02, HW 0.65-0.69, CI 64-68, ML 0.44, MI 43, SL 0.66, SI 96-102, PW 0.44-0.46, AL 1.05-1.08 (2 measured). Preapical tooth on mandible shorter than maximum width of mandible. Dorsolateral margin of head with 3-4 freely dorsolaterally projecting short stiff simple hairs, without flagellate hairs. Cephalic dorsum with a pair of short erect hairs near highest point of vertex and a transverse row of 6 similar hairs along the occipital margin. Dorsum of head reticulate-punctate, overlaid by weak reticulate-rugulose sculpture posteriorly. Apical antennomere spindle-shaped, slender and narrowed basally. Scrobe vestigial behind level of eye, merely a flattening of the surface, not concave and without sharply defined margins. Entire alitrunk, dorsally and laterally, reticulate-punctate, or at most with a smooth patch on katepistemum; with a few weak rugulae dorsolaterally and laterally on pronotum. Pronotal humeral hair short and stiff, slightly curved; pronotal dorsum with a pair of short erect hairs between the humeral pair and with 3 similar pairs on the mesonotum. First gastral tergite with short stiff erect simple hairs only. Dorsal surfaces of femora, tibiae and basitarsi without long erect freely projecting filiform or flagellate hairs. Propodeal teeth short, triangular and acute; declivity with a carina but not lamellate. Petiole node in dorsal view longer than broad; lateral spongiform lobes of petiole very short, restricted to posterolateral angles. Petiole in profile subclaviform, the node with a long, low shallowly convex dorsum. Disc of postpetiole densely and very sharply reticulate-punctate, strikingly swollen, its maximum length ca 0.32, width ca 0.45; in dorsal view spongiform tissue does not project beyond lateral outline of disc. Ventral spongiform lobe of postpetiole massive, with a pocket in its outer face; base of first gastral sternite without trace of spongiform tissue. Basigastral costulae extend about one-third length of tergite and slope from the base obliquely toward the midline.

Type Material
Syntype workers and queen, FIJI IS: Viti Levu, Nadarivatu (W. M. Mann) [examined].

Determination Clarifications
The species identified as Strumigenys wheeleri Mann (now Strumigenys tumida) by Dlussky (1993) is properly referred to Strumigenys daithma (see there).