Tapinoma litorale cubaense

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Cuba, Greater Antilles.

Biology
Wheeler (1913) - I have taken several colonies of this variety in hollow twigs along the banks of the Rio de Hanabana and about fifteen miles from Bolondron, also in the Cienaga de Zapata. There is a single worker from Cayamas (E. A. Schwarz) in my collection. The workers of a single colony taken in a Tillandsia at Aguada de Pasajeros are distinctly larger, but can hardly be supposed to represent a distinct variety, since the workers of Tapinoma often vary considerably in size in different colonies of the same species (T. sessile erraticum, etc.)

Nomenclature

 *  cubaense. Tapinoma litorale var. cubaensis Wheeler, W.M. 1913b: 498 (w.) CUBA.

Worker
The worker differs from that of the typical Tapinoma litorale of tropical Florida and the Bahamas only in having longer antennae, the scapes reaching about twice their diameter beyond the posterior corners of the head,with the basal funicular joints slightly longer than broad.

Queen
In the female the upper surface of the body is uniformly dark brown, darker than in the female of the typical form and not variegated with yellow. The posterior borders of the gastric segments are only narrowly yellow and the body is slightly more pubescent and therefore more opaque.

Male
The male has the head and gaster black and the thorax dark brown, so that this sex is also much darker than the corresponding sex of litorale.