Octostruma rugiferoides

The types were collected by E. O. Wilson in leaf litter of dry, rocky, tropical evergreen forest. New material collected by the LLAMA project was in scrubby wet forest of eastern Chiapas and the seasonal evergreen forests of the Tikal region in Guatemala. All specimens were from Winkler samples of sifted leaf litter from the forest floor. (Longino 2013)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Guatemala, Mexico.

Nomenclature

 *  rugiferoides. Octostruma rugiferoides Brown & Kempf, 1960: 200, fig. 20 (w.) MEXICO.

Worker
Longino (2013) - The description of Brown and Kempf is supplemented with these new measurements: HW 0.54–0.57, HL 0.53–0.54, WL 0.52–0.55, CI 103–105 (n=3).

Queen
Longino (2013) - HW 0.59, HL 0.57, WL 0.68, CI 103 (n=1). Posterior margin of head evenly rounded; labrum, mandible, anterior clypeal margin, scape, antennal scrobe similar to worker; clypeus smooth, delimited from frons by faint clypeal suture; concave frons anterior to facial arc sublucid, very faintly rugulose; facial arc crenulate; sculpture posterior to arc irregularly rugulose, like worker; face with 10 erect setae distributed evenly on facial arc, 6 setae on posterior margin of head; ocelli distinct; compound eye multifaceted, about 6 ommatidia in longest row.

Mesosoma with queen-typical alar sclerites; pronotum mostly foveolate, with a few rugulae on humeri; mesoscutum and scutellum with faint foveolation overlain by irregular longitudinal rugae; anepisternum and katepisternum separated by strong sulcus; mesopleuron and side of propodeum foveolate; posterodorsal propodeum forming a single concave face, faintly foveolate; propodeal spines low, obtuse, laminar, continuous with an infradental lamella; on single available queen, pronotum with 2 erect setae, mesoscutum with 6, axilla with 1, scutellum with 2, postpetiole with 3, first gastral tergite with about 24.

Type Material
Holotype worker: Mexico, Veracruz: Pueblo Nuevo, near Tetzonapa, 13 Aug 1953, in leaf litter of dry, rocky, tropical evergreen forest (E. O. Wilson) ] (examined); paratype worker: same data as holotype but 7 Aug 1953.

Determination Clarification
Longino (2013) - Palacio (1997) reports Octostruma rugiferoides for Colombia, but clearly meant Octostruma rugifera, because he describes the species as occurring in Brazil and Argentina, and gives the author as (Mayr 1887).