Strumigenys bunki

Identification
Bolton (2000) - In general appearance bunki is very similar to Strumigenys creightoni (see the species identification section of creightoni for more discussion of comparative features) of the pulchella-group, and the two have frequently been found confused in collections. The diastema is always long (distinctly longer than basal tooth length) in creightoni, and the basal row of teeth numbers 4; of these the second tooth from the base is longer than the third. In bunki the diastema is shorter than the length of the basal tooth and there are 5 principal teeth in the basal mandibular row, of which the third tooth from the base is the longest, distinctly longer than the second.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States.



Nomenclature

 *  bunki. Smithistruma (Smithistruma) bunki Brown, 1950b: 41, pl. 3, figs. 2, 3 (w.) U.S.A. Brown, 1953g: 83 (q.). Combination in Pyramica: Bolton, 1999: 1673; in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 116. See also: Bolton, 2000: 125.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 2.0-2.2, HL 0.54-0.59, HW 0.37-0.39, CI 64-69, ML 0.09-0.11, MI 16-20, SL 0.26-0.29, SI 70-76, PW 0.24-0.26, AL 0.50-0.55 (10 measured).

Mandibles at full closure with a small basal gap; diastema shorter than length of basal tooth. Anterior clypeal margin transverse or its median section extremely feebly concave. Eye with 3-4 ommatidia in the longest row. Clypeal dorsum with small appressed spatulate to spoon-shaped hairs that are much smaller than those that fringe the lateral margins. Cephalic dorsum behind clypeus with larger broadly spatulate to spoon-shaped ground-pilosity, but entirely lacking finer more erect specialised hairs. Dorsolateral margin of head with a row of anteriorly curved spoon-shaped hairs, without freely projecting specialised hairs anywhere along the margin, without an apicoscrobal hair. Pronotal humeral hair varying from recurved and elongate-spatulate to almost filiform (this variation can be noted in a single series). Dorsal alitrunk with curved spatulate to spoon-shaped ground-pilosity but without simple standing hairs. First gastral tergite with fine flexuous to flagellate hairs. Hind basitarsus usually without flagellate hairs projecting from the dorsal (outer) surface, but occasionally a specimen with 1-2 such hairs present.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Holotype worker and paratype workers, U.S.A.: Mississippi, Landon (A. C. Cole); paratype workers, U.S.A.: Georgia, Savannah, 16.i.1949 (H. T. Vanderford); Louisiana, Slidell, Bayou Liberty (W.L. Brown); Florida, Putnam Co., Welaka (A. Van Pelt) [examined].