Strumigenys laevinasis

Strumigenys laevinasis most often inhabits heavily canopied forest with deep litter accumulation in eastern forests and forest remnants in the western portion of their range. This species is often nests in rotting logs and in pockets of leaf litter. (Booher, 2021) Brown (1964) notes a collection from Asheville, North Carolina, from oak-hardwood leaf mold, and from Catawaba Co. in a oak-beech-hardwood forest in a stream ravine. In addition, he reports a dealate female coming from Dauphin Island, Alabama, in a pine tree-crotch hole (W. Suter leg.).

Identification
Bolton (2000) - A member of the clypeata group.

Booher (2021) - Strumigenys laevinasis is morphologically most similar to Strumigenys brevisetosa but can be easily separated by the shape of the extremely fine setae on the surface of the clypeus. These setae are inclined anteriorly at their base and curve evenly along their midlength so that their apices point upward or posteriorly. Strumigenys laevinasis is less frequently collected than S. brevisetosa but also has a mostly eastern range overlapping almost completely with its close relative. It is suspected that S. laevinasis and S. brevisetosa hybridize infrequently over their range which has led to some taxonomic confusion (Booher 2019). There are two confirmed collections from Texas, one from Houston County in Big Slough State Park, and one from Walker County, Huntsville State Park (MacKay & Anderson 1993; Bolton 2000).

Distribution
USA; widespread in eastern USA from Florida to Maryland and west to Missouri; in western USA occurs in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas (Booher, 2021).

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

Nomenclature

 *  laevinasis. Strumigenys (Cephaloxys) clypeata var. laevinasis Smith, M.R. 1931c: 701, pl. 3, fig. 11 (w.) U.S.A. Brown, 1953g: 62 (q.). Combination in S. (Trichoscapa): Smith, M.R., 1947f: 587; Creighton, 1950a: 308; in Smithistruma: Smith, M.R., 1951a: 827; Brown, 1953g: 61; in Pyramica: Bolton, 1999: 1673. Subspecies of pilinasis: Creighton, 1950a: 308. Raised to species: Brown, 1953g: 61; in Strumigenys: Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2007: 122. See also: Bolton, 2000: 105.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 2.2-2.5, HL 0.61-0.67, HW 0.42-0.46, CI 67-70, ML 0.10-0.13, MI 16-21, SL 0.30-0.36, SI 72-80, PW 0.26-0.30, AL 0.62-0.68 (12 measured).

Very close to Strumigenys pilinasis and matching all features mentioned there except for clypeal pilosity, which here is much longer and finer. Hairs on clypeal dorsum fine and filiform, acute apically; in full-face view hairs directed anteriorly and away from the midline. In profile hairs on posteromedian area (i .e. in from the marginal zones) distinctly elevated, inclined anteriorly or sweeping forward and upward ; those closer to the margins curved toward the adjacent margin. In full-face view hairs projecting from lateral clypeal margins directed anterolaterally or with an extremely feeble posterior curvature; these hairs are not, or only fractionally, longer than those that arise mid-dorsally.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Lectotype worker (by designation of Brown, 1 953a: 62) and paralectotype workers, U.S.A. : Mississippi, Louisville, 1 5. v. 1930 (M.R. Smith) [examined].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Brown W. L. 1964. The ant genus Smithistruma: a first supplement to the world revision (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 89: 183-200.
 * Brown W. L., Jr. 1953. Revisionary studies in the ant tribe Dacetini. Am. Midl. Nat. 50: 1-137.
 * Deyrup M., C. Johnson, G. C. Wheeler, J. Wheeler. 1989. A preliminary list of the ants of Florida. Florida Entomologist 72: 91-101
 * Deyrup, M. 2003. An updated list of Florida ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Florida Entomologist 86(1):43-48.
 * Dubois, M.B. and W.E. Laberge. 1988. An Annotated list of the ants of Illionois. pages 133-156 in Advances in Myrmecology, J. Trager
 * Forster J.A. 2005. The Ants (hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alabama. Master of Science, Auburn University. 242 pages.
 * Ivanov, K. 2019. The ants of Ohio (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): an updated checklist. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 70: 65–87.
 * Ivanov K., L. Hightower, S. T. Dash, and J. B. Keiper. 2019. 150 years in the making: first comprehensive list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Virginia, USA. Zootaxa 4554 (2): 532–560.
 * MacGown J. A., J. G. Hill, R. L. Brown, T. L. Schiefer, J. G. Lewis. 2012. Ant diversity at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Oktibbeha, Noxubee, and Winston Counties, Mississippi. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Bulletin 1197: 1-30
 * MacGown J. A., J. G. Hill, and R. L. Brown. 2010.  Native and exotic ant in Mississippi state parks.  Proceedings:  Imported Fire Ant Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, March 24-26, 2008: 74-80.
 * MacGown, J. 2011. Ants of Tennessee (species list). Accessed 21 April 2011
 * MacGown, J.A and J.A. Forster. 2005. A preliminary list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Alabama, U.S.A. Entomological News 116(2):61-74
 * MacGown, J.A. and JV.G. Hill. Ants of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee and North Carolina).
 * MacGown, J.A., J.G. Hill, R.L. Brown and T.L. 2009. Ant Diversity at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Oktibbeha, Noxubee, and Winston Counties, Mississippi Report #2009-01. Schiefer. 2009.
 * MacKay W. P. and Anderson R. S. 1993. New distributional records for the ant genus Smithistruma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in southern United States. The Southwestern Naturalist 38: 388-389
 * Macgown J. A., S. Y. Wang, J. G. Hill, and R. J. Whitehouse. 2017. A List of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Collected During the 2017 William H. Cross Expedition to the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas with New State Records. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 143(4): 735-740.
 * O'Keefe S. T., J. L. Cook, T. Dudek, D. F. Wunneburger, M. D. Guzman, R. N. Coulson, and S. B. Vinson. 2000. The Distribution of Texas Ants. The Southwestern Entomologist 22: 1-92.