Megalomyrmex foreli

This species occurs in moist to wet forest habitats, in mature and second growth forest. It typically occurs in mountainous regions; in Costa Rica collections are from 100–1200 m elevation. Workers are large, conspicuous ants that may be found foraging on the ground or on low vegetation. They are attracted to extrafloral nectaries and will tend Hemiptera for honeydew.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama.

Biology
This species occurs in moist to wet forest habitats, in mature and second growth forest. It typically occurs in mountainous regions; in Costa Rica collections are from 100–1200 m elevation. Workers are large, conspicuous ants that may be found foraging on the ground or on low vegetation. They are attracted to extrafloral nectaries and will tend Hemiptera for honeydew. In Central America, M. foreli is known from Costa Rica, where it is not common. I have collected foreli in the central cordilleras and on the Osa Peninsula. Workers can be found on the ground and low vegetation as diurnal or nocturnal foragers. Males come to lights. On the Osa, I encountered them in the hilly interior areas, and not in coastal areas. Workers can accumulate on sources of extrafloral nectar; I once observed 15 workers together on one Costus inflorescence. I observed a colony at the El Ceibo site on the Barva Transect in Braulio Carrillo National Park. It was in the understory of mature wet forest at night. I saw active workers on a large liana stem and discovered that there were cavities in the stem. I saw two entrance holes in the liana, with workers visible inside, and another entrance hole in the ground at the side of the liana. The workers were aggressive, readily attacking my fingers when disturbed. One of the upper entrance holes was concealed by a small aroid with basket roots. There was carton construction around the aroid roots, possibly made by the Megalomyrmex. The aroid also covered two large Margarodidae being tended by workers. Penny Gullan identified them as immature females of the subfamily Monophlebinae, probably tribe Llaveiini. Specimens from Colombia bear labels "Cacao - associated with membracids Horiola picta (Coquebert)," and "arboles de cacao" (reported in Brandão 1990). Jones et al. (1999) studied the venom alkaloids of M. foreli (= M. latreillei) workers collected in Ecuador

Nomenclature

 *  foreli. Megalomyrmex foreli Emery, 1890b: 46, pl. 5, fig. 3 (w.) COSTA RICA. [Also described as new by Emery, 1894k: 53.] Forel, 1899c: 58 (m.). Senior synonym of latreillei: Brandão, 2003: 152. See also: Brandão, 1990: 434.
 * latreillei. Megalomyrmex latreillei Emery, 1890b: 47 (footnote), pl. 5, fig. 4 (w.) (diagnosis in key) PERU. Brandão, 1990: 436 (m.). Junior synonym of foreli: Brandão, 2003: 152.