Species: Apterostigma auriculatum

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

Distribution:

Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Trinidad (type locality), Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica. Costa Rica: Atlantic lowlands.

Biology:

Natural History:

Apterostigma auriculatum is widespread in South America (Lattke 1997) and appears to reach its northern limit in Costa Rica. I know this species from two Costa Rican localities: La Selva Biological Station and Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve. Both are lowland rainforest sites, about 100m elevation. At Hitoy Cerere, I found a dealate queen while collecting at night. At La Selva, Ted Schultz found a colony (#290692-01) between leaves in leaf litter on the forest floor. The fungus nest was a sponge cake-like disc between the leaves, with no envelope. In a baiting study at La Selva, Nichole Barger collected workers at a honey/crisco bait.

It is curious that this species has not been collected in Winkler samples of sifted leaf litter, in spite of intensive sampling effort at La Selva and elsewhere in Costa Rica.

Notes:

I formerly called this morphospecies JTL-016.

References:

Lattke, J. E. 1997. Revisi—n del gŽnero Apterostigma Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Arq. Zool. (S‹o Paulo) 34:121-221.

Taxon Page Author History

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 14 times found in mature wet forest, 4 times found in 2º lowland rainforest, 3 times found in lowland rainforest, 2 times found in tropical rainforest, 1 times found in CCL 550, 1 times found in mature and second growth wet forest

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 16 times MiniWinkler, 2 times baiting, 2 times MaxiWinkler, 2 times Mini Winkler, 2 times Search, 1 times Lure/Bait

Elevations: collected from 30 - 300 meters, 86 meters average

2 Specimens Imaged | View All 35 Specimens for this species

CASENT0613604

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INBIOCRI001284064

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