Species: Gnamptogenys strigata

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

Distribution:

Mexico to Colombia (Brown 1958, Lattke 1995). Costa Rica: widespread in wet forest between 500 and 2000m elevation, rare at lower elevations. Occurs from Cordillera de Guanacaste to Talamancas.

Biology:

Natural History:

This is the most common Gnamptogenys species above 500m elevation in wet forest leaf litter. It occurs at lower elevations (e.g. La Selva) but is less common there. It is frequently encountered foraging on the ground at night, and is common in samples of sifted leaf litter (Winkler samples). It nests in and under dead wood on the ground, under stones, and in soil. It may be polygynous: I observed a nest in Monteverde with two dealate queens. Observations of prey items include lepidopteran larvae, isopods, diptera (adults and larvae), and beetle larvae.

Nest observation from Guanacaste Province, Cerro Cacao: I discovered a nest in the soil of a steep bank at the side of a trail. Many workers were out foraging, and several workers were observed dragging a dead Camponotus albicoxus to the nest. I excavated the nest; it extended no more than 10cm horizontally back into the bank. There were several irregular galleries and chambers. One major chamber contained the queen.

References:

Brown, W. L., Jr. 1958. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. II. Tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 118:175-362.

Lattke, J. E. 1995. Revision of the ant genus Gnamptogenys in the New World (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 4:137-193.

Norton, E. 1868. Description of Mexican ants noticed in the American Naturalist, April 1868. Communications of the Essex Institute 6:1-10.

Taxon Page Author History

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 282 times found in montane wet forest, 198 times found in cloud forest, 178 times found in mesophyll forest, 99 times found in mature wet forest, 60 times found in mesophil forest, 50 times found in lowland wet forest, 34 times found in CES (700.350 GIS), 31 times found in ridgetop cloud forest, 20 times found in montane rainforest, 13 times found in wet forest, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 369 times MiniWinkler, 211 times Mini Winkler, 215 times Baiting, 34 times search, 81 times Winkler, 65 times MaxiWinkler, 29 times Berlese, 34 times Search & Berles, 13 times Malaise, 13 times flight intercept trap, 9 times pan trap, ...

Elevations: collected from 50 - 1930 meters, 1116 meters average

4 Specimens Imaged | View All 1245 Specimens for this species

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CASENT0217487

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CASENT0903838

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