Current View: All Antweb

Cite this page

View in AntCat

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2021)

// Distribution

Distribution:

  Geographic regions (According to curated Geolocale/Taxon lists):
    Americas: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guyana, Nicaragua, Peru, Suriname
  Biogeographic regions (According to curated Bioregion/Taxon lists):
    Neotropical

Distribution Notes:

Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia. Costa Rica: Atlantic lowland rainforest.

Biology:

Natural History:

This species is extremely rare and nothing is known of its biology. Brown (1978) reported museum specimens from scattered localities in South America, stating it was relatively rare in collections. Three workers are known from Costa Rica, all from one fogging sample. The specimens came from one of the Project ALAS fogging samples, a Minquartia guianensis tree (Olacaceae), from La Selva Biological Station in the Atlantic lowlands.

It is curious how a species, especially one this large, can be so rare in collections. In spite of much myrmecological work in Central America in the past century, and an intensive inventory of ants at La Selva, only the three workers have been encountered. Over 50 trees have been fogged at La Selva, and A. bispinosus occurred in only one. Perhaps there is some aspect of its nesting biology that makes it difficult to sample.

References:

Brown, W. L., Jr. 1978. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. Part VI. Ponerinae, tribe Ponerini, subtribe Odontomachiti. Section B. Genus Anochetus and bibliography. Studia Entomol. 20:549-652.

Smith, F. 1858. Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. 6. Formicidae. , London. 216 pp.

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 1 times found in wet forest, 1 times found in lowland wet forest, 2 times found in tropical wet forest, 1 times found in rainforest, 1 times found in successional vegetation, 1 times found in WhiteSand.

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 1 times nocturnal foragers, 1 times canopy fogging, 1 times Malaise trap, 1 times LeafLitter, 1 times in tree, 1 times ground forager, 1 times beating vegetation.

Collected most commonly using these methods: 1 times search, 1 times fogging, 1 times Malaise, 1 times beating, 1 times hand collected, 1 times Pitfall72h.

Elevations: collected from 10 - 750 meters, 230 meters average

Collect Date Range: collected between 1920-07-01 and 2018-08-22

Type specimens: Holotype of Anochetus bispinosus: casent0902432

See something amiss? Send us an email.