Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2017)
Overview:
A cryptic inhabitant of forest floor leaf litter and rotten wood; wet forest of Central America.
Distribution:
(based on species list records)
Neotropical Region: Alajuela,
Americas,
Bocas del Toro,
Central America,
Cortés,
Costa Rica,
Ecuador,
Guanacaste,
Guatemala,
Heredia,
Honduras,
Limón,
Nicaragua,
Panama,
Pichincha,
Puntarenas,
Retalhuleu,
San José,
South America,
Zacapa
Distribution Notes:
Guatemala to Panama.
Biology:
Octostruma gymnogon is a montane species. It occurs mostly in mature cloud forest. On the Barva Transect in Costa Rica it shows a sharp elevationally parapatric distribution with
O. amrishi and is restricted to elevations above 400 m. Almost all collections are from Berlese and Winkler samples of sifted litter and rotten wood from the forest floor. Dealate queens and intercaste workers occasionally occur together with workers in litter samples. See additional comments under
O. balzani.
Identification:
Mandible with 8 teeth, tooth 1 a broad blunt lamella, strongly differentiated from tooth 2, teeth 2–5 acute, similar in shape, with denticles between them; teeth 5–8 forming an apical fork, with 5 and 8 large, 6 and 7 small partially confluent denticles (
O. balzani complex); face lacking erect setae on posterolateral margins of head (present in
O. balzani,
O. megabalzani, and
O. trithrix) and on the posteromedian margin (present in
O. amrishi); mesosomal dorsum lacking a pair of erect setae (present in
O. balzani,
O. megabalzani, and
O. trithrix); metanotal groove not impressed in profile view (impressed in
O. balzani and
O. megabalzani).
Comments:
The name refers to the lack of a spatulate seta on the posterolateral vertex margin.
Specimen Habitat Summary
Found most commonly in these habitats: 117 times found in montane wet forest, 25 times found in cloud forest, primary, near ridgetop, 14 times found in wet forest, 1 times found in wet mountain forest, 11 times found in mature wet forest, 7 times found in mesophyll forest, 4 times found in cloud forest, 3 times found in moist forest, 1 times found in wet premontane forest, 4 times found in cloud forest, primary, along steep ridge near peak, ...
Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 97 times hojarasca, 64 times ex sifted leaf litter, 2 times litter, 6 times suelo, 4 times at bait, 1 times ex sifted litter, 1 times forest litter, 1 times ex sifted leaf litter on ground, 1 times A lo largo del sendero hacia abajo., 1 times Wet forest. Ex sifted leaf litter., 2 times sifted litter, ...
Collected most commonly using these methods: 96 times Mini Winkler, 45 times MiniWinkler, 22 times Berlese, 24 times Winkler, 3 times MaxiWinkler, 4 times baiting, 1 times Davis sifter, 1 times flight intercept trap.
Elevations: collected from 500 - 1560 meters, 1036 meters average
Type specimens: holotype Octostruma gymnogon Longino 2013: casent0627379; paratype Octostruma gymnogon Longino 2013: casent0627380, jtlc000005383, jtlc000005390, lacment143374, lacment143375, lacment143379, lacment143380, inbiocri001281404, inbiocri001281422, inbiocri001282517
See something amiss? Send us an email.
Mexico
United States
India
Madagascar
Canada
Brazil
China
Greece
Spain
Australia
