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Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2017)

Overview:

A cryptic inhabitant of forest floor leaf litter and rotten wood; in lowland forests of Central America and Colombia.

Distribution:

(based on species list records)
Neotropical Region: Americas, Atlántida, Bocas del Toro, Cartago, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Heredia, Honduras, Izabal, Panama, Petén, Puntarenas, South America

Distribution Notes:

Guatemala to Colombia.

Biology:

Octostruma obtusidens is a moderately abundant lowland species. All Central American records are from sea level to 800 m. It occurs in mature to highly disturbed rainforest and in seasonal moist forest. Most collections are from Berlese and Winkler samples of sifted litter and rotten wood from the forest floor. In quantitative 1 m2 litter plot samples, it can occur in up to 11% of samples. Dealate queens are occasionally found together with workers in litter samples. One nest was observed at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. A colony occurred in a 2–3 cm diameter nest in a soil cavity beneath a rotting palm trunk. The colony was polygynous, with at least 4 dealate queens. The nest contained an egg of Phasmatodea.

Identification:

Face lacking transverse arcuate carina; basal five teeth of mandible bluntly rounded; face sculpture foveolate with at most faint longitudinal rugulae (longitudinally rugose on O. excertirugis); ground pilosity curved, projecting from surface; first gastral tergite punctate over entire surface (punctate on anterior half, fading to nearly smooth and shining posteriorly on O. excertirugis).

Comments:

All material examined in Longino (2013) was from Central America with the exception of a single worker from MCZC, labeled simply "Bogota, Luis Maria Murillo." It did not differ in any substantial way from Central American material.

The name refers to the blunt teeth on the mandible.

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 2 times found in wet forest, 19 times found in tropical moist forest, 11 times found in 2º lowland tropical rainforest, 5 times found in 2º lowland rainforest, 1 times found in CCL, 1 times found in secondary rain forest, 1 times found in tropical wet forest, 1 times found in tropical rainforest, 1 times found in 2º tropical rainforest, 1 times found in lowland rainforest, ...

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 40 times ex sifted leaf litter, 1 times nest under dead wood, 1 times Hojarasca, 1 times sifted soil/litter, at base of buttress, 1 times in soil, 1 times All ants from Louisa Stark (OTS 89-1 student) study; litter and ground-nesting a, 1 times Wet forest. Ex sifted leaf litter..

Collected most commonly using these methods: 25 times MiniWinkler, 2 times search, 13 times MaxiWinkler, 3 times Winkler, 1 times Berlese, 1 times Night MiniWinkler.

Elevations: collected from 10 - 800 meters, 170 meters average

Type specimens: holotype Octostruma obtusidens Longino 2013: casent0629827; paratype Octostruma obtusidens Longino 2013: casent0627385, casent0629813, casent0629814, casent0629815, casent0629816, casent0629817, casent0629818, casent0629819, casent0629820, casent0629821, casent0629822, casent0629823, casent0629824, casent0629825, casent0629826

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