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Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2017)

Distribution:

(based on species list records)
Nearctic Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North America, North Carolina, Nuevo León, South Carolina, Texas, United States, Washington, D.C.
Neotropical Region: Alajuela, Alta Verapaz, Americas, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Chiapas, Comayagua, Cortés, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guerrero, Heredia, Honduras, Jamaica, La Libertad, Lempira, Limón, Mexico, Oaxaca, Olancho, Petén, Puntarenas, Quintana Roo, Saint James, San José, Sinaloa, Sololá, South America, Tamaulipas, Veracruz

Distribution Notes:

Southeastern United States to Costa Rica; Jamaica.

Biology:

P. ejectus nests in dead twigs or stalks of woody and herbaceous plants. Collections have been made from the following plant genera: Carya, Cladium, Conostegia, Prosopis, Quercus, Rhus, Spilanthes, Vernonia, and Vitis. In southeastern United States alates have been collected in the months of March, June, July, and September. Three out of five nests which Ward (1985) dissected (from Florida, Texas, and Mexico) contained a single dealate female; the other two nests were queenless. In Florida some nests of this species are polygynous (R. W. Klein, pers. comm.).

Identification:

Worker:

• standing pilosity sparse, absent from mesonotum and propodeum
• head and gaster usually dark brown
• metanotal groove deep, wide
• dorsal face of propodeum shorter than declivitous face
• petiole and postpetiole slender (PVVI 0.40-0.52; PPVVI 0.93-1.25)

Taxonomic Notes:

The types of P. ejectus are labeled as coming from "Brazil?", but this is almost certainly a case of mislabeling.

References:

Ward, P. S. 1985. The Nearctic species of the genus Pseudomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Quaestiones Entomologicae 21: 209-246.

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 7 times found in montane wet forest, 3 times found in riparian woodland, 3 times found in tropical wet forest, 3 times found in forest/pasture edge, montane wet forest, 3 times found in 2nd growth forest, 3 times found in mesophil forest, 1 times found in Oak Hammock, 1 times found in pasture/cloud forest edge, 1 times found in pine flatwoods, 2 times found in grassy clearing in rain forest, ...

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 9 times beating vegetation, 4 times beating veg., 1 times ex dead twig of baccharis, 3 times Sobre Vegetacion, 0 times black light, 1 times in dead grape vine, 2 times shrubs, 2 times shallow pond, in dead stem Cephalanthus, 0 times on foliage of Byttneria aculeata, Jacquin, 1 times at bait, 2 times nest in 4mm dia. dead stem, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods: 18 times search, 13 times Beating, 6 times sweeping, 3 times sweep net, 4 times Malaise, 0 times black light, 1 times baiting, 1 times Red de golpeo, 1 times Winkler, 1 times yellow pan trap, 1 times Dead weed stem, ...

Elevations: collected from 3 - 1580 meters, 496 meters average

Type specimens: Lectotype of Pseudomyrmex ejectus: casent0902894

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