Species: Temnothorax subditivus   (Wheeler, 1903) 

Current Valid Name:

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2023)

Distribution:

Distribution Notes:

USA (Texas) to Colombia. Costa Rica: northwestern lowlands.

Biology:

Temnothorax subditivus occurs in seasonally dry habitats. It inhabits scrubby vegetation and roadsides, nesting in small dead twigs or other dead plant cavities. Colonies are monogynous.

I have collected this species four times in Costa Rica, as follows:

Santa Rosa National Park, ridge between Playa Naranjo and Nancite: xeric scrub on rocky ridge; nest in dead branch; branch was dry and brittle.

Road from PanAmerican Highway to Monteverde, La Pita to Guacimal (below 500m elevation): three different collections from scrubby roadside vegetation, sweep samples and strays from tree trunks.

I also have collected the species in the Santa Marta region of Colombia. I found a small, monogynous colony under loose bark on a 2-3cm dia dead branch. The area of the nest was no more than 1x2cm. Crematogaster carinata were nesting throughout the same dead branch.

Notes:

Within Costa Rica there is variation in the strength of sculpture on the face and mesosoma. At the two extremes of variation the face may have a broad medial and posterior shiny portion, or it may be almost entirely punctatorugose.

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 6 times found in tropical dry forest, 1 times found in mesic woodland, 1 times found in along river bank, 3 times found in oak maple woodland, 3 times found in roadside vegetation, 3 times found in live oak woodland, 2 times found in tropical dry scrub, 1 times found in dry thorn scrub, 2 times found in roadside edge, 1 times found in Pastures and scrubby second growth vegetation, ...

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 11 times ex sifted leaf litter, 4 times at bait, 1 times in dead stems Arundo donax, 1 times nest in dead stick, 1 times Xeric scrub on rocky ridge. Nest in dead branch <.5m high. Branch was dry and br, 1 times hollow twig, 2 times ex Oneidium splendidum, 2 times ex dead twig of undet tree, 2 times dead branch, 1 times nest under bark flap on dead branch, 1 times nest in dead branch, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods: 9 times Winkler, 6 times hand collecting, 2 times maxiWinkler, 4 times baiting, 1 times Colony Collection, 1 times bait, 1 times Berlese funnel, 1 times sweep, 2 times direct collection, 1 times hand collected, 1 times search, ...

Elevations: collected from 5 - 3180 meters, 323 meters average

Collect Date Range: collected between 1903-05-15 00:00:00.0 and 2017-05-11 00:00:00.0

Type specimens: lectotype of Macromischa flavitaris (top) paralectotype of Macromischa flavitaris (bottom): mczent00016368; lectotype of Macromischa subditiva (middle) paralectotypes of Macromischa subditiva (top and bottom): mczent00016371; paralectotypes of Macromischa flavitarsis: lacment323232, mczent00534455, mczent00534456, usnment00529208, usnment00921847, usnment00921848; paralectotypes of Macromischa subditiva: mczent00578573, mczent00578574; syntype of Temnothorax subditivus: casent0913003