Mexico
United States
IndiaTo cite this page, please use the following:
· For print: Citation: AntWeb. Version 8.95.1. California Academy of Science, online at https://www.antweb.org. Accessed .
· For web:
Taxonomic history
French Guiana, Costa Rica. Costa Rica: Atlantic slope to 600m.
This infrequently encountered species inhabits mature lowland rainforest. I have collected it in several Winkler samples of sifted litter from the forest floor, at various sites in the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica. But at La Selva Biological Station it has also been collected in fogging samples and Malaise traps. Mary Cornelius, an OTS student, found a nest in a leaf domatium of the ant-plant Tococa.
Fig. 1, Table 1
Wasmannia scrobifera KempfHNS, 1961: 512, figs. 14, 15. Holotype worker: Poeroe man kemisa, Surinam (van der Drift).
Comments
Kempf described this species from a single worker. Numerous collections are now known from Costa Rica, and we have also seen material from Colombia and Brazil (Bahia and Matto Grosso states).
In Costa Rica, this species is infrequently encountered. It inhabits mature lowland rainforest in the Atlantic lowlands. It has been collected in Winkler samples of sifted litter from the forest floor at Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve, Casa Plastico near Rara Avis, the 500 m site on the Barva Transect, and La Selva Biological Station. Quantitative sampling by the ALAS project reveals it to be a low density species occurring most often in fogging samples, and less often in Winkler and Berlese samples of forest floor litter (Table 2). Dinah Davidson collected it in a Piper plant at La Selva. Mary Cornelius, an OTS student, found a nest in a leaf domatium of an ant-plant (Tococa, Melastomataceae) at Tortuguero, but it contained only workers and brood. Grant Gentry found small carton nests under leaves at La Selva (pers. comm.). Workers have been collected from the stomachs of dendrobatid frogs in the Choco region of Colombia. These results suggest that the species may nest in the low arboreal zone yet forage in the leaf litter on the forest floor.
Found most commonly in these habitats: 127 times found in mature wet forest, 34 times found in tropical rainforest, 15 times found in lowland rainforest, 9 times found in rainforest, 11 times found in tropical rainforest, with big trees, probably primary, 9 times found in 2º lowland rainforest, 10 times found in montane wet forest, 4 times found in tropical rainforest, with some big trees, probably a mix of primary and secondary forest, 4 times found in tropical wet forest, 2 times found in 2º lowland tropical rainforest, ...
Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 197 times ex sifted leaf litter, 7 times beating vegetation, 7 times sifted litter, 6 times Hojarasca, 4 times beating veg., 1 times yellow pan trap/flight intercept, 2 times Copa de arbol, 2 times bajo de M/20, 1 times from domatia on Tococa leaves, 1 times flight intercept trap, 1 times bajo de M/29, ...
Collected most commonly using these methods: 177 times miniWinkler, 16 times winkler, 13 times Fogging, 11 times Beating, 12 times MaxiWinkler, 11 times Mini Winkler, 5 times flight intercept trap, 1 times yellow pan trap/flight intercept, 2 times search, 2 times Foggin, 2 times Malaise, ...
Elevations: collected from 5 - 1050 meters, 179 meters average
Collect Date Range: collected between 1985-08-30 00:00:00.0 and 2016-01-25 00:00:00.0
Type specimens: Not Provided: casent0742442
Madagascar
Canada
Brazil
China
Greece
Spain
Australia
