Wasmannia rochai Forel

Longino, J. T. & Fernández, F., 2007, Taxonomic review of the genus Wasmannia., Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Homage to E. O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. (Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80), pp. 271-289 : 279-280

Wasmannia rochai Forel

Wasmannia rochai Forel , 1912: 1. Syntype worker: Ceara, Brazil (Diaz da Rocha) [ MHNG] (examined, one worker here designated LECTOTYPE).

Comments

Wasmannia rochai occurs widely in the mainland Neotropics, from Guatemala south to Sao Paulo state in Brazil. The syntype workers from Ceara are slightly larger than workers from Panama and Costa Rica, but with similar proportions. The differences between rochai and sigmoidea are subtle but consistent. Compared to sigmoidea , rochai is smaller, with a relatively shorter and broader head. The propodeal spines are shorter and are directed posteriorly, instead of upturned in sigmoidea . The setae on the face, mesosoma, and gaster are more curved, appearing shorter than the setae of sigmoidea because of the greater curvature. They are also more clavate, swelling noticeably at the tips.

In some specimens of rochai the outer margin of the antennal scrobe is weakly defined, approaching the condition seen in affinis and lutzi . However, the face sculpture of rochai is always much more feeble than the coarse reticulate rugose sculpture on affinis and lutzi .

Kempf (1972) recorded the range of rochai as Panama, the Guianas, Trinidad, and six Brazilian states from Ceara south to Sao Paulo. Given the prior uncertainty of species differences among affinis , lutzi , rochai , and sigmoidea , earlier determinations should be treated cautiously pending reexamination of existing material. We have examined material from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Brazil (Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, and Sao Paulo states).

This species appears to be rare in Costa Rica, although its superficial similarity to W. auropunctata may result in its being overlooked in a sea of the latter species. Only two Costa Rican collections are known: Phil Ward collected workers and a dealate queen (PSW # 7628) in a recent treefall at Carara Biological Reserve. The senior author collected a lone dealate queen in a canopy tree at Sirena in Corcovado National Park. The species has been collected multiple times on Barro Colorado Island in Panama, where it is a relatively common part of the canopy ant fauna (Mike Kaspari pers. comm.).