didobola's Favourites

Strumigenys abditivata (Rainha), Coletada e Identificação por Felipe Santana (@Felipe_st_) confirmada por Júlio Chaul (@juliocchaul ) - UFV. Fotos Reinaldo de Oliveira Elias.
São Bernardo do Campo - São Paulo Brasil - 21/07/2024.
Primeiro Registro do espécime para o Estado de São Paulo.

A punitive undescribed Colobopsis known from two locales; this being one of them.

ARIZ., santa Cruz Co.
Madera Cyn., Santa Rita Mts.
7-17, 1980
R.H. Crandall

Althought not my record, I think it would prove important to make this publicly known on a large platform.

Total outstretched length of ~4.50 mm.

I'm somewhat sure this is mysticum since queens were flying, but I'm having trouble distinguishing from M. rogeri. The clypeus looks round enough for mysticum...

Extracted from under the bark of a dead log. Log had been pointed out to me by Fielisy "Fidel" Bemaheva, who is an extremely knowledgeable old hand at Madagascar ants.

So, this is a polyergus bilateral gynandromorph! ½ worker caste (red), ½ alate (black). The mandibles, eyes, single wing, and antennae are the more obvious caste traits reflected in each half of this individual. Found them shortly after leaving the colony possibly (I found one a few feet away).
See: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124878696
& https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124879042

Espécie raramente coletada, vive em associação com bromelias. Espécie de tamanho muito superior a Espécies do mesmo gênero que habita o solo e a serapilheira. A coleta foi realizada em bromelias associadas a uma árvore de Erythrina que caiu após periodo de chuva.

Species rarely collected, living in association with bromeliads. It is much larger in size compared to other species of the same genus that inhabit the soil and leaf litter. The collection was made in bromeliads associated with a fallen Erythrina tree after a period of rain.