Strumigenys pergandei Emery, 1895

Booher, Douglas B., 2021, The ant genus Strumigenys Smith, 1860 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in western North America North of Mexico, Zootaxa 5061 (2), pp. 201-248 : 240

Strumigenys pergandei Emery, 1895

Distribution. Canada to USA; in eastern USA from Georgia to NY and west to Iowa; in western USA occurs in Kansas.

Comments. Morphologically similar to S. angulata , S. pergandei has elongate non-trap jaw mandibles. Strumigenys pergandei is a wide-ranging species that is more commonly collected in northern states and does not extend into Florida. It is often found nesting and foraging within nests of other ants e.g., Camponotus , Formica , and Aphaenogaster . Strumigenys pergandei may form unusually large colony sizes (> 700 workers) compared to other Nearctic natives that typically have around 30 workers ( Wesson & Wesson 1939; Brown 1964). In Canada it has been collected several times in the province of Ontario ( Guénard et al. 2017). Brown (1964) took the first collection in Kansas (Lawrence).

Strumigenys pilinasis Forel, 1901 (Note: senior synonym of ohioensis )

Distribution. USA; in eastern USA from Florida to New York and west to Missouri; in western USA occurs in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Comments. One of the most widespread and commonly collected Nearctic Strumigenys , S. pilinasis often nests in cavities such as hollowed nuts on forest floors ( Duffield & Alpert 2011). DuBois (1985) reports two colonies collected on the Ozark Plateau in two counties (Cherokee and Jefferson) were found nesting in rotten wood in a deciduous forest. This species has been collected multiple times in Texas, but only a single series is known from Oklahoma (Latimer County). The single specimen identified as S. pilinasis in the Field Museum database from Colorado is not S. pilinasis but is here described as S. collinsae (FMNHINS 0000 119 056).

Material examined: USA, Oklahoma, Latimer Co., 34.835035, -95.31025, 224 m, 15 May 1983, 9 workers & 1 queen, coll. K. Stephan, [ ABS] ; USA, Texas, Houston Co., Big Slough Wilderness , 31.487537, -95.117138, 68 m, 9 May 1988, litter, 4 workers, coll. R. Anderson, 12760, [ TAMUIC] ; USA, Texas, Angelina Co., 2 miles south of Lufkin, 31.298494, -94.737509, 79 m, 24 Mar 1984, Riparian Mosses on Stream Bank Litter , 12 workers, coll. Walter Suter, #84-247, [ ABS] ; USA, Texas, Lamar Co., Camp Maxey, Osmuda bog, 33.848745, -95.538077, 165 m, 15 Sep 2003, malaise, 1 alate queen, coll. Godwin SF, [ SHSU] ; USA, Texas, Nacogdoches Co., 12 miles southwest of Nacogdoches , 31.496515, -94.798552, 74 m, 13 May 1983, 15 workers, coll. Byers and Jenks, [ ABS] ; USA, Texas, Nacogdoches Co., 12 miles southwest of Nacogdoches , 31.496515, -94.798552, 74 m, 11 Feb 1984, 2 queens & 2 workers, coll. Walter Suter, [ ABS] ; USA, Texas, Sabine Co., 14 Kilometers east of Hemphill , 31.339698, - 93.707155, 97 m, 11 May 1988, litter, 2 workers, coll. R. Anderson, #12764, [ TAMUIC] ; USA, Texas, San Jacinto Co., Big Creek Scenic Area , 30.518456, -95.085363, 91 m, 9 Sep 1999, 1 worker, coll. J.L. Cook & J.B. Martin, [ SHSU] ; USA, Texas, San Jacinto Co., Big Creek Scenic Area , 30.518467, -95.079755, 86 m, 18 Dec 1999, 1 worker, coll. J.L. Cook & J.B. Martin, [ SHSU] .