Adelomyrmex cristiani Fernández, 2003

Longino, John T., 2012, A review of the ant genus Adelomyrmex Emery 1897 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Central America, Zootaxa 3456, pp. 1-35 : 17

Adelomyrmex cristiani Fernández, 2003

Adelomyrmex cristiani Fernández, 2003: 16 , figs. 36, 75. Holotype worker: Colombia, Cordillera Occidental, transecto Tatamá, 1650 m, 1983 (Th. van der Hammen et al., TAT 205) [ICN] (not examined).

Geographic range. Colombia, Ecuador.

Comments. The holotype of A. cristiani came from a series of Berlese samples from the Tatamá elevational transect studied by van der Hammen et al. (van der Hammen & Ward 2005). I examined three additional workers provided by P. S. Ward. Two were from two additional sites on the Tatamá transect (TATA206 and TATA212, at 1540 m and 1950 m elevation, respectively), and one was from a wet forest site in Pichincha Province, Ecuador, at 1500 m (PSW11503.9). The specimens showed discordant character variation. The Ecuador and TAT 212 specimens have similar mandibular dentition: there are three main apical teeth, two or three small denticles, and a broad triangular tooth that is near the basal tooth. Thus, these specimens exhibit the character of the Central American species A. dentivagans , A. mackayi , A. nortenyo , and A. quetzal . The mandibles on TAT206 are difficult to observe, but one partially open mandible appears to have a more typical dentition, lacking the large triangular tooth on the basal margin. The Ecuador and TAT 206 specimens have the petiolar node smooth and shiny; the TAT 212 specimen has the node irregularly rugose.