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Hypoponera parva (Forel 1909)Guatemala (type locality), Costa Rica. Costa Rica: throughout the country in wet to moist habitats. Identification Face sublucid, with fine puncta, intervals between puncta wider than puncta diameters; propodeum not strongly tectiform (tent-like), sides broadly round into relatively broad dorsal face (propodeum tectiform in JTL-001); petiole moderately thin, scale-like in lateral profile, anterior and posterior faces weakly converging to broadly rounded dorsal face; color orange to darker red brown.  Natural History This tiny species, the smallest known to me, occurs in a wide variety of habitats throughout Costa Rica. It is common in the lowland rainforest Workers were in some dead wood at the base of a tree, at the edge of a city sidewalk. The species occurs very often in Winkler samples of leaf litter from the forest floor. I rarely collect it by any other means

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Hypoponera MEK-002   Kaspari MS
Single facet eye, golden yellow, smoothly rounded humped mesonotum, face puncta smaller than interpuncta distances. Petiole square. Anterior face of petiole approaches flattened top at slight angle, posterior face vertical.

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Hypoponera punctatissima (Roger 1859) and related species Atlantic Coast specimen pictured aboveRange

The complex contains species that are pantropical tramps, occurring widely in the tropics and subtropics.

Identification Face sublucid, with puncta smaller than interspaces; eyes very small, circular, appearing as a single facet or up to about 5 nearly fused facets; petiolar node thick in lateral view, with anterior and posterior faces nearly parallel, very weakly converging, and with a broadly rounded to nearly flat dorsal face; color dirty yellow brown. . Natural History Wilson and Taylor (1967) wrote: H. punctatissima is virtually cosmopolitan in the warmer parts of the globe, and has undoubtedly been carried extensively and often by manTaxonomic Notes there is considerable confusion in the literature regarding this complex.

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Hypoponera MEK-001  Kaspari MS

Ruddy brown, sometimes infuscated. 1-facet eye, sometimes a second, incomplete facet. On face, spaces between puncta greater than punctae diameter. “duckbill” petiole (like JTL-001, JTL-007).

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Hypoponera JTL-013 Longino ms  Costa Rica, Panama (nr. Gamboa). Identification Face densely punctate, intervals between puncta subequal to puncta diameter; propodeum not strongly tectiform (tent-like), sides broadly round into relatively broad dorsal face (propodeum tectiform in JTL-001); petiole moderately thin, scale-like in lateral profile, anterior and posterior faces weakly converging to broadly rounded dorsal face; color orange. Natural History This species inhabits leaf litter on the floor of mature wet forest. I know it only from Winkler samples of sifted litter from the forest floor.

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Hypoponera opacior (Forel 1893)

Southern half of continental USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad, Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Saint Vincent. Identification

Eyes usually composed of 1-3 partially fused facets; eyes situated relatively far forward on sides of head; face with dense small puncta, sublucid; mesonotum weakly convex, with distinct impression at propodeal suture; petiolar node a thickened scale, with weakly converging anterior and posterior faces, and a broadly rounded dorsum; color usually dark brown to black. Natural History The form I call opacior s.s. seems to have a preference for synanthropic and seasonally dry habitats.

Taxonomic Notes Probably a species complex.

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Hypoponera JTL-007 (cf. distinguenda) Longino ms

Costa Rica: throughout the country in low to mid-elevation forested sites Identification Eyes composed of 1-3 facets (occasionally up to 6); in full face view eyes small enough to not break lateral outline of head; puncta on face similar in size to interspaces, face feebly shining; petiolar node tapering to a rounded summit; color usually dark brown, occasionally reddish brown. .

Natural History This species occurs in a wide variety of habitats throughout Costa Rica, from sea level to about 1000m elevation. Although most abundant in mature wet forest habitats, I have collected it in dry-forest riparian habitat at Finca La Pacifica in Guanacaste Province. The species occurs very often in Winkler samples of leaf litter from the forest floor. I rarely collect it by other means. At La Selva I found a nest in dead wood on top of large rotten log. At the Arenal Observatory Lodge I found a nest in rotten wood on the forest floor. Taxonomic Notes See notes under JTL-009.

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Hypoponera JTL-001 (cf. foeda) Longino ms

Costa Rica: occurs in wet forest habitats throughout the country, including cloud forest, montane forest, and lowland rainforest. Very common at mid to upper elevations; rare in the lowlands. Identification Face densely punctate, intervals between puncta subequal to puncta diameter; propodeum tectiform (tent-like), sides strongly sloping to narrow dorsal face; petiole moderately thin, scale-like in lateral profile, anterior and posterior faces converging to rounded summit; color orange.. Natural History This species occurs in leaf litter on the forest floor, and under epiphytes in old treefalls. In the Monteverde cloud forest it is a common speciesIt occurs in nearly every Winkler sample of forest floor leaf litter, and can be found by searching under epiphyte mats in old treefalls. less common at lower elevations, occasionally in Winkler samples from La Selva Osa Peninsula. Mike Kaspari has collected the species at Wilson Botanical Garden. Taxonomic Notes Bill Brown identified material of this species as "foeda group."

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Hypoponera JTL-010 Longino ms

Amazonian Brazil to Mexico. Costa Rica: can be expected in lowland sites throughout the country; known from Turrialba, Identification Eyes composed of 1 facet (occasionally a smaller second facet present); in full face view eyes small enough to not break lateral outline of head; puncta on face small, face sublucid; petiolar node weakly tapering to a broadly rounded summit; color light red brown at least on mesosoma, often infuscated on gaster and sometimes also head. Natural History

This species occurs in both leaf litter on the forest floor, and beneath epiphytes in the forest canopy. It is not common in forest floor Winkler samples from wet forest sites, so I suspect it is a species tolerant of dry conditions, favoring an arboreal existence in wet forest sites, and becoming more ground-based in seasonally dry sites. Taxonomic Notes I visited the MCZ in June 1999 and found Brown's unit tray of "limatula." In addition to my Costa Rican specimens, there was material from Panama (Barro Colorado Island), Colombia (Tayrona), Mexico (Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, Jalisco), and Brazil.

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Hypoponera MEK-003

Scapes exceed occiput, puncta larger than interpuncta distances on face. 3-facet eye, partially fused. Slight mesonotal break at pronotum, thick bulbous petiolar scale. Eye visible in frontal view.

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Hypoponera nitidula Emery 1890

Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica (type locality). Costa Rica: throughout the country in wet forest habitats, low and middle elevations.. Identification Scape extends well beyond margin of vertex (SL/HL greater than 0.86); HL 0.82-0.97mm; eye with more than 10 facets; shiny, black-brown with blue irridescence. . This species is quite distinct from all other Costa Rican Hypoponera, and not easily confused with other species.

Natural History This species occurs in mature wet forest habitats, and inhabits leaf litter on the forest floor.

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Hypoponera distinguenda (Emery 1890)

Throughout tropical South America, Central America to Guatemala. Costa Rica: throughout the country in wet forest habitats, low and middle elevations. Identification Eyes composed of 2-4 facets (up to 6 in robust individuals); in full face view eyes situated dorsally, not breaking outline of side of head; puncta on face small relative to interspaces, face sublucid; petiolar node tapering to a rounded summit; color dark brown. . Natural History This species occurs in leaf litter on the forest floor. At Sirena in Corcovado National Park, I observed 10 adults emerging from the leaf litter and attacking an earthworm that was exposed on a dead leaf.

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Hypoponera JTL-006 (cf. distinguenda) Longino ms

Costa Rica: 1100-1200m on north slope Volcan Barba, Penas Blancas Valley east of Monteverde. Panama: 500-1000m, Bocas del Toro area. Identification Eyes usually composed of 2-4 facets (occasionally up to 6); in full face view eyes situated dorsally, not breaking outline of side of head; puncta on face small relative to interspaces, face sublucid; petiolar node tapering to a rounded summit; color dark brown. . Natural History

This species inhabits mature wet forest habitats, where it occurs in leaf litter on the forest floor. See notes under JTL-009.