Abstract
The Costa Rican fauna of the genus Myrmelachista is reviewed. Myrmelachista is a poorly-known lineage of Neotropical arboreal ants. Although a few are conspicuous surface foragers, the majority have cryptic habits, nesting in live stems of plants and rarely foraging on the surface. Fourteen species are reported, of which the following ten are described as new: M. flavocotea, flavoguarea, haberi, joycei, lauroatlantica, lauropacifica, longiceps, meganaranja, nigrocotea, and osa. Myrmelachista costaricensis Wheeler is synonymized under M. plebecula Menozzi, and M. zeledoni thiemi is synonymized under zeledoni. The enigmatic M. cooperi, previously known from a single alate queen, is rediscovered and the worker and male described. Keys to workers, queens, and males are provided. Myrmelachista species have either 9 or 10-segmented antennae, with most of the 9-segmented forms concentrated in Central America and the Caribbean, and the 10segmented forms concentrated in South America. The taxonomic status of all the 9-segmented forms is discussed.References
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