taxonID	type	description	language	source
B9CC84AD719FFDE59C0170D17D356EA3.taxon	description	(Fig. 1, 2 & 3) Worker measurements. Holotype. TL 1.56, HL 0.48, HW 0.38, EL 0.10, EW 0.08, IOD 0.24, COD 0.10, SL 0.40, PSW 0.01, PSL 0.01, ISPD 0.10, PL 0.10, PHM 0.08, MsL 0.44, CI 79, OI 125, SI 105. Paratypes and non types (n = 38): TL 1.40 - 1.68, HL 0.42 - 0.50, HW 0.36 - 0.42, EL 0.10 - 0.12, EW 0.08 - 0.10, IOD 0.22 - 0.32, COD 0.04 - 0.10, SL 0.36 - 0.44, PSW 0.01 - 0.02, PSL 0.01 - 0.02, ISPD 0.10 - 0.16, PL 0.08 - 0.14, PHM 0.06 - 0.10, MsL 0.44 - 0.58, CI 79 - 90, OI 120 - 150, SI 95 - 132.	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
B9CC84AD719FFDE59C0170D17D356EA3.taxon	diagnosis	Worker diagnosis. Mandible with four teeth and two denticles. Pronotum in profile relatively low and flat, with 2 erect setae. Dorsum of mesonotum and propodeum with very fine punctation. Mesopleural and metapleural regions shining, with sparse pubescence. Propodeal spiracle circular <0.02 mm diameter.	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
B9CC84AD719FFDE59C0170D17D356EA3.taxon	description	Worker description. Head flattened dorsoventrally, longer than wide (full face view). Vertex of head weakly concave. Palpal formula 6: 4. Anteromedial clypeal plate with shallow concavity and long, ventrally curved setae about same length as closed mandibles. Clypeal margin with a long median seta and two long lateral setae projecting forward. Long erect seta on middle inner margin of each torulus; long seta behind each torulus. Scape short, reaching posterior margin of head. Mandible with apical tooth elongate, twice as long as subapical tooth; subapical tooth followed by a denticle, a tooth, another denticle, and a basal tooth separating masticatory margin from basal margin. Mesosoma (lateral-view) straight with slight mesonotal groove. Mesonotum and propodeum with decumbent scattered pubescence; very fine punctuation on dorsum of mesonotum and dorsum of propodeum. Mesopleuron and metapleuron shining, with sparse pubescence. Propodeal spiracle circular. Posterior face and dorsal face of propodeum convex; dorsal face longer than posterior face. Outer face of anterior coxa with two setae; proximal seta longer than distal seta; inner face of middle and posterior coxae with distal setae; femora and tibiae with dense pilosity. Scale present and strongly inclined anteriorly; petiolar spiracle at base of scale. Dorsum of gaster with abundant pubescence; first gastric (third abdominal) tergite without setae, second gastric tergite bearing 2 setae, third gastric tergite bearing 4 setae and fourth tergite bearing 6 setae. Head and mesosoma dark brown; gaster, petiole, legs, scape and mandible light brown; teeth of mandibles slightly darker than mandible; funicular segments darker than scape. Queen and male. Unknown	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
B9CC84AD719FFDE59C0170D17D356EA3.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype worker. Colombia: Magdalena; Santa Marta; Vda. Mosquito; 11 ° 10 ' 23.6 " N 74 ° 10 ' 45 " W 96 m; pitfall; 24 - 26. Feb. 2007; D. Ramirez, coll. Deposited in ICN Insect Collection, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, (Bogota D. C., Colombia). Paratypes: 22 workers, all from the same locality and date as the Holotype, deposited in BMNH (1 w), CASC (4 w), CEUM (2 w), CWEM (1 w), CPDC (1 w), IAvH (2 w), ICN (2 w), IFML (2 w), JTL (1 w), LACM (1 w), MCZ (1 w), MIZA (1 w), MZSP (1 w), PSW (1 w), USNM (1 w). Additional material examined: Colombia: (10 w), Bolivar; Zambrano; Hda. Monterrey; 9 ° 45 ' N 74 ° 49 ' W 70 m; pitfall; 01. Aug. 1993 F. Fernandez & G. Ulloa, coll. Costa Rica: (3 w), Guanacaste; 10 ° 48 ' N 85 ° 41 ' W; 100 m; at tuna bait; 14. Jun. 1985; xeric scrub on rocky ridge; J. Longino, coll. [LACM ENT 141815]. (1 w), Guanacaste; Santa Elena Peninsula; 10 ° 53 ' N 85 ° 45 ' W; 08. May. 2002; J. M. Jacobs, coll. [JTLC 000009256]. (1 w), Guanacaste; 8 km S Santa Cecilia; 10 ° 59 ' N 85 ° 26 ' W; 650 m; 24. Jan. 1991; Wet forest. Strays; J. Longino, coll. [INBIOCRI 001282672]. (1 w), Heredia; La Selva Biological Station; 10 ° 26 ' N 84 ° 01 ' W; 01. May. 1994; J. Longino, coll. [INBIOCRI 001260978]. (1 w), Puntarenas; Pita; 10 ° 10 ' N 84 ° 55 ' W; 200 m; Sweep sample of roadside vegetation; 13. Jul. 1984; J. Longino, coll. [LACM ENT 141813]. Specimen records provided by P. S. Ward (pers. comm.): Costa Rica: Guanacaste; 1 km E Playa Nancite; PN Santa Rosa; 10 ° 48 ' N 85 ° 41 ' W; 100 m; 5. Apr. 2000; Low, open tropical dry forest, in gully, on serpentine; On trail between Playa Naranjo and Playa Nancite, within the watershed of Quebrada Nancite. P. Ward, coll. USA: Texas. Cameron Co. Resaca de la Palma State Park. 25 ° 59 ' N 97 ° 34 ' W; 10 m; 16. Apr. 2006; Subtropical thorn woodland; P. Ward, coll.	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
B9CC84AD719FFDE59C0170D17D356EA3.taxon	distribution	Geographic distribution: Colombia (Magdalena, Bolivar), Costa Rica (Guanacaste, Heredia and Puntarenas), USA (Texas).	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
B9CC84AD719FFDE59C0170D17D356EA3.taxon	etymology	Etymology: The species name honors our colleague and friend Damian Ramirez, who collected and loaned the ants from his thesis research.	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
B9CC84AD719FFDE59C0170D17D356EA3.taxon	biology_ecology	Natural History: Forelius damiani n. sp. was collected in lowland dry forest of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a tropical forest with an open canopy dominated by Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg. (Burseraceae), Bursera glabra (Jacq.) Triana & Planch and Pereskia colombiana Britton & Rose (Cactaceae). The habitat is subjected to occasional human disturbance resulting from the extraction of timber. It was also collected in the dry forest of Zambrano (Bolivar, Colombia), but we have no specific information about floristic composition from this site. However, this locality is a transition zone between gallery forest and tropical dry forest. This species is restricted to lowland forest and scrub vegetation, from sea level to 650 m elevation. The specimens from Costa Rica were collected in open tropical dry forest, xeric scrub, and synanthropic habitats in wet forest areas. Although the genus is generally adapted to dry climates, this species can extend into wet climate areas in the presence of frequent human disturbance. Although no complete nest of F. damiani has been collected, the large number of specimens collected from the type locality with only one pitfall trap (150 workers) indicates that its colonies could be composed of more than one hundred workers, foraging in large numbers.	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
C47D8C9B84603C560A18BB8BD01F6B0F.taxon	description	(Fig. 6)	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
C47D8C9B84603C560A18BB8BD01F6B0F.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: Colombia. (3 w), Magdalena; Santa Marta; Vda. Mosquito. 11 ° 10 ' 23.6 " N 74 ° 10 ' 45 " W 96 m; Manual collection; 03. Jan. 2008; D. Olivero & M. Escarraga, coll. Deposited in Insect Collection of University of Magdalena (CEUM), Santa Marta, Colombia.	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
C47D8C9B84603C560A18BB8BD01F6B0F.taxon	distribution	Geographic distribution: Bahamas, Colombia (Magdalena), Costa Rica (Guanacaste), Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, The West Indies, USA [Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Dakota (Wheeler & Wheeler 1963), Texas].	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
C47D8C9B84603C560A18BB8BD01F6B0F.taxon	discussion	Cuezzo (2000) provided a taxonomic key for all species of Forelius known. Due to the new synonymy between F. analis and F. pruinosus (Ward 2005) and the description of F. damiani, we provide a new key for the species with circular propodeal spiracle, with the exception of F. keiferi. The descriptions of F. keiferi and F. pruinosus given in Cuezzo (2000) overlap in many characters and the status of F. keiferi as a species distinct from F. pruinosus is not certain.	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
C47D8C9B84603C560A18BB8BD01F6B0F.taxon	discussion	Discussion Forelius damiani and F. pruinosus are the first species of the genus Forelius known from Colombia. Both species have been collected in the lowland dry forest of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta while F. damiani has also been collected in Zambrano (Bolivar), northern Colombia. The Zambrano specimens do not differ from those of the type locality. The workers of F. damiani from Costa Rica differ somewhat in size (TL 1.50 - 1.68 mm in Costa Rica vs. TL 1.40 - 1.58 mm in Colombia) and the length of the scapes (exceeding the vertexal margin by 0.04 mm in Costa Rica, not exceeding the vertexal margin in Colombia). While the TL of the workers showed differences between the populations of Costa Rica and Colombia, the length of mesosoma is less variable and the measurements for the two countries broadly overlap (MsL 0.46 - 0.56 mm in Costa Rica vs. MsL 0.44 - 0.58 mm in Colombia). Specimens from Costa Rica are darker brown than those from Colombia. Forelius damiani is relatively similar to F. pruinosus (Roger), but F. damiani has only two erect pronotal hairs while F. pruinosus can have two to four erect pronotal hairs; the promesonotum of F. damiani is lower compared with F. pruinosus; the dorsal face of the propodeum is longer than the declivitous face in F. damiani, moreover it lacks propodeal hairs; and F. damiani is smaller than F. pruinosus in some measurements such as TL, HL, HW and SL (see measurements above and Cuezzo (2000) for comparison). Forelius damiani is similar to F. pusillus, however several characters show differences: the mandibles of F. damiani have four teeth while those of F. pusillus have five; the propodeum of F. pusillus has four conspicuous setae but F. damiani has none; the workers in F. pusillus are a little larger (TL 1.6 - 1.8 mm in F. pusillus vs. 1.40 - 1.68 mm in F. damiani). Characters that distinguish Forelius damiani from most other Forelius species are the circular propodeal spiracle and the absence of erect hairs on the dorsal face of the propodeum. The occurrence of round spiracles on the new species F. damiani reinforces a pattern in which the few species found north of the Amazon basin all have round spiracles, while south of the Amazon many species have elongate, slit-like spiracles and only one species has round spiracles. Several hypotheses can explain this pattern, based on whether round spiracles are plesiomorphic, apomorphic, or homoplasious in the genus. If round spiracles are plesiomorphic, the genus could have originated north or south of the Amazon basin and then dispersed across the Amazon (perhaps during a period of drier climate). Subsequently, elongate spiracles evolved in the south (as one adaptation to arid conditions, reducing water loss through the spiracle) and perhaps allowed a greater diversification there. In the south, forms with elongate spiracles may have displaced previously more abundant and diverse forms with round spiracles. Alternatively, round spiracles could be apomorphic. An initial radiation of forms with elongate spiracles may have occurred in southern South America. Subsequently, a form with round spiracles evolved which was better suited to humid conditions and better able to cross the Amazon Basin. Once on the other side it diversified into the present species found north of the Amazon. Finally, round spiracles could be homoplasious, evolving independently north and south of the Amazon. Further phylogenetic work on the genus is needed to differentiate among these hypotheses.	en	Guerrero, R. J., Fernández, F. (2008): A new species of the ant genus Forelius (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from the dry forest of Colombia. Zootaxa 1958: 51-60, URL: http://hol.osu.edu/reference-full.html?id=22407
