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Subfamily MYRMICINAE
Tribe ATTINI
Strumigenys metazytes (Bolton)

Strumigenys metazytes, full face view of worker
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Strumigenys metazytes, profile view of worker
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Strumigenys metazytes, in the pulchella group, was only recently described by Bolton (2000) and is a very rarely collected species. Species in this group have a distinct diastema found on the basal portion of the mandibles (a gap between the basal lamella and basal tooth); principal dental row of mandible with 4 sharp teeth, with the 3rd tooth not being the longest; anterior clypeal margin transverse to broadly convex; clypeus lacking a peripheral groove; lateral margins of clypeus with a fringe of broadly spatulate to spoon shaped hairs that are curved anteriorly or reflexed, and the anterior margin with smaller hairs that are directed anteriorly or curve toward the midline, or 1-2 pairs found directly above the mandibles that curve outward; spatulate to spoon shaped hairs found on leading edge of scape with some curving or inclining toward base of scape; and spongiform appendages well develped on both petiole and postpetiole. Members of this group can be further separated into two smaller groups with S. memorialis, missouriensis, pulchella, and reflexa having recurved or reflexed hairs on the anterior and/or lateral edges of the clypeus and S. abdita , creightoni, deyrupi, and metazytes completely lacking recurved or reflexed hairs on the margins of the clypeus. S. metazytesdiffers from S. creightoni by having pronotal humeral hair present, from S. abdita , by having small, narrow spatulate hairs on clypeal dorsum instead of large broad spatulate hairs, and from S. deyrupi by having filiform standing hairs rather than flagellate and by having the petiolar spongiform curtain not as wide.