Brown and Wilson (1959) summarize the genus as follows:

"Widespread in tropics and warm temperate areas. Primarily forest-dwelling; some species occur in grassland and arid scrub. ... Nests mostly in soil and rotting wood; a few species live in arboreal plant cavities in tropical rain forest. Foraging hypogaeic to epigaeic-arboreal. Food: most species are collembolan feeders; a few are polyphagous predators or occasionally feed on sugary substances..."

Members of the genus are all predaceous, with a kinetic mode of attack (Bolton 1999).

elongata is one of the most common Strumigenys species in forested habitats of Costa Rica. It occurs in dry and wet forests. It may nest on the forest floor in dead wood or under stones, or under epiphytes in the canopy. Brown (1954, 1962) reports that it is definitely a collembolan feeder.