Apterostigma auriculatum is widespread in South America (Lattke 1997) and appears to reach its northern limit in Costa Rica. I know this species from two Costa Rican localities: La Selva Biological Station and Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve. Both are lowland rainforest sites, about 100m elevation. At Hitoy Cerere, I found a dealate queen while collecting at night. At La Selva, Ted Schultz found a colony (#290692-01) between leaves in leaf litter on the forest floor. The fungus nest was a sponge cake-like disc between the leaves, with no envelope. In a baiting study at La Selva, Nichole Barger collected workers at a honey/crisco bait.
It is curious that this species has not been collected in Winkler samples of sifted leaf litter, in spite of intensive sampling effort at La Selva and elsewhere in Costa Rica.
Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Trinidad (type locality), Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica. Costa Rica: Atlantic lowlands.
Taxonomic history
Senior synonym of Apterostigma auriculatum demerarae: Weber, 1958d PDF: 243.Senior synonym of Apterostigma immobile: Weber, 1958d PDF: 243.Senior synonym of Apterostigma wasmannii icta: Lattke, 1997 PDF: 139.Senior synonym of Apterostigma wasmannii petiolatum: Lattke, 1997 PDF: 139.Senior synonym of Apterostigma billi: Lattke, 1997 PDF: 139.
