Brachymyrmex termitophilus Forel, 2007

Wild, A. L., 2007, A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., Zootaxa 1622, pp. 1-55 : 44

publication ID

21367

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B08DA0DB-EEC0-4ED3-9FBE-59328B034102

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6239881

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1DBDBB40-DA54-2623-53FF-9C85DA74870C

treatment provided by

Thomas

scientific name

Brachymyrmex termitophilus Forel
status

NEW STATUS

Brachymyrmex termitophilus Forel   HNS 1896e. NEW STATUS.

Brachymyrmex heeri var. termitophilus Forel   HNS 1896e: 179. [w syntypes examined, MHNG; Brazil] .

Although B. termitophilus   HNS shares the dense pubescence and light coloration of B. heeri   HNS , this ant is more compact than Forel’s B. heeri   HNS types (MHNG, examined). In contrast to the relatively long antennal scapes of B. heeri   HNS , the scapes of B. termitophilus   HNS are shorter than the head length, in repose only barely meeting the posterior margin of the head in full-face view. Additionally, the propodeum of B. termitophilus   HNS in lateral view is only slightly or not at all depressed below the level of the promesonotum, whereas in B. heeri   HNS the propodeum is always noticeably lower than the promesonotum. Both species occur in Paraguay with no evidence of intergrades, an observation that supports the elevation of termitophilus   HNS to species.

Brachymyrmex fiebrigi Forel   HNS (MHNG, types examined) has smaller eyes in the worker caste than B. termitophilus   HNS , but is otherwise a very similar ant and may merely represent the low end of intraspecific eye size variation in B. termitophilus   HNS . As only a few specimens of both the large- and small-eyed variants were available in the present study, I prefer to retain B. fiebrigi   HNS as valid until more material becomes available.

MHNG

Switzerland, Geneva, Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

Genus

Brachymyrmex

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