Brachymyrmex termitophilus Forel, 2007
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 |
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
Kingdom |
|
Phylum |
|
Class |
|
Order |
|
Family |
|
Genus |