Amyrmex

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Amyrmex golbachi
Leptanilloides golbachi casent0172251 profile 2.jpg
A. golbachi male from Argentina
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dorylinae
Genus: Amyrmex
Kusnezov, 1953
Species:
A. golbachi
Binomial name
Amyrmex golbachi
Kusnezov, 1953

Amyrmex golbachi is a rare Neotropical species of ant and the only known species in the genus Amyrmex. [1] It is currently only known from males from the Amazon basin of Brazil and from northern Argentina.

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus was established by Kusnezov (1953) for four small male ants collected in the Tucumán region of Argentina. Kusnezov recognized a single species, Amyrmex golbachi, which he placed in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, while noting peculiar features of the wing venation and abdominal morphology that introduced some uncertainty about its affinities. Since its original description, Amyrmex has received scant attention from ant taxonomists. In his generic revision of the Dolichoderinae, Shattuck (1992) synonymized Amyrmex under Forelius . Cuezzo (2000) resurrected Amyrmex, pointing out various distinctive features of morphology that do not agree with any known males of Forelius. [2] [3]

Phylogenetic analyses by Ward & Brady (2009) placed Amyrmex as a sister genus to Leptanilloides and a member of the subfamily Leptanilloidinae (now Dorylinae), [4] rather than the Dolichoderinae to which it had been previously assigned. [5] This placement is also supported by morphological traits. [3]

Distribution

The genus is currently only known from males from the Amazon basin of Brazil and from northern Argentina. [6] No Amyrmex specimens have been reported besides the holotype, three paratypes, one additional series of males from the Kusnezov collection, [7] and a collection of several males discovered from unidentified specimens in the Bohart Museum of Entomology, most of which were collected in malaise traps at a lowland rainforest site in Rondônia, Brazil, in 1991. [3] The geographical distribution of Amyrmex suggests it might be a senior synonym of the sister genus Asphinctanilloides . [8]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolichoderinae</span> Subfamily of ants

Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant, the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the cone ant. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the world, distributed in different biogeographic realms, from the Palearctic, Nearctic, Afrotropical region and Malaysia, to the Middle East, Australian, and Neotropical regions.

<i>Dorymyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Dorymyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae.

<i>Leptomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Leptomyrmex, or spider ants, is a genus of ants and a distinctive member of the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae. Commonly known as "spider ants" for their long legs and spider-like movements, these orange and black ants are prominent residents of intact wet forest and sclerophyll habitats throughout their range. One extant species, Leptomyrmex relictus, is known from central Brazil; otherwise, the global distribution of this genus is restricted to eastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Guinea, as well as the nearby Indonesian islands of Aru and Seram.

<i>Forelius</i> Genus of ants

Forelius is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus is known from southern United States to Argentina.

Dolichoderus diversus is a species of ant in the genus Dolichoderus. Described by Emery in 1894, the species has a widespread distribution in multiple countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

Forelius bahianus is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Cuezzo in 2000, the species is endemic to Brazil.

<i>Forelius brasiliensis</i> Species of ant

Forelius brasiliensis is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Auguste-Henri Forel in 198 the species is endemic to South America.

Forelius breviscapus is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Auguste-Henri Forel in 1914, the species is endemic to Argentina.

Forelius chalybaeus is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Carlo Emery in 1906, the species is endemic to Argentina.

Forelius grandis is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Auguste-Henri Forel in 1912, the species is endemic to Argentina.

Forelius keiferi is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by William Morton Wheeler in 1934, the species is endemic to Mexico.

Forelius lilloi is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Cuezzo in 2000, the species is endemic to Argentina.

Forelius macrops is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Kusnezov in 195, the species is endemic to Argentina.

Forelius maranhaoensis is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Cuezzo in 2000, the species is endemic to Brazil.

<i>Forelius nigriventris</i> Species of ant

Forelius nigriventris is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Forel in 1912, the species is endemic to South America.

<i>Forelius pusillus</i> Species of ant

Forelius pusillus is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Santschi in 1922, the species is endemic to South America.

Forelius rubriceps is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Gallardo in 1916, the species is endemic to Argentina.

Forelius rufus is a species of ant in the genus Forelius. Described by Gallardo in 1916, the species is endemic to Argentina and Bolivia.

References

  1. ↑ "Genus: Amyrmex". AntWeb . Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  2. ↑ Cuezzo 2000, pp. 271–272
  3. 1 2 3 Ward & Brady 2009, p. 46
  4. ↑ Brady et al. 2014, pp. 1–14
  5. ↑ Ward & Brady 2009, pp. 48–49
  6. ↑ Ward & Brady 2009, p. 52
  7. ↑ Cuezzo 2000, p. 272
  8. ↑ Ward & Brady 2009, p. 53
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