A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Author
Wild, Alexander L.
text
Zootaxa
2007
1622
1
55
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.179222
9584df9a-a4a2-49bb-a256-cb99776f4dc8
1175-5326
179222
Brachymyrmex termitophilus
Forel 1896
e.
NEW STATUS
.
Brachymyrmex heeri
var.
termitophilus
Forel 1896e: 179
. [w
syntypes
examined, MHNG;
Brazil
].
Although
B. termitophilus
shares the dense pubescence and light coloration of
B. heeri
, this ant is more compact than Forel’s
B. heeri
types
(MHNG, examined). In contrast to the relatively long antennal scapes of
B. heeri
,
the scapes of
B. termitophilus
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
in lateral view is only slightly or not at all depressed below the level of the promesonotum, whereas in
B. heeri
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
to species.
Brachymyrmex fiebrigi
Forel
(MHNG,
types
examined) has smaller eyes in the worker caste than
B. termitophilus
, but is otherwise a very similar ant and may merely represent the low end of intraspecific eye size variation in
B. termitophilus
.
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
as valid until more material becomes available.