A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
Author
Ward, P. S.
text
Zootaxa
2005
936
1
68
http://antbase.org/ants/publications/21008/21008.pdf
journal article
21008
Genus
Leptothorax Mayr
Most species formerly placed in this genus have been reassigned to
Nesomyrmex
and
Temnothorax
, leaving
Leptothorax
much more narrowly and precisely circumscribed (Bolton 2003). Nevertheless, the species-level taxonomy of the North American
Leptothorax
remains in a state of chaos. There are at least two species in California: one can be easily identified as
L. calderoni
(see “Taxonomic Changes” above), while the remaining collections -here assigned the code name
Leptothorax
sp. CA-01 -cannot be identified with certainty. They belong to the
muscorum-complex
, which is widespread in temperate North America and Eurasia, and within which species limits are ill-defined. References: Bolton (2003), Brown (1955a), Buschinger and Heinze (1993), Cole (1954d), Creighton (1950a), Douwes and Stille (1987), Francoeur (1986b), Francoeur et al. (1985), Heinze (1989b, 1991, 1998), Heinze et al. (1996), Loiselle et al. (1990),
Moeglich
(1979).