A revision of the Neotropical fungus-growing ants of the genus Cyphomyrmex Mayr. Part II. Group of rimosus (Spinola) (Hym. Formicidae).
Author
Kempf, W. W.
text
Studia Entomologica (N. S.)
1966
8
161
200
http://antbase.org/ants/publications/4580/4580.pdf
journal article
4580
16.
Cyphomyrmex rimosus (Spinola)
Cyphomyrmex rimosus
, presently taken as a polytypical species, is both the commonest form in the genus and at the same time a residue of classification. The puzzling variability of the complex, which gave rise to a number of infraspecific names in the past, needs a special study, not possible at this time.
Yet I must point out that the infraspecific arrangement for
rimosus
, as proposed at the beginning of this paper, does not imply a judgement upon the validity of the actually recognized 11 morphs and 6 synonyms. It only serves the purpose of keeping track of these names.
The separation of
hamulatus
,
salvini
and
transversus
as full species, and the return of
cochunae
and
venezuelensis
to the
rimosus
complex are novelties. The former step, i. e. the raising of the three "races" to specific category seems to be justified by morphological and distributional considerations;
cochunae
, elevated to species level by Kusnezov (1957) does not deserve this rank being probably just a synonym of one of the previously described morphs of
rimosus
;
venezuelensis
did not prove a synonym of
transversus
, as proposed by Weber (1958), and was put back under
rimosus
awaiting clarification of its true status.