Nearctic: California > Pseudomyrmecinae > Pseudomyrmex

Genus: Pseudomyrmex

Author: P.S.Ward , Revised: 1/18/2004

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

Subfamily: Pseudomyrmecinae Genus: Pseudomyrmex

Identification:

Worker: antennae 12-segmented; mandibles with proximal tooth on basal margin; eyes large and elongate, more than 1.5 times as long as wide. Other characters as in subfamily.

Biology:

Most species of Pseudomyrmex nest in dead twigs or stems of woody plants. Some have become specialized inhabitants of live plant domatia, such as the acacia-ants that occupy swollen-thorn acacias.

Notes:

The genus is predominantly Neotropical, with only two species occurring in California.

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2010)

Pseudomyrmex Lund, 1831b: 106. Type-species: Formica gracilis, by subsequent designation of Smith, M.R. 1952a: 98.

Taxonomic history

Pseudomyrmex in Pseudomyrmecinae: Smith, M.R. 1952a: 98; all subsequent authors.

Junior synonyms of PSEUDOMYRMEX

Leptalea Erichson, 1839: 309. Type-species: Formica gracilis, by subsequent designation of Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 166.

Taxonomic history

Leptalea in Pseudomyrmecinae: Donisthorpe, 1943f: 656.

Leptalea as junior synonym of Pseudomyrma: Smith, F. 1858b: 153; Roger, 1863b: 24; Smith, F. 1877b: 58; Dalla Torre, 1893: 55; Emery, 1921f: 28.

[Leptalaea Spinola, 1851b: 52 and Spinola, 1853: 68, incorrect subsequent spellings.]

[Pseudomyrmex and Leptalea share the same type-species; synonymy is therefore absolute.]

Pseudomyrma Gu?rin-M?neville, 1844a: 427 [as subgenus of Formica]. Type-species: Pseudomyrma bicolor, by monotypy.

Taxonomic history

Pseudomyrma in Poneridae, Myrmicidae: Smith, F. 1858b: 153.

Pseudomyrma in Myrmicidae: Smith, F. 1871a: 328; Smith, F. 1877b: 58; Cresson, 1887: 262.

Pseudomyrma in Myrmicidae, Myrmeciidae: Emery, 1877a: 81.

Pseudomyrma in Myrmicinae: Mayr, 1865: 24 [Myrmicidae]; Dalla Torre, 1893: 55.

Pseudomyrma in Myrmicidae, Pseudomyrminae: Ashmead, 1905b: 383.

Pseudomyrma in Myrmicinae, Pseudomyrmini: Forel, 1893a: 164; Emery, 1895j: 768; Forel, 1899c: 86; Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 139; Emery, 1914a: 40; Forel, 1917: 240; Emery, 1921f: 28.

Pseudomyrma in Pseudomyrminae: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 654; Donisthorpe, 1941d: 27; Donisthorpe, 1943g: 722.

Pseudomyrma as junior synonym of Pseudomyrmex: Smith, M.R. 1952a: 98; Kempf, 1972a: 214; Ward, 1990: 469; Bolton, 1994: 184.

Myrmex Gu?rin-M?neville, 1844a: 427. Type-species: Myrmex perboscii, by monotypy.

Taxonomic history

[Junior homonym of Myrmex Sturm, 1826: 32 (Coleoptera).]

Myrmex Gu?rin-M?neville junior synonym of Pseudomyrma: Smith, F. 1858b: 153; Roger, 1863b: 24; Smith, F. 1877b: 58; Dalla Torre, 1893: 55; Emery, 1921f: 28.

Clavanoda Enzmann, E.V. 1944: 61 [as "branch" of Pseudomyrma]. Type-species: Formica gracilis, by original designation.

Taxonomic history

Clavanoda as junior synonym of Pseudomyrmex: Ward, 1990: 469. [Pseudomyrmex and Clavanoda share the same type-species, synonymy is therefore absolute.]

Ornatinoda Enzmann, E.V. 1944: 61 [as "branch" of Pseudomyrma]. Type-species: Formica tenuis, by original designation.

Taxonomic history

Ornatinoda as junior synonym of Pseudomyrmex: Ward, 1990: 469.

Triangulinoda Enzmann, E.V. 1944: 61 [as "branch" of Pseudomyrma]. Type-species: Pseudomyrma spinicola, by original designation.

Taxonomic history

Triangulinoda as junior synonym of Pseudomyrmex: Ward, 1990: 469.

Apedunculata Enzmann, E.V. 1944: 62 [as "branch" of Pseudomyrma]. Type-species: Pseudomyrma sericea, by original designation.

Taxonomic history

Apedunculata as junior synonym of Pseudomyrmex: Ward, 1990: 469.

Latinoda Enzmann, E.V. 1944: 62 [as "branch" of Pseudomyrma]. Type-species: Pseudomyrma latinoda, by original designation.

Taxonomic history

Latinoda as junior synonym of Pseudomyrmex: Ward, 1990: 469.

Genus Pseudomyrmex references

Smith, F. 1858b: 153 (diagnosis); Roger, 1863b: 24 (catalogue); Mayr, 1863: 426, 451 (Leptalea, Pseudomyrma catalogues); Mayr, 1865: 24 (diagnosis); Mayr, 1870a: 407 (Colombia + Panama (= New Grenada) species key); Smith, 1877b: 58 (checklist); Cresson, 1887: 262 (U.S.A. catalogue); Dalla Torre, 1893: 55 (catalogue); Emery, 1921f: 28 (diagnosis, catalogue); Gallardo, 1932a: 44 (Argentina species key); Enzmann, E.V. 1944: 62 (all species keys); Creighton, 1950a: 79 (North America species key); Kempf, 1961a: 373 (P. gracilis group, partial key); Kempf, 1972a: 215 (Neotropical catalogue); Alayo, 1974: 9 (Cuba species key); Smith, D.R. 1979: 1345 (North America catalogue); Ward, 1985b: 215 (Nearctic species key); Billen, 1986: 173 (Dufour's gland); Ward, 1989: 407 (P. oculatus group, key); Ward, 1989: 430 (P. subtilissimus group, key); Ward, 1990: 469 (diagnosis, review of genus); Brand?o, 1991: 373 (catalogue); Ward, 1992: 76 (*Dominican Amber species key); Ward, 1993: 130 (swollen-thorn Acacia-associated species key); Bolton, 1994: 184 (synoptic classification); Bolton, 1995a: 1052 (census); Bolton, 1995b: 370 (catalogue); Ward, 1999b: 473 (P. viduus group, and other Tachigali- and Triplaris-associated species key); MacKay & MacKay, 2002: 38 (U.S.A., New Mexico species key).