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Species: Nomamyrmex esenbeckii

Name Status: Valid Name

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

Subfamily: Ecitoninae Genus: Nomamyrmex

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

2 subspecies

Labidus esenbeckii Westwood, 1842 PDF: 75, pl. 20, fig. 4 (m.) BRAZIL. AntCat AntWiki

Taxonomic history

Combination in Eciton: Emery, 1890c PDF: 39; in Nomamyrmex (Labidus): Santschi, 1920 PDF: 364; Creighton, 1950a PDF: 64; in Nomamyrmex (Holopone): Santschi, 1925b PDF: 11; in Nomamyrmex (Nomamyrmex): Borgmeier, 1936b PDF: 55; in Nomamyrmex: Borgmeier, 1953 PDF: 14.

Senior synonym of Nomamyrmex fimbriatum, Nomamyrmex interrupta, Nomamyrmex terrificum: Borgmeier, 1953 PDF: 14; of Nomamyrmex afflictus, Nomamyrmex crudele, Nomamyrmex indomabile: Borgmeier, 1955 PDF: 139; of Nomamyrmex crassicornis: Wild, 2007B PDF: 43.

Current subspecies: nominal plus Nomamyrmex esenbeckii mordax, Nomamyrmex esenbeckii wilsoni.

See also: Borgmeier, 1958a: 201; Watkins, 1977a: 204.

Distribution:

Paraguay: Caaguazú, Canindeyú, Central, Concepción, Cordillera

Taxon Page Author History

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Wild, A. L., 2007:
Caaguazú , Canindeyú , Central, Concepción , Cordillera, “Paraguay” (s. loc.) (ALWC, INBP, LACM, MCSN, MZSP, NHMB, NHMW). Literature records: Cordillera, “Paraguay” (s. loc.) (Borgmeier 1955, Forel 1906 [as “ crassicornis ”], Forel 1908b [as “ crassicornis ”], Forel 1909 [as “ crassicornis ”], Santschi 1929a).
Labidus esenbeckii Westwood 1842: 75.
Eciton crassicornis F. Smith 1855: 163. NEW SYNONYMY .
Eciton (Labidus) esenbeckii (Westwood) . Emery 1890b: 39.
Eciton (Labidus) crassicornis F. Smith . Wheeler 1916: 324.
Eciton (Holopone) esenbeckii (Westwood) . Santschi 1925b: 11.
Eciton (Nomamyrmex) esenbeckii (Westwood) . Borgmeier 1936: 55.
Eciton (Nomamyrmex) crassicornis F. Smith . Borgmeier 1936: 55.
Nomamyrmex crassicornis (F. Smith) . Borgmeier 1953: 14.
Nomamyrmex esenbecki (Westwood) . Borgmeier 1953: 14.
Nomamyrmex esenbecki crassicornis (F. Smith) . Borgmeier 1955: 139.
The collections of Nomamyrmex that I have examined from Paraguay fall neatly into two species corresponding most commonly to N. esenbeckii and more rarely to N. hartigii . Watkins (1976) and Borgmeier (1955) provide characters to separate the species.
In contrast, literature records of Nomamyrmex from Paraguay pertain to three forms, N. hartigii (Borgmeier 1955, Santschi 1916), N. esenbeckii (Borgmeier 1955, Santschi 1929a), and N. esenbeckii crassicornis (Forel 1906, Forel 1908b, Forel 1909). The literature records of N. esenbeckii crassicornis , a subspecies generally known from the more tropical regions of South America, are based on Forel’s identifications. Thus, the presence of three forms in the literature is likely an artifact of differing conceptions on the part of earlier taxonomists. Regardless of these conceptual differences, the subspecies of N. esenbeckii are largely allopatric across the Neotropics (Watkins 1976). Gordon Snelling, who has examined material from throughout the region, provides a detailed case for the synonymy of all of them at www.armyants.org. I concur with Snelling’s reasoning and synonymize N. crassicornis under N. esenbeckii here.

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 2 times found in rainforest, 1 times found in mature wet forest, 1 times found in raiding colony of Pogonomyrmex barbatus, 1 times found in low forest, 1 times found in Port of entry, 1 times found in lowland rainforest

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 2 times search, 1 times blacklight

Elevations: collected from 6 - 1160 meters, 243 meters average