Current Valid Name:
Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2023)
Myrmica molesta Say, 1836 PDF: 293 (q.) U.S.A. (Indiana). Nearctic. Primary type information: Primary type material: holotype queen. Primary type locality: U.S.A.: (no further data, probably Indiana) (
T. Say). Primary type depository: unknown (no material known to exist). Type notes: Although only a single queen was described by Say, he obviously knew the workers as he wrote, “frequently found in houses in great numbers”.
AntCat AntWiki Taxonomic history
Status as species:
Smith, 1858a PDF: 122, 130;
Smith, 1860a PDF: 73;
Meinert, 1861 PDF: 332;
Smith, 1861b PDF: 45;
Smith, 1862b PDF: 33;
Mayr, 1863a PDF: 454;
Provancher, 1881b PDF: 360;
Provancher, 1883 PDF: 603;
Cresson, 1887 PDF: 262;
Emery, 1895d PDF: 277;
Emery, 1896g PDF: 85 (in key);
Wheeler, 1900c PDF: 48;
Wheeler, 1901c PDF: 533;
Wheeler, 1905j PDF: 377;
Wheeler, 1906g PDF: 2;
Wheeler, 1908h PDF: 430;
Wheeler, 1910a PDF: 563;
Wheeler, 1916r: 584;
Wheeler, 1917a PDF: 501;
Wheeler, 1917c PDF: 26;
Wheeler, 1917k PDF: 461;
Emery, 1922c PDF: 200;
Essig, 1926 PDF: 858;
Menozzi, 1932b PDF: 311;
Cole, 1937a PDF: 99;
Dennis, 1938 PDF: 280;
Wesson & Wesson, 1940 PDF: 92;
Smith, 1943a PDF: 211 (in key);
Wheeler & Wheeler, 1944 PDF: 246;
Buren, 1944a PDF: 289;
Creighton, 1950a PDF: 237;
Smith, 1951c PDF: 813;
Smith, 1958c PDF: 129;
Carter, 1962a PDF: 6 (in list);
Ettershank, 1966 PDF: 142;
Smith, 1967a PDF: 358;
Hunt & Snelling, 1975 PDF: 22;
Francoeur, 1977b PDF: 207;
Yensen et al., 1977 PDF: 183;
Smith, 1979: 1387;
Snelling & George, 1979: 138;
Allred, 1982: 504;
Wheeler & Wheeler, 1986g PDF: 51;
DuBois & LaBerge, 1988: 142;
MacKay et al., 1988 PDF: 101;
Blacker, 1992 PDF: 6;
Wheeler et al., 1994 PDF: 304;
Bolton, 1995b: 389;
Mackay & Mackay, 2002 PDF: 230;
Coovert, 2005 PDF: 67;
MacGown & Forster, 2005 PDF: 70;
Ward, 2005 PDF: 67;
Ellison et al., 2012: 314;
Pacheco & Mackay, 2013 PDF: 232 (redescription).
Senior synonym of
Solenopsis debilis:
Emery, 1895d PDF: 277;
Emery, 1896g PDF: 85;
Forel, 1901j PDF: 344;
Wheeler, 1901c PDF: 533 (in text);
Wheeler, 1906g PDF: 3;
Wheeler, 1908h PDF: 430;
Wheeler, 1917c PDF: 27;
Emery, 1922c PDF: 200;
Creighton, 1950a PDF: 237;
Smith, 1951c PDF: 813;
Smith, 1979: 1387;
Snelling & George, 1979: 138;
Bolton, 1995b: 389.
Senior synonym of
Solenopsis exigua:
Emery, 1895d PDF: 277;
Emery, 1896g PDF: 85;
Wheeler, 1902g PDF: 28;
Wheeler, 1908h PDF: 430;
Emery, 1922c PDF: 200;
Creighton, 1950a PDF: 237;
Smith, 1951c PDF: 813;
Smith, 1979: 1387;
Snelling & George, 1979: 138;
Bolton, 1995b: 389.
[Note: old determinations of
Solenopsis molesta, by Smith, F. and others, were certainly misidentifications of
Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus, 1758).
Roger, 1862c PDF: 295,
Mayr, 1872 PDF: 152, and
Emery & Forel, 1879 PDF: 467, indicate that
Solenopsis molesta (Say, 1836),
sensu Smith, F., is
Monomorium pharaonis.]
// Distribution
Distribution:
Geographic regions (According to curated Geolocale/Taxon lists)
: Americas: Canada,
Mexico,
United States Biogeographic regions (According to curated Bioregion/Taxon lists)
: Nearctic
Distribution Notes:
NEARCTIC: USA (MA, FL, WA, CA)
Biology:
Ubiquitous, often found in mounds of Formica spp.
Comments:
The species in California, called by this name, may not be true S. molesta. Snelling's (2001) California list has S. validiuscula Emery, not S. molesta.
Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)
Specimen Habitat Summary
Found most commonly in these habitats: 32 times found in oak woodland, 1 times found in desert, 19 times found in shrub steppe, 14 times found in on swimming pool surface, 12 times found in sagebrush, 10 times found in chaparral, 5 times found in pine/oak woodland, 9 times found in grassland, 7 times found in sagebrush desert, 8 times found in Pinyon-cedar woodland, ...
Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 100 times under stone, 48 times under rock, 2 times ground forager(s), 22 times sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood), 16 times ex sifted litter, 8 times nest under stone, 11 times ex sifted leaf litter, 6 times at light, 4 times nest in soil, 7 times ex litter and soil, 7 times sifted litter, ...
Collected most commonly using these methods: 101 times search, 20 times hand collecting, 15 times Winkler, 16 times Davis sifter, 5 times pitfall trap, 8 times 6L sifted litter, extracted in Winkler sack over 24 hours, 5 times at light, 7 times 6L sifted litter, extracted in Winkler sack over 48 hours, 7 times miniWinkler, 5 times Bay Area Ant Survey (BAAS), 6 times direct collection, ...
Elevations: collected from 5 - 2945 meters, 1224 meters average
Collect Date Range: collected between 1935-05-11 00:00:00.0 and 2022-07-17 00:00:00.0
Type specimens: syntype of Solenopsis debilis: casent0902336; syntype of Solenopsis molesta validiuscula: casent0904623
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Mexico
United States
India
Madagascar
Canada
Brazil
China
Greece
Spain
Australia
