Current View: All Antweb
Change View
Cite this page

Citing AntWeb

X

To cite this page, please use the following:

· For print: . Accessed

· For web:


Genus: Myrmecocystus   Wesmael, 1838 


Classification:

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2017)

29 species

Myrmecocystus Wesmael, 1838: 770. Type-species: Myrmecocystus mexicanus, by monotypy. AntCat AntWiki

Taxonomic history

Myrmecocystus in Camponotinae: Forel, 1878c PDF: 372 [Camponotidae]; Emery & Forel, 1879a: 449 [Camponotidae]; Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 216.
Myrmecocystus in Camponotinae, Camponotini: Forel, 1886h PDF: 201.
Myrmecocystus in Camponotinae, Formicini: Forel, 1893b PDF: 165; Emery, 1895l PDF: 772; Forel, 1899B: 129; Wheeler, 1910a: 144; Forel, 1912j PDF: 89; Forel, 1917 PDF: 250.
Myrmecocystus in Formicinae, Formicini: Wheeler, 1922: 699; Chapman & Capco, 1951 PDF: 203; Wheeler & Wheeler, 1970b PDF: 651; Wheeler & Wheeler, 1976b PDF: 101; Wheeler & Wheeler, 1985b PDF: 258; Jaffe, 1993: 14.
Myrmecocystus in Formicinae, Acanthomyopsini: Donisthorpe, 1943g: 665.
Myrmecocystus in Formicinae, Lasius genus group: Agosti, 1991 PDF: 296.
Myrmecocystus in Formicinae, Lasiini: Ashmead, 1905c PDF: 384; Emery, 1925d PDF: 238; subsequent authors except the above; Smith, 1979: 1445; Bolton, 1994: 50; Bolton, 2003 PDF: 98.
Myrmecocystus as junior synonym of Cataglyphis: Roger, 1863b: 12; Mayr, 1863a PDF: 431.
Myrmecocystus as genus: Forel, 1878c PDF: 372; all subsequent authors.
Genus Myrmecocystus references
Forel, 1878c PDF: 372 (diagnosis); Cresson, 1887 PDF: 255 (U.S.A. catalogue); Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 216 (catalogue); Wheeler, 1912e PDF: 173 (all species key); Emery, 1925d PDF: 238 (diagnosis, catalogue); Cole, 1942 PDF: 385 (U.S.A., Utah species key); Creighton, 1950a PDF: 440 (North America species key); Gregg, 1963: 643 (U.S.A., Colorado species key); Snelling, 1969b PDF: 6 (Myrmecocystus melliger complex, key); Snelling, 1976 PDF: 22, 25, 27, 93, 115 (diagnosis, all species revision, keys); Smith, 1979: 1445 (North America catalogue); Snelling, 1982b PDF: 77, 83 (supplements to 1976 keys); Allred, 1982: 451 (U.S.A., Utah species key); Wheeler & Wheeler, 1986g PDF: 69 (U.S.A., Nevada species key); Dlussky & Fedoseeva, 1988: 77 (synoptic classification); Bolton, 1995a PDF: 1050 (census); Bolton, 1995b: 274 (catalogue); Mackay & MacKay, 2002 PDF: 344 (U.S.A., New Mexico species key).

Taxon Page Images:



Myrmecocystus mexicanus. Honeypot ants have an unusual food storage system. Some members of each colony act as living receptacles known as "repletes", these ants become engorged with food and hang from the ceilings of chambers deep underground. Captive colony at the California Academy of Sciences.
Image © Alex Wild.

Distribution:

(based on species list records)   Genus is native to: Nearctic, Neotropical bioregions.

Nearctic Region: Arizona, Baja California, Baja California Sur, British Columbia, California, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colorado, Durango, Hidalgo, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North America, Sonora, Texas, United States, Utah, Washington, Zacatecas
Neotropical Region: Americas, Central America, Jalisco, Mexico

References:

Snelling, R.R. 1976. Revision of the Honey Ants, genus Myrmecocystus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). PDF: http://antbase.org/ants/publications/2724/2724.pdf

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Scientific Name Status Publication Pages ModsID GoogleMaps
Myrmecocystus   Smith, F., 1858, Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae., London: British Museum, pp. -1--1: 200, (download) 200 8127
Myrmecocystus   Ward, P. S., 2005, A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., Zootaxa 936, pp. 1-68: 29-30, (download) 29-30 21008


See something amiss? Send us an email.
Enlarge Map