Monomorium Mayr

Ward, P. S., 2005, A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)., Zootaxa 936, pp. 1-68 : 14

publication ID

21008

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6268060

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/814FCDFB-030F-86E5-1E7F-99CEB8E58876

treatment provided by

Thomas

scientific name

Monomorium Mayr
status

 

Genus Monomorium Mayr View in CoL   HNS

Leaving aside introduced species, the Nearctic Monomorium   HNS belong to the taxonomically vexing minimum-group   HNS , revised by DuBois in 1986. Several of the species recognized by DuBois (1986) are problematic, and parts of his keys to workers and queens are unusable. Here I deal only with the two taxa recorded from California: M. wheelerorum DuBois   HNS is considered to be a junior synomym of M. ergatogyna Wheeler   HNS ( syn. nov.) because the putative differences between the two “species” cannot be verified. A key distinguishing feature is said to be the lateral profile of the scutum and scutellum of the queen: flat or slightly depressed in M. wheelerorum   HNS and convex in M. ergatogyna   HNS . In populations from northern California, however, this character shows continuous variation between these two conditions, even among queens from the same nest (the species is polygynous). Other supposed queen and worker differences disappear when intra- and interpopulation variation are taken into account. A modern systematic treatment of the M. minimum-group   HNS is badly needed. Because the queens are apterous in most western populations, interpopulation differentiation is expected to be accentuated, a factor that needs to be considered in any taxonomic study.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

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