Myrmelachista

Longino, J. T., 2006, A taxonomic review of the genus Myrmelachista (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Costa Rica., Zootaxa 1141, pp. 1-54 : 48-49

[[ Genus Myrmelachista ]]

Non-Costa Rican species with 9-segmented antenna

The majority of the available names in the genus Myrmelachista are for species with a 10- segmented antenna, and almost all of these are from South America. Only three, longinoda , zeledoni and mexicana , are known from Central America. There is little question of the identity of zeledoni and mexicana in Costa Rica. Myrmelachista longinoda is known from a single queen from Panama, and it may be a species similar to but not conspecific with cooperi . There is no indication that there is a large undiscovered or complex community of 10-segmented forms in Central America.

In contrast, the species with 9-segmented antenna are more abundant and diverse in Central America and the Caribbean. The results from this study suggest there is a diverse and complex community and there will be many new species discovered with additional collecting in other parts of Central America. However, it is important to establish the identities of the existing available names, both for the correct assignment of names for the Costa Rican fauna and as a basis for further work on the Central American and Caribbean fauna. Below I review and discuss all the previously known forms with 9-segmented antenna.