Tapinoma Foerster

Ward, P. S., 2005, A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 936, pp. 1-68 : 27

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.171144

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6268846

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/9E2AA724-FFCC-FFCF-FEBF-FAB4C7EAF8FE

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Tapinoma Foerster
status

 

Genus Tapinoma Foerster View in CoL

T. melanocephalum (Fabricius) is an introduced species, not definitively established in the state. T. sessile (Say) is a very common ant, found in almost all habitats in California except deserts and areas invaded by Linepithema humile . T. sessile shows substantial variation in size and color. At scattered locations in California a bicolored (orange and black) form of T. sessile occurs sympatrically with the typical unicolored dark brown/black morph. Workers of intermediate color have also been observed, suggesting that the two forms are conspecific. An alternative interpretation is that there are two species which occasionally exchange genes, perhaps analogous to the situation between Forelius mccooki and F. pruinosus and between Dorymyrmex bicolor and D. insanus .

Species identification: key in Creighton (1950a). Additional references: Meissner and Silverman (2001), Smith (1965), Wang and Brook (1970).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

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