Probolomyrmex
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Ordo: Hymenoptera
Familia: Formicidae
Name
Probolomyrmex Mayr – Wikispecies link – Pensoft Profile
- Probolomyrmex Mayr 1901[1]: 2. Type species: Probolomyrmex filiformis Mayr, by monotypy.
- Escherichia Forel 1910[2]: 245. Type species: Escherichia brevirostris Forel, by monotypy. [synonymised by Taylor 1965[3]: 346]
Notes
Detailed diagnoses were given by Taylor (1965)[3], Bolton (2003)[4], Eguchi et al. (2006)[5], and Keller (2011)[6]. The material from Madagascar treated herein matches them almost perfectly with one exception. The lack of any sutures or grooves on the mesosoma of Probolomyrmex is a widely accepted genus-specific character, but we observed the presence of a small but noticeable metanotal groove in two of the three Malagasy species. Probolomyrmex ants are always easily recognisable from other ants on the basis of their long and slender bodies, almost complete lack of pilosity, the long sting, and especially the frontoclypeal shelf bearing the antennal insertions (Taylor 1965[3], Agosti 1994[7]). Taylor (1965)[3] pointed out that the structural reduction in Probolomyrmex is extreme, which leaves only a few, useful diagnostic characters, such as dimensions and proportions of head, antennae, petiole, as well as surface sculpture. Based on the material from Madagascar, however, we do not consider surface sculpture to be too important for species diagnostics. We observed some noticeable variation within species. Consequently, we tried to avoid using surface sculpture as primary diagnostic character, and used it only as supporting character.
All three species treated in this study are placed in the Probolomyrmex greavesi species group sensu Eguchi et al. (2006)[5], mostly on the basis of the well-developed ventral process. The two species groups hypothesised by Eguchi et al. (2006)[5] work very well for the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions, and there is no reason to create a new group for the three species from Madagascar. As already pointed out by Fisher (2007)[8] for Probolomyrmex tani, the Afrotropical species, which can also be placed in the Probolomyrmex greavesi species group, appear morphologically close to the three species from Madagascar suggesting a close relationship. At the moment however, it is not possible to assess the phylogenetic relationships of the Malagasy species with the species from other regions in a comprehensive way due to the high morphological uniformity and lack of diagnostic characters. A highly desirable multi-gene molecular phylogenetic analysis might provide insights into the subgeneric relationships within Probolomyrmex.
Taxon Treatment
- Hita Garcia, F; Fisher, B; 2014: Taxonomic revision of the cryptic ant genus Probolomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Proceratiinae) in Madagascar Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 61(1): 65-76. doi
Other References
- ↑ Mayr G (1901) Südafrikanische Formiciden, gesammelt von Dr. Hans Brauns. Annalen des Kaiserlich-Königlichen Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 16: 1–30.
- ↑ Forel A (1910) Ameisen aus der Kolonie Erythrea. Gesammelt von Prof. Dr. K. Escherich (nebst einigen in West-Abessinien von Herrn A. Ilg gesammelten Ameisen). Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 29: 243–274.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Taylor R (1965) A monographic revision of the rare tropicopolitan ant genus Probolomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 117: 345–365. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1965.tb00044.x
- ↑ Bolton B (2003) Synopsis and classification of Formicidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 71: 1–370.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Eguchi K, Yoshimura M, Yamane S (2006) The Oriental species of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae). Zootaxa 1376: 1–35.
- ↑ Keller R (2011) A phylogenetic analysis of ant morphology (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with special reference to the poneromorph subfamilies. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 355: 1–90. doi: 10.1206/355.1
- ↑ Agosti D (1994) A revision of the South American species of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society 102: 429–434.
- ↑ Fisher B (2007) A new species of Probolomyrmex from Madagascar. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80: 146–152.
