Cyphomyrmexminutus Mayr, 1862

Mera-Rodríguez, Daniela, Serna, Francisco, Sosa-Calvo, Jeffrey, Lattke, John & Rabeling, Christian, 2020, A checklist of the non-leaf-cutting fungus-growing ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Colombia, with new biogeographic records, Check List 16 (5), pp. 1205-1227 : 1216-1217

(25) Cyphomyrmexminutus Mayr, 1862

Figure 7A, B

Material examined. COLOMBIA: Amazonas • 1 work- er; La Pedrera; 01°35′00″S, 069°28′00″W; alt. 87 m; 29 Apr.–7 May 2001; A. Sabogal leg.; UNAB 4755 ; Antioquia • 5 workers; Amalfi; 06°46′31″N, 075°05′33″W; alt. 1010 m; 08 May 1998; F. Sernaleg.; UNAB 4751 , 4753 ; Antioquia • 13 workers; Amalfi; 06°47′43″N, 075°07′56″W; alt. 1550 m; 27 Oct. 1997; F. Sernaleg.; MEFLG 5843 ; Antioquia • 4 workers; Amalfi; 06°47′ 43″N, 075°07′56″W; alt. 1550 m; 30 Jul. 1997; F. Ser- na leg.; MEFLG 5843 ; Antioquia • 2 workers; Medellín; 06°15′44.4″N, 075°34′33.4″W; alt. 1460 m; May 1999; MELFG members leg.; MEFLG 5890 ; Antioquia • 4 workers; Santafé de Antioquia; 06°33′41″N, 075° 49′54″W; alt. 600 m; 06 Oct. 2000; A. Miranda leg.; UNAB 4752 ; Caquetá • 1 worker; Florencia; 01°30′4″N, 075°39′42″W; alt. 280 m; Sep. 2017; UNAB mem- bers leg.; UNAB 4751 ; Caquetá • 34 workers; Floren- cia; 01°25′34″N, 075°30′59″W; alt. 267 m; Sep. 2017; D. Mera-Rodríguez leg.; UNAB 4751 ; Caquetá • 4 workers; Florencia; 01°30′4″N, 075°39′42″W; alt. 280 m; Sep. 2017; D. Mera-Rodríguez leg.; UNAB 4751 , 4753 ; Santander • 1 gyne, 4 workers; San Vicente del Chucurí; 06°54′5″N, 073°44′8″W; alt. 102 m; F. Sernaleg.; UNAB 4751 .

Identification. Small individuals; head width 0.56 mm or less; hairs on disc of gaster closely appressed and mostly separated by more than their own lengths; and median basal groove of gaster short and usually indis- tinct ( Snelling and Longino 1992).

Distribution. Cyphomyrmex minutus is one of the most widely distributed species of fungus-growing ants. It has been recorded from southern United States of America (Arizona, Texas, and Florida) all the way south to Ar- gentina (Misiones) ( Snelling and Longino 1992; Deyrup 2003, 2016; Fernández and Sendoya 2004; Salinas 2010; Demétrio et al. 2017). It is possible that C. minutus is a complex of cryptic species, but this hypothesis needs to be tested with a comprehensive sampling of populations from across the Americas.

Figures

Figure 7. Cyphomyrmex, Mycocepurus, and Myrmicocrypta species encountered in Colombia. A, B. Cyphomyrmex minutus, CASENT0173957. C, D. Cyphomyrmex rimosus, CASENT0173243.E, F. Mycocepurus smithii, CASENT0173989.G, H. Myrmicocrypta urichi, CASENT0912513.Photographs taken by A. Nobile (A–F) and W. Ericson (G, H) obtained from the Antweb database (http://www.antweb.org).