Paratrechina docilis (Forel 1908b)

Wild, Alexander L., 2007, A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 1622, pp. 1-55 : 45

Paratrechina docilis (Forel 1908b) . NEW STATUS.

Prenolepis vividula subsp. docilis Forel 1908b: 402 . [w syntypes examined, MHNG; São Paulo, Brazil].

Paratrechina (Nylanderia) vividula subsp. docilis (Forel) . Emery 1925: 223.

Nylanderia vividula docilis (Forel) . Kempf 1972: 168.

Pararechina vividula docilis (Forel) . Brandão 1991: 368.

Forel’s P. docilis , described from southeastern Brazil and recorded in eastern Paraguay from a variety of forest habitats, cannot be considered conspecific with the cosmopolitan tramp species P. v i vi d u l a (Nylander). Paratrechina vividula is likely native to North America (Trager 1984) and has not been recorded from Paraguay. Several consistent morphological differences separate the workers of the two forms. The pilosity on the antennal scapes of P. vividula is fine, sparse, and shorter in length than the width of the scape, whereas the pilosity on the scapes of P. docilis is stout, black, and at least as long as the width of the scape. The gastric pubescence of P. docilis is sparser than that of P. vividula , and color of P. d o c i l i s is normally a clear orange-yellow, lighter than the testaceous to brown color range seen in P. vividula .