Solenopsis wasmannii Emery 1894

Wild, Alexander L., 2007, A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 1622, pp. 1-55 : 53

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.179222

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6247369

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C2878B-FFF2-FFF7-F3D4-D38C328FFEA5

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Solenopsis wasmannii Emery 1894
status

 

Solenopsis wasmannii Emery 1894 View in CoL a.

Solenopsis wasmannii Emery 1894a: 151 View in CoL . [w syntypes examined, MHNG; Paraguay (Balzan)].

Solenopsis wasmannii Emery. Forel 1911a: 297 View in CoL .

Solenopsis wasmanni subsp. transformis Forel 1911a: 298 . NEW SYNONYMY. [w syntypes examined, MHNG; San Bernadino, Paraguay (Fiebrig)].

Solenopsis wasmanni transformis Forel. Kempf 1972: 241 .

Solenopsis wasmannii shows a more pronounced worker polymorphism than any other Solenopsis in Paraguay. Major workers of this species can be diagnosed as follows: head width> 0.8mm; head in full-face view chordate, wider posterior than anterior to the compound eyes, posterior margin concave; integument between compound eye and antennal insertions bearing deep piligerous punctures; compound eye small, with approximately 20 ommatidia; mesosomal dorsum in profile forming a single convexity, propodeum not depressed below level of mesonotum; propodeal suture distinct; petiole and post-petiole subequal in width; body covered in erect setae of varying length; head and body concolorous light brown to dark reddish brown in color. Minor workers are considerably smaller and lighter in color the the major but share the similarly diagnostic continuous mesosomal profile.

Forel (1911e) distinguished his subspecies S. transformis from S. wasmannii on the basis of body width, color, and punctation of the head. However, body width is a difficult character to evaluate in polymorphic species, especially with sample sizes as small as those available to Forel. In my opinion the structural differences cited by Forel are at least partly allometric in nature and not indicative of a species boundary. Likewise, a distinction based on punctation is artifactual. The cephalic punctation of the two forms is similar, but easier to see in S. transformis solely as a consequence of the slightly darker color. I find no compelling reason to retain S. transformis , so I synonymize it here.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Formicidae

Genus

Solenopsis

Loc

Solenopsis wasmannii Emery 1894

Wild, Alexander L. 2007
2007
Loc

Solenopsis wasmanni transformis

Forel. Kempf 1972: 241
1972
Loc

Solenopsis wasmannii

Emery. Forel 1911: 297
1911
Loc

transformis

Forel 1911: 298
1911
Loc

Solenopsis wasmannii

Emery 1894: 151
1894
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