Pseudomyrmex salvini (Forel)

Ward, Philip S. & Branstetter, Michael G., 2022, Species Paraphyly and Social Parasitism: Phylogenomics, Morphology, and Geography Clarify the Evolution of the Pseudomyrmex elongatulus Group (Hymenoptera:, Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1), pp. 1-31 : 26

Pseudomyrmex salvini (Forel)

Figs. 17 and 25

Pseudomyrma salvini Forel 1899: 94 . Syntype workers, queens, males, Teapa, Tabasco, Mexico (H. H. Smith) (BMNH, MHNG) [examined].

Pseudomyrmex salvini (Forel) ; Kempf, 1960: 30. Combination in Pseudomyrmex . Description of worker and queen.

Pseudomyrmex salvini (Forel) ; Chomicki et al. 2015: 4. Placement in molecular phylogeny.

Other material examined ( AMNH, CASC, CEET, CHAH, CSCA, EMEC, GKMC, IEXA, JTLC, LACM, MCZC, MNHN, MSNG, MZLU, MZSP, NHMW, PSWC, SMPC, STDC, UCDC, UCRC, USNM, UVGC).

Belize: Belize: Belize (c.u.) ; Big Falls Road (Mosser, G. K.) ; Monkey Bay W.S. (Mosser, G. K.) ; Cayo: El Cayo (Krauss, N. L. H.) ; nr. Macal River , 10 mi S Augustine (Reiskind, J.) ; nr. Teakettle Bank, Pooks Hill , 85 m (Bartlett, C. R.) ; Pine Mtn. Ridge, Rubber Camp, Mecal River , 415 m (Alpert, G. D.) ; Stann Creek: Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve , 414 m (Alpert, G. D.) ; Mama Noots, Bocawina , 16 km W Dangriga, 83 m (Keller, M. F.) ; Guatemala: Alta Verapaz: Cacao , Trece Aguas (Barber; Schwarz) ; Region of Sebal, headwtrs Rio Pasión. (Hubbs; van der Schalie) ; Guatemala: Mixco (Mann, W. M.) ; Izabal: 16 km ESE Morales , 440 m ( LLAMA) ; 16 km ESE Morales , 530 m ( LLAMA) ; Bobos [as ‘Bobas’] (Mann, W. M.) ; Lago Izabal , 1.5 km NE El Estor (Janzen, D. H.) ; Livingston ( Barber ; Schwarz) ; Los Amates (Kellerman) ; Parque Arqueológico , 84 m (Mackay, W.; Mackay, E.) ; Polochic R. (Barber; Schwarz); Petén: 13 km NW Machaquilá , 375 m ( LLAMA) ; Sololá: Tsanjuyo (c.u.) ;

Zacapa: Gualán, Finca La Cartuchera (Vasquez, J.); Honduras:

Comayagua: PN Cerro Azul Meambar, 750 m ( LLAMA) ; PN Cerro Azul Meambar , 770 m ( LLAMA) ; Cortés: Lago de Yojoa , 625 m (Krauss, N. L. H.) ; P.N. Cusuco, 5 km N Buenos Aires (Hansson, C.) ; Yoro: Pico Pijol , 2,200 m (Hansson, C.) ; Mexico: Chiapas: 21 km SW Salto de Agua , 180 m ( LLAMA) ; 4 mi S Simojovel (Schlinger, E. I.) ; 4 mi SW Simojovel (Bechtel, R. C.; Schlinger, E. I.) ; Lago Metzabok , 560 m ( LLAMA) ; Laguna Bélgica (Girón, M.) ; Nahá , 860 m ( LLAMA) ; Palenque Ruins (Goodnight, C. J.) ; Plan Paredon, Mpio. Simojovel , 990 m (Philpott, S. M.) ; Playón de la Gloria , 160 m ( LLAMA) ; Playón de la Gloria , 170 m (Cox, D. J.) ; Playón de la Gloria , 180 m ( LLAMA) ; Oaxaca: Uluapan , 4 km NE San Bartolomé Ayautla, 400 m ( ADMAC) ; Uluapan , 4 km NE San Bartolomé Ayautla, 420 m ( ADMAC) ; Puebla: Cascada Las Hamacas , 8 km ENE Cuetzalan, 290 m ( ADMAC) ; Quintana Roo: Rives Caraibes , entre Puerto Juares et Touloum (Carayon, J.) ; Tabasco: 3 mi W Cardenas (Janzen, D. H.) ; Teapa (Smith, H. H.) ; Veracruz: 10 km N Sontecomapan , 10 m (Ward, P. S.) ; 4 mi N Catemaco (Fisher, E. M.) ; 6 mi NE Catemaco , 455 m (Newton, A.) ; 8 mi NW Sontecomapan , 150 m (Newton, A.) ; Est. Biol. de Los Tuxtlas (Hespenheide, H. A.) ; Est. Biol. Los Tuxtlas , 110 m ( ADMAC) ; Est. Biol. Los Tuxtlas , 120 m ( ADMAC) ; Est. Biol. Los Tuxtlas , 140 m ( ADMAC) ; Est. Biol. Los Tuxtlas , 150 m ( ADMAC) ; Est. Biol. Los Tuxtlas , 160 m ( ADMAC) ; Est. Biol. Los Tuxtlas , 170 m ( ADMAC) ; Est. Biol. Los Tuxtlas , 180 m ( ADMAC) ; Est. Los Tuxtlas (Quiroz, L.) ; Estación de Biología Los Tuxtlas , 115 m (Ward, P. S.) ; Estación de Biología Los Tuxtlas , 150 m (Ward, P. S.) ; La Buenaventura (Petrunkewitch); Lago Catemaco (Gillogly, A. R.) ; Las Hamacas , 17 km N Santiago Tuxtla (Wilson, E. O.) ; Los Tuxtlas , 160 m (Kautz, S.; Heil, M.) ; Los Tuxtlas (Jeanne, R. L.) ; Los Tuxtlas Res. Stn. (Sivinski, J.) ; Los Tuxtlas , 10 km NNW Sontecomapan, 200 m (Ward, P. S.) ; Playa Escondita, nr. San Andreas Tuxtlas (Meyer, D.) ; Pueblo Nuevo, nr. Tetzonapa (Wilson, E. O.) ; St. Lucrecia (Mann, W. M.) ; Yucatán: env. Uxmal (Carayon, J.) .

Worker measurements (n = 10). HW 1.12–1.21, HL 1.19–1.35, FCI 0.038 –0.055, LHT 0.96–1.12, CI 0.90–0.96, FCI 0.032 –0.047, REL 0.54–0.59, REL2 0.59–0.62, FI 0.37–0.41, PLI 0.43–0.49, PWI 0.43–0.49, MSC 2–4.

Worker Diagnosis. Relatively large species ( HW 1.12–1.21, LHT 0.96–1.12) with broad head and large eyes (see REL and REL2 values); frontal carinae separated by less than basal scape width; pronotum laterally submarginate, flattened, and with a weak longitudinal median depression; metanotal groove obsolete to absent; in profile propodeum short and high, the dorsal face shorter than, and rounding insensibly into, the declivitous face; petiole elongate and gracile, with a well differentiated anterior peduncle ( Fig. 17 ) ( PLI 0.43–0.49, PL/HL 0.64–0.69); profemur slender; hind leg relatively long ( LHT /HL 0.80–0.84). Head varying from sublucid to (in more southern populations) subopaque; anterior half of head between eyes densely punctulate-coriarious, punctures becoming sparser on posterior half (separated by more than their diameters), and with intervening reticulate-coriarious sculpture of varying reflectance. Standing pilosity sparse, confined on the mesosoma dorsum to the pronotum ( MSC 2-4). Head dark blackish-brown, remainder of body varying from contrastingly yellow-orange (except for transverse infuscated bands on abdominal tergites 4–6) to medium brown, appendages generally lighter.

Comments. Pseudomyrmex salvini is a distinctive species, sister to all other members of the P. elongatulus group (Fig. 1). It is easily recognized by its large size, elongate eyes (more than one-half head length), broad head (worker CI 0.90–0.96, queen CI 0.81–0.84), short high propodeum (in the worker), and elongate petiole with well-developed anterior peduncle ( Fig. 17 ). In populations from Veracruz the head contrasts strikingly with the lighter colored remainder of the body; farther southward and eastward the mesosoma and metasoma become increasingly infuscated and the contrast is muted.

Distribution and Biology. This species is confined to southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras, where it occurs in or at the edge of mesic forest, at elevations ranging from 10 m to 990 m (mean 316 m; n = 35). One worker, from Pico Pijol, Honduras (leg. C. Hansson) ( MZLU), has the elevation given as ‘2200 m’, but this is likely to be an error. Habitats recorded on specimen labels include littoral vegetation, rainforest, rainforest edge, mesophil forest, and roadside. Among the material examined by us, there were only four explicit nest series: ‘ex dead twig of liana’, ‘ex dead weed stalk’, ‘ex dead twig’, and ‘nest in twig’. Most collections consist of workers or dealate queens foraging on low vegetation. At Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz one of us (P.S.W.) observed a salticid spider, apparently the darkcephalic morph of Synemosyna decipiens (Cambridge) (see Cutler 1985: 87), mimicking workers of P. salvini .

Figures

Fig. 16–18. Pseudomyrmex elongatulus group, workers, full-face dorsal view of head (a) and lateral profile of body (b). 16, P. nimbus, holotype, Costa Rica (CASENT0863541); 17, P. salvini, syntype, Mexico (CASENT0902879); 18, P. veracruzensis, holotype, Mexico (CASENT0863542). Images from AntWeb (www. antweb.org); photographers Phil Ward (16, 18), Zach (Ziv) Lieberman (17).

Fig. 19–26. Pseudomyrmex elongatulus group: distribution maps. 19, P. apache; 20, P. arcanus (circles), P. fasciatus (triangles); 21, P. championi; 22, P. capillatus (triangles), P. cognatus (circles); 23, P. elongatulus (circles), probable introduced populations (stars); 24, P. comitator (square), P. ereptor (triangle), P. exoratus (circles); 25, P.salvini; 26, P. nimbus (circles), P. veracruzensis (triangle).