skip to main content


Title: A taxonomic revision of the Strumigenys nitens and simulans groups (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), two Caribbean radiations of leaf litter ants
In this study, we revise two groups of cryptic leaf litter ants, the Strumigenys nitens and Strumigenys simulans species groups. These two groups are restricted to the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. We redefine the species groups, provide a key for the five species in the S. nitens group, and differentiate the two species in the S. simulans group. Four new species are described: Strumigenys caiman sp. nov., S. economoi sp. nov., S. hubbewatyorum sp. nov., and S. zemi sp. nov. We review and provide a key for the Strumigenys fauna of Hispaniola, which comprises the two endemic species S. economoi and S. zemi, six more broadly distributed Neotropical species, and three pan-tropical “tramp” species.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1710645
NSF-PAR ID:
10146808
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Zootaxa
Volume:
4656
Issue:
2
ISSN:
1175-5326
Page Range / eLocation ID:
335 to 358
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. The present study represents a taxonomic revision of the P. bessonii species-group from Madagascar. Eighteen members of this group are recognized and described, and an illustrated identification key to this group is also presented. One name is raised to species level: P. decollata Forel, 1892 stat. nov. We also redescribe worker castes and designate lectotypes for P. bessonii Forel, 1891, P. decollata Forel, 1892, P. grallatrix Emery, 1899, P. madecassa Forel, 1892, and P. oswaldi 1891. The following 13 new species are described: Pheidole antsahabe sp. nov., Pheidole atsirakambiaty sp. nov., Pheidole clara sp. nov., Pheidole flammea sp. nov., Pheidole flavodepressa sp. nov., Pheidole mantadioflava sp. nov., Pheidole maro sp. nov., Pheidole ovalinoda sp. nov., Pheidole similis sp. nov., Pheidole tenebrovulgaris sp. nov., Pheidole uranus sp. nov., Pheidole voreios sp. nov., Pheidole zirafy sp. nov. 
    more » « less
  2. Five new species of the endemic Australian leafhopper genus Mayawa Fletcher, 2000 (M. affinifacialis sp. nov., M. bimaculata sp. nov., M. brevicephala sp. nov., M. kathyae sp. nov. and M. vestigia sp. nov.) are described and illustrated and a revised key to species is provided. One of the new species tested positive for a previously unknown strain of phytoplasma belonging to the 16SrV group. The related paralimnine genus Austroauridius gen. nov. based on A. iwaii sp. nov. from Queensland is also described and illustrated and a key to known genera of Australian Paralimnini is provided. 
    more » « less
  3. null (Ed.)
    The Mexican leafhopper genus and species Devolana hemicycla DeLong, 1967 syn. nov., is recognized as a junior synonym of Usanus stonei DeLong, 1947. Three previously described species, U. tuxcacuensis (Pinedo-Escatel & Aguilar-Pérez, 2019) comb. nov., U. youajla (Pinedo-Escatel, 2019) comb. nov., and U. xajxayakamej (Pinedo-Escatel, 2019) comb. nov. are transferred to Usanus. Two new species, U. xochipalensis sp. nov. and U. igualaensis sp. nov. from Guerrero, are described and illustrated. An updated key to all known species of Usanus is provided. 
    more » « less
  4. An integrative taxonomic analysis of the 10 species of the Cyrtodactylus sinyineensis group based on squamation, color pattern, and the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) and its flanking tRNA regions, recovered the newly discovered populations from Datt Kyaik and Taung Wine Hills in Kayin State as the new species Cyrtodactylus dattkyaikensis sp. nov. and C. taungwineensis sp. nov. The Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic estimates supported C. dattkyaikensis sp. nov. as the sister species of C. bayinnyiensis and C. taungwineensis sp. nov. as the sister species of C. sinyineensis. Each new species is differentially diagnosable from all other C. sinyineensis group species based on their morphological placement in multivariate space and several statistically significant mean differences is meristic squamation and color pattern data. The C. sinyineensis group ranges across an archipelago of karstic habitat-islands in the Salween Basin of southern Myanmar. The discovery of these new species continues to underscore the unprecedented high degree of diversity and site-specific endemism in this relatively small region and the urgent need for the conservation of its karstic terranes. 
    more » « less
  5. null (Ed.)
    Three new Neotropical athysanine (Deltocephalinae) leafhopper genera, Spaltumtettix Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich gen. nov., Pseudonapo Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich gen. nov., and Goiattus Pinedo-Escatel gen. nov., and 4 new species, S. coloradus Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Peru), P. waorani Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Ecuador), P. huanucensis Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Peru), and G. reyesi Pinedo-Escatel sp. nov. (Brazil), are described and illustrated. In addition, the genera Zabrosa Oman, Napo Linnavuori & DeLong, Pseudalaca Linnavuori and Brazosa Oman are revised and redescribed. Six new species are described in Brazosa: B. campinacu Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Brazil), B. espatula Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Brazil), B. encrustada Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Brazil), B. mildredireanae Pinedo-Escatel sp. nov. (Peru), B. negra Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Peru and Bolivia) and B. beni Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Bolivia). Brazosa caesarea Linnavuori & Heller comb. nov. is transferred to Spaltumtettix. The South American species Z. aquareza Linnavuori & DeLong syn. nov. is proposed as junior synonym of Z. unicampi Menezes. Keys to species of each genus are provided. Unusual aspects of the morphology of these genera are discussed and a comparative table is provided. 
    more » « less