Nesomyrmex spininodis ( Mayr, 1887 )

Arredondo, Brandon S. & Guerrero, Roberto J., 2025, The ant genus Nesomyrmex Wheeler (Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from the threatened Colombian tropical dry forest: three new species, a new synonymy, and new distributional data, ZooKeys 1232, pp. 131-172 : 131-172

Nesomyrmex spininodis ( Mayr, 1887)

Figs 26 , 29

Leptothorax spininodis Mayr, 1887: 617. Lectotype worker: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro or Chile, Valparaiso. [ NHMW]. (AntWeb image examined, CASENT 0919734).

Combination in Leptothorax (Goniothorax) : Emery 1896: 59.

Leptothorax (Goniothorax) umbratilis Wheeler, 1921: 160. Syntype (queen, worker): Guyana, Bartica, Penal Settlement. [ MCZC, MZSP]. (Image examined, MZSP 78366). Synonymy by Kempf 1959: 427.

Leptothorax (Goniothorax) genualia Santschi, 1922: 252. Holotype (worker): Paraguay, Asuncion. [ NHMB]. (AntWeb image examined, CASENT 0913001). Synonymy by Kempf 1959: 427.

Combination in Leptothorax (Nesomyrmex) : Kempf 1959: 427

Combination in Nesomyrmex : Bolton 2003: 272.

Worker measurements.

(n = 1) HL 0.68, HW 0.62, SL 0.48, ML 0.29, EL 0.15, PW 0.44, PTW 0.21, PPW 0.28, WL 0.82, PH 0.25, PTL 0.32, PTH 0.22, PPL 0.22, PPH 0.22, GL 0.79, CI 91, SI 77.

Geographic range.

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela.

Examined material.

Colombia • 1 worker; Vichada, Cumaribo, Parque Nacional Natural Tuparro ; 5.350278°N, 67.876667°W; 100 m a. s. l.; 12 Apr. 1995; J. Muñoz leg.; Manual coll.; IAvH -E-251254 .

Natural history.

Species collected by manual sampling on vegetation in Parque Nacional Natural Tuparro.

Comments.

This species can be recognized by 11 antennomeres, uniformly testaceous or yellowish-brown coloration, dorsal surface of head finely reticulate-punctate and longitudinally rugose, without presence of shiny areas, and basal third of first gastral tergite generally aciculate-striate in its sculpture.

Kempf (1959) synonymized all previously described species and subspecies within the echinatinodis complex under the nominal species, except for N. spininodis . A potential revision of the N. echinatinodis complex could either result in the synonymization of certain species or the division of the complex into multiple forms. It is common to find N. echinatinodis exhibiting sculpture similar to that of N. spininodis , particularly in populations from Colombia different from those living in the TDF (Unpublished data). Additionally, coloration is highly variable within the echinatinodis complex. For this reason, using coloration as the primary criterion for distinguishing between different forms is not recommended. Thus, the separation of both species should not rely solely on coloration; instead, the sculpture of the frontal area of the head and the first gastral tergum should also be compared.

Figures

Figure 26. Nesomyrmex spininodis worker (IAvH - E- 251254) A full-face view B lateral view C dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B); 0.5 mm (C).

Figure 29. Distributional map of Nesomyrmex species from the tropical dry forest in Colombia.