Brachymyrmex
Brachymyrmex is one of those genera that is really easy (for me, anyway) to identify to genus, but almost impossible to identify to species. The only species I was able to put a name on was Brachymyrmex cavernicola, a cute little bugger that looks more like a Paratrechina than a Brachymyrmex until you count the antennal segments. The last taxonomic revision was in 1923 (Santschi) so it is definitely due for another one. Luckily, it looks like Vinda Maharajh, a PhD student at the University of Florida, is working on one. I sent him a bunch of my samples last week and wish him luck. If you have any Brachymyrmex specimens lying around, you might consider sending them on over.
3 comments:
are you sure, this is Brachymyrmex? I thought that only Paratrechina has such as distinct hair-less propodeum?!
Yup, definitely Brachymyrmex. Check out Jack's page on B. cavernicola here:
http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/ants/genera/brachymyrmex/species/cavernicola/cavernicola.html
Yep, I was temporarily fooled by this species, when Kari sent it to me among a batch of Paratrechina. Furthering the Paratrechina illusion, this is a relatively large species with stout, paired, barbulate macrochaetae. But the mesosomal profile and 9-segmented antennae (not visible here, but clearly so in the head shot at Jack's site) clinch the genus as Brachymyrmex.
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