Abstract
We revise the taxonomy of the ant genus Probolomyrmex for the Neotropical region. Eight species are recognized, four of them already known: P. boliviensis, P. brujitae, P. guanacastensis, and P. petiolatus. Four new species are described: P. cegua sp. n., P. dentinodis sp. n., P. kelleri sp. n. and P. lamellatus sp. n. We present complete descriptions and redescriptions for all the species, including diagnoses, comments on the taxonomic history and biology, high-quality images, and scanning electron microscope micrographs for diagnostic anatomic structures. In addition, distribution maps and an illustrated identification key are provided.
References
Agosti, D. (1994) A revision of the South American species of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 102, 429–434.
Arnold, G. (1915) A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part I. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Annals of the South African Museum, 14, 1–159.
Ashmead, W.H. (1905) A skeleton of a new arrangement of the families, subfamilies, tribes and genera of the ants, or the superfamily Formicoidea. Canadian Entomologist, 37, 381–384.
https://doi.org/10.4039/Ent37381-11
Ashmead, W.H. (1906) Classification of the foraging and driver ants, or Family Dorylidae, with a description of the genus Ctenopyga Ashm. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 8, 21–31.
Bolton, B. (1994) Identification guide to the ant genera of the world. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 222 pp.
Bolton, B. (1995) A New General catalogue of the ants of the word. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 504 pp.
Bolton, B. (2003) Synopsis and classification of Formicidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 71, 1–370.
Bolton, B. (2019) An online catalog of the ants of the world. Available from http://antcat.org (accessed 7 February 2019)
Boudinot, B.E. (2015) Contributions to the knowledge of Formicidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata): a new diagnosis of the Family, the first global male-based key to subfamilies, and a treatment of early branching lineages. European Journal of Taxonomy, 120, 1–62.
https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2015.120
Brandão, C.R.F. (2000) Major regional and type collections of ants (Formicidae) of the world and sources for the identification of ant species. In: Agosti, D., Majer, J.D., Alonso, L.E. & Schultz, T.R. (Eds.), Ants: Standard methods for measuring and monitoring biodiversity. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., pp. 172–185.
Brown, W.L. (1952) Heteroponera Mayr reinstated (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche, 59, 70–70.
https://doi.org/10.1155/1952/18379
Brown, W.L. (1975) Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. V. Ponerinae, Tribes Platythyreini, Cerapachyini, Cylindromyrmecini, Acanthostichini and Aenictogitini. Search Agriculture, 5, 1–115.
Chapman, J.W. & Capco, S.R. (1951) Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monographs of the Institute of Science and Technology, 1, 1–327.
Delabie, J.H.C., Vasconcelos, H.L., Vilhena, J.M.S. & Agosti, D. (2001) Fist record of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerini: Platythyreini) in Brazil. International Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, 49, 397–398.
Dlussky, G.M. & Fedoseeva, E.B. (1988) Origin and early stages of evolution in ants. In: Ponomarenko, A.G. (Ed.), Cretaceous biocenotic crisis and insect evolution. Nauka, Moscow, pp. 70–144. [in Russian]
Donisthorpe, H. (1943) A list of the type-species of the genera and subgenera of the Formicidae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 11, 10 (69), 617–688.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00222934308527380
Eguchi, K., Yoshimura, M. & Yamane, S. (2006) The Oriental species of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae). Zootaxa, 1376, 1–35.
Emery, C. (1911) Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum, 118, 1–125.
Fisher, B.L. (2007) A new species of Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Madagascar. In: Snelling, R.R., Fisher, B.L. & Ward, P.S. (Eds.), Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): homage to E. O. Wilson—50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, pp. 146–152.
Forel, A. (1917) Cadre synoptique actuel de la faune universelle des fourmis. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles, 51, 229–253.
Harris, R.A. (1979) A glossary of surface sculpture. Occasional Papers of the Bureau of Entomology of the California Department of Agriculture, 28, 1–32.
Hita Garcia, F., Wiesel, E. & Fischer, G. (2013) The ants of Kenya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) – Faunal overview, first species checklist, bibliography, accounts for all genera, and discussion on taxonomy and zoogeography. Journal of East African Natural History, 101, 127–223.
https://doi.org/10.2982/028.101.0201
Hita Garcia, F. & Fisher, B.L. (2014) Taxonomic revision of the cryptic ant genus Probolomyrex Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Proceratiinae) in Madagascar. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 61, 65–76.
https://doi.org/10.3897/dez.61.7634
Hölldobler, B. & Wilson, E.O. (1990) The ants. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 732 pp.
IMN (2019) Instituto Meteorológico Nacional de Costa Rica. Available from https://www.imn.ac.cr/mapa (accessed 7 February 2019)
Ito, F. (1998) Colony composition and specialized predation on millipedes in the enigmatic ponerine ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Insectes Sociaux, 45, 79–83.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s000400050070
Jaffe, K. (1993) El mundo de las hormigas. Equinoccio (Ediciones de la Universidad Simón Bolívar), Baruta, 188 pp.
Janzen, D.H. (1991) Historia Natural de Costa Rica. Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 823 pp.
Janzen, R. (2012) Nicaragua and its Folklore. In: Herrera-Sobek, M. (Ed.), Celebrating Latino Folklore. Vol. 1. An Encyclopedia of Cultural Traditions. ABC-CLIO, LLC, Santa Barbara, pp. 845–849.
Keller, R.A. (2011) A phylogenetic analysis of ant morphology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with special reference to the Poneromorph subfamilies. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 355, 1–90.
Kikuchi, T. & Tsuji, K. (2005) Unique social structure of Probolomyrmex longinodus. Entomological Science, 8, 1–3.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8298.2005.00094.x
Mayr, G. (1901) Südafrikanische Formiciden, gesammelt von Dr. Hans Brauns. Annalen des Kaiserlich-Königlichen Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, 16, 1–30.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.29039
Nascimento, I.C., Delabie, J.H.C., Campiolo, S. & Mariano Neto, E. (2004) Présence de Probolomyrmex brujitae Agosti, 1994, au Brésil (Hym., Formicidae). Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France, 109, 317–321.
O’keefe, S.T. & Agosti, D. (1997) A new espécies of Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 105, 190–192.
Peeters, C. (1997) Morphologicaly ‘primitive’ ants: comparative review of social characters, and thee importance of queen-worker dimorphism. In: Choe, J.C. & Crespi, B.J. (Eds.), The Evolution of Social Behavior in Insects and Arachinids. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 372–391.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511721953.019
Perrault, G.H. (2000) Les Probolomyrmicinae, nouvelle sous-famille pour le genre Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France, 105, 253–272.
Shattuck, S.O., Gunawardene, N.R. & Heterick, B. (2012) A revision of the genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae) in Australia and Melanesia. Zootaxa, 3444 (1), 40–50.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3444.1.2
Taylor, R.W. (1965) A monographic revision of the rare tropicopolitan ant genus Probolomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 117, 345–365.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1965.tb00044.x
Wheeler, W.M. (1910) Ants: their structure, development and behavior. Columbia University Press, New York, 663 pp.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.1937
Wheeler, W.M. (1922) Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1139 pp.
Yoshimura, M. & Fisher, B.L. (2009) A revision of male ants of the Malagasy region (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Key to genera of the subfamily Proceratiinae. Zootaxa, 2216 (1), 1–21.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1654.1.2