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Issue: Vol. 5647 No. 5: 18 Jun. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-06-18
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5647.5.7
Page range: 479-495
Abstract views: 82
PDF downloaded: 5

A new Xymmer Santschi, 1914 (Formicidae: Amblyoponinae) species from the Congo Basin, with male and female descriptions of X. muticus (Santschi, 1914)

School of Biological Sciences; The University of Hong Kong; Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building; Pok Fu Lam Road; Hong Kong SAR; China.; Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO) NPO; Walmersumstraat 44; 3380 Glabbeek; Belgium.
Independent researcher; Barcelona; Spain.
Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO) NPO; Walmersumstraat 44; 3380 Glabbeek; Belgium.
Hymenoptera ants afrotropical hymenoptera taxonomy scarce

Abstract

The Amblyoponinae (Formicidae) ant genus Xymmer Santschi, 1914 currently comprises only two species, X. muticus (Santschi, 1914) and X. phungi Satria et al., 2016, from Africa and Southeast Asia respectively. Here we provide the first record of the genus from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and describe the third species of the genus, the second for the Afrotropical region, X. paniscus sp. nov. Hamer, Gómez & Jocque 2024. Specimens originate from a rapid, multi-taxa biodiversity survey in the heart of Salonga National Park, in the Tshuapa province of the DRC. Further, we provide a worker redescription of X. muticus, and describe the alate gyne and male of the species. A dichotomous key to the known Xymmer species is also provided.

 

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How to Cite

Hamer, M.T., Gómez, K. & Jocque, M. (2025) A new Xymmer Santschi, 1914 (Formicidae: Amblyoponinae) species from the Congo Basin, with male and female descriptions of X. muticus (Santschi, 1914). Zootaxa, 5647 (5), 479–495. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5647.5.7