Fossil and extant species of Cylindromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract

since Wheeler's descriptions at the beginning of this century. Most contemporary species, however, show a completely fused mesosoma without traces of suture, but a well visible suture is present at least in the S. African C. wroughtoni. MATERIAL AND METHODS Two fossil specimens of Cylindromyrmex have been examined in two samples of amber from the Dominican Republic: Do-4 130-1 (Fig. 1) of the amber collection of the State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart (Department of Phylogenetic Research). A light yellow sample containing only one winged gyne of Cylindromyrmex. The preservation condition of the specimen is good, though whitish layers surround the right side of the frontal carina, the mesosoma, the wings, the gaster, and part of the legs. MCZC (Fig. 2) of the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, U.S.A. A dark yellow sample containing a dipteron, few impurities, small air bubbles, remaining of insect wings and one winged gyne of Cylindromyrmex. The preservation condition of the specimen is good.The Recent species of Cylindromyrmex examined in this study are deposited in the following collections, given here with the relative coden as it will be used in the following text:

Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

“…Alate, similar to worker except for the mesosoma; known for several species. See descriptions in De Andrade (1998a).…”

“…Cylindromyrmex is an exclusively Neotropical lineage with ten extant species and three extinct species known from Dominican amber (De Andrade 1998a). Its distribution extends from the state of Veracruz, Mexico to Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil (De Andrade 1998a, Quiroz-Robledo 2003).…”

“…Its distribution extends from the state of Veracruz, Mexico to Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil (De Andrade 1998a, Quiroz-Robledo 2003). Known from Cuba and Hispaniola, Cylindromyrmex darlingtoni is also the only member of the Dorylinae endemic in the Antilles.…”

“…Known from Cuba and Hispaniola, Cylindromyrmex darlingtoni is also the only member of the Dorylinae endemic in the Antilles. Cylindromyrmex whymperi has been apparently introduced and established in Galapagos Islands (De Andrade 1998a). …”

“…Cameron’s Holcoponera has been considered a synonym since the end of 19th century (Forel 1892a), and the two other names were introduced as subgenera by Wheeler (1924a) but have not been used as valid since Brown’s (1975) work on the ‘Cerapachyinae’. De Andrade (1998a) revised, illustrated, and keyed all the species of Cylindromyrmex , subsequently adding new records and a second fossil taxon from Dominican amber (De Andrade 2001). …”