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Issue: Vol. 2810 No. 1: 6 Apr. 2011
Type: Articles
Published: 2011-04-06
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2810.1.1
Page range: 1–14
Abstract views: 59
PDF downloaded: 1

Discovery of the worker caste and descriptions of two new species of Anomalomyrma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae) with unique abdominal morphology

Department of Entomology University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland
Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Erbprinzenstrasse 13, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
Environmental Health & Safety, 46 Blackstone Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Moravian Museum, Department of Entomology, Hviezdoslavova 29a, Brno, CZ-62700, Czech Republic
Hymenoptera ants taxonomy systematics new species wing venation Philippines Malaysia Protanilla

Abstract

The hitherto unknown worker caste of Anomalomyrma Taylor, 1990 is described for the first time. Two new species, Anomalomyrma boltoni n. sp. from Cameron Highlands, Peninsular Malaysia and Anomalomyrma helenae n. sp. from El Nido region of Palawan, Philippines, are described. In workers of both new species abdominal segments II and III (petiole and postpetiole) are rigidly fused together across both tergites and sternites. This is the first report of such fused abdominal morphology in worker Formicidae. Both new species lack a vertical lamella on the mandible, originally considered to be diagnostic for the genus and the main character separating Anomalomyrma from Protanilla Taylor, 1990. Modified generic diagnoses are proposed for both Anomalomyrma and Protanilla. Wing venation is described for the first time from an anomalomyrmine alate gyne, and prospects for the future of the nomenclature of the group's genera are discussed. A modified key to the genera of Leptanillinae is given along with a short note on the correct authorship of some leptanilline names.

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