Showing papers on "Vespoidea published in 1999"

Deceptive similarity in army ants of the genus Neivamyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): taxonomy, distribution and biology of N. californicus (Mayr) and N. nigrescens (Cresson).

Abstract: —The army ant Neivamyrmex califomicus (Mayr) is demonstrated to be a distinct species, endemic to California and adjacent Baja California, whose range overlaps that of N. nigrescens (Cresson), with which it has been previously confused. N. nigrescens is widespread throughout the southern Nearctic region, and shows extensive morphological variation in shape, size and sculpture. In the northwestern extremities of its range (i.e., north-central California, Nevada, Utah, and southwestern Colorado) N. nigrescens is convergently similar to N. califomicus in certain aspects of worker morphology: workers lack the densely punctulate head sculpture typical of this species, and in their more shiny appearance they are superficially similar to workers of N. califomicus. Many records of \"N. califomicus\" (and the description of its supposed queen) actually refer to this shiny morph of N. nigrescens. That the shiny form is conspecific with, although partially differentiated from, other populations of N. nigrescens is indicated by the occurrence of intermediate populations in a relatively narrow transition zone in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California. No intermediates have been observed between N. nigrescens and N. californicus. The latter species appears to be more closely related to N. opacitborax Emery than to N. nigrescens. In California N. nigrescens and N. califomicus raid the nests of other ants, including Messor andrei, Pheidole califomica, P. hyatti, Solenopsis molesta, and Formica moki. Field observations, combined with indirect evidence from the contents of ant nest middens, suggest considerable overlap in prey choice and habitat use. Both N. nigrescens and N. califomicus are commonly sympatric in southern California (where N. nigrescens retains its distinctive granular-punctulate body sculpture), but less frequently so in northern California where they are more similar in appearance, and where N. califomicus tends to be confined to more mesic, coastal areas than N. nigrescens. Army ants in the genus Neivamyrmex given that the reproductive females are a frequent component of ant commu(queens) of these and other army ants are nities in tropical and warm temperate reentirely wingless and have quite limited gions of the New World. The group has powers of dispersal (Gotwald 1995), a facreceived considerable attention from taxtor that favors population differentiation, onomists (e.g., Smith 1942; Borgmeier The present contribution is concerned 1953, 1955, 1958; Watkins 1976, 1982, with clarifying the taxonomy of Neivmnyr1985), with the resulting recognition of mex califomicus (Mayr) and several closely about 120 species (Bolton 1995). Taxonomrelated species. Earlier treatments of these ic problems persist, however, partly bespecies are shown to be misleading. Simcause many names are based on either pie morphometric analyses help to resolve workers or males only —and the names for and diagnose N. califomicus and N. iii^resthe two castes are not yet cross-referenced cens (Cresson), two species whose taxoand synonymized —but also because there nomic distinctness was previously called is substantial and often confusing intrainto question (Watkins 1985). Both these specific variation in morphology (Smith species —but especially N. nigrescens— 1942). Such variation is not unexpected show considerable variation in integuVolume 8, Number 1, 1999 75 ment sculpture, and this phenomenon misled earlier investigators about species

An Evaluation on The Fauna of Vespoidea (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of Turkey, Along with New Records and New Localities for Some Species

Abstract: Studies so far conducted in Turkey on the species of Vespoidea were reviewed. Including the new taxa determined in this study, a total of 234 species and 48 subspecies belonging to 51 genera have been recorded in Turkey so far. The new records for Turkish fauna are Alastor esfandiarii Giordani Soika, Brachyodynerus kopetdagicus Kostylev and Ischnogasteroides picteci tenuis (Morawitz) in the family Eumenidae. Important diagnostic characters of these species and subspecies are described and shown in figures. Furthermore, it was determined that 2 genera, 57 species and 25 subspecies had type localities in Turkey. In addition, new localities were found for some species and subspecies previously known in Turkey.