The Ants of
Africa SUBFAMILY PONERINAE - Genus Centromyrmex |
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Contents - Ponerinae - PONERINAE Introduction |
Genus Centromyrmex Mayr (1866b: 894)In Tribe PONERINI. Bernard (1952) "with Santschi" set the Genus in a monogeneric Tribe, CENTROMYRYMICINI, justified by the Genus being the only one amongst "all the ants" with very spiny feet. Brown (1953a) synonymised it with Ponerini. Diagnostic Features - Middle and hind tibiae and tarsi with abundant down-curved spines and stiff hairs on the outer surface (Mayr, 1866b: 894). Mayr's (1866b) description is at ; the type species C. bohemanni (now regarded as a junior synonym of C. brachycola Roger, 1861a) is from Brazil. Centromyrmex s.s. includes the three Neotropical species, alfaroi, brachycola and gigas, which were reviewed by Kempf (1976b) I posted a revisionary study with the first ever key to global species on 20.ix.2007 - see Centromyrmex 2007. This was not referrred to by Bolton & Fisher (2008) despite it including separations and amendments now recognised by them. |
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Bolton, B. & Fisher, B.L. 2008c. Afrotropical ants of the ponerine genera Centromyrmex Mayr, Promyopias Santschi gen. rev. and Feroponera gen. n., with a revised key to genera of African Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa, 1929, 1-37 - weblink - http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2008/f/z01929p037f.pdf [10 Nov. 2008] They have reversed the inclusion of Promyopias Santschi (1914d: 323, as subgenus of Myopias), provisionally synonymized by Brown (1973b: 184) - in a single entry "Promyopias Santschi 1914 = Centromyrmex" - and confirmed by Bolton (1994, according to Bolton, 1995, although the 1994 work had no arguments to support the synonymy). The species previously noted as Centromyrmex silvestrii has been placed in a revived genus Promyopias. Comments on Bolton & Fisher (2008) They make sweeping remarks on several aspects but without
providing evidence that they claim or, at least, imply, was available
to them. For instance, their claim as to similarities between the Asian
C. hamulatus and the Afrotropical bequaerti-group I find it quite baffling that these authors gave no links to the images available on http://www.antweb.org/description.do?name=centromyrmex&rank=genus&project=worldants well before their publication and do not refer to let alone include the Antweb photographs of C. alfaroi, brachycola or feae. Also, they state "the holotype [queen] of rufigaster cannot be found", yet it is shown on Antweb at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=sam-ent-0011510a&shot=p1&project=worldants. Species list following Bolton & Fisher (2008). Afrotropical species Oriental & Malesian species Neotropical species |
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Key to the workers of Centromyrmex globally [revised from Taylor (2007) this website, see linked archive page]. The reference numbers are to Antweb specimens shown in Bolton & Fisher (2008) unless denoted by *
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PONERINAE Introduction |
© 2007, 2008, 2012 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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