Forelius keiferi

Forelius keiferi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Tribe:	Leptomyrmecini
Genus:	Forelius
Species:	F. keiferi
Binomial name
Forelius keiferi Wheeler, W.M., 1934 Specimen Labels

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 26.87167° to 18.41666667°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Mexico (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• keiferi. Forelius foetidus subsp. keiferi Wheeler, W.M. 1934f: 141 (w.q.m.) MEXICO. Subspecies of mccooki: Shattuck, 1994: 94. Raised to species: Cuezzo, 2000: 246.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Length 2.3-2.5 mm.

Differing from faetidus (Forelius mccooki?) from Texas in the following characters: Color somewhat deeper and more reddish, with the legs paler, yellowish, and the last gastric segment fuscous. Head broader behind, distinctly narrowed anteriorly, posterior border somewhat more excavated; antennal scapes and legs longer, the former reaching one-fourth their length beyond the posterior border (in the typical form only one-fifth); mesoepinotal impression in profile deeper and more acute, epinotum more convex, evenly rounded, without distinct base and declivity; superior border of petiolar scale with a much less acute median point; tibiae without fine oblique hairs.

Queen

Length 5-5.5 mm.

Differing from faetidus in the somewhat longer and more anteriorly narrowed mesonotum, the absence of black spots at the insertions of the fore wings, much less sharply bounded dark fasciae on the gaster, paler wing veins and absence of oblique hairs on the legs.

Male

Length about 1.8 mm.

Like the typical faetidus but the head, thorax and appendages paler brown, the veins and pterostigma of the wings colorless and the scapes and legs without oblique hairs.

Type Material

Described from numerous workers and four males from Gray. son Cove, (V.2.25) and numerous females from Braithwaite Bay, Socorro Island (V.10.'25).

References

• Cuezzo, F. 2000. Revisión del género Forelius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae). Sociobiology 35: 197-275 (page 248, Raised to species)
• Shattuck, S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Univ. Calif. Publ. Entomol. 112:i-xix, 1-241. (page 94, Subspecies of mccooki)
• Varela-Hernández, F., Riquelme, F., Guerrero, R. 2023. A Miocene ant species of the genus Forelius Emery, 1888 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from Mexico. Palaeontologia Electronica 26(3):a36 (doi:10.26879/1294).
• Wheeler, W. M. 1934f. Ants from the islands off the west coast of Lower California and Mexico. Pan-Pac. Entomol. 10: 132-144 (page 141, worker, queen, male described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Cuezzo F. 2000. Revisión del género Forelius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae). Sociobiology 35: 197-275.
• Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
• Fernandes, P.R. XXXX. Los hormigas del suelo en Mexico: Diversidad, distribucion e importancia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
• Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
• Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.
• Vasquez-Bolanos M. 2011. Checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mexico. Dugesiana 18(1): 95-133.
• Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
• Wheeler, William Morton. 1934. Ants From The Islands Off The West Coast Of Lower California and Mexico. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 10(3):131-144.