.jpg){kind=logo}
Formica caerulescens
| Formica caerulescens | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification (junior synonym of Tapinoma erraticum) | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Genus: | Tapinoma |
| Species: | Formica caerulescens Losana, 1834 |
This taxon is not in use as it is currently considered to be a junior synonym of Tapinoma erraticum.
The synonymy of this name with T. erraticum has been questioned by Seifert et al. (2024). They point out that this taxon was described from Piemont / Italy and has been considered by all authors since Mayr (1863) as junior synonym of Tapinoma erraticum—for the last time by Radchenko (2016). However, the verbal statement of Losana (1834) “...squama subquadrata, emarginata...” and his drawings of petiole scale and dorsal aspect of the whole ant definitely exclude that it belongs to the genus Tapinoma. It is a member of the subfamily Formicinae—most probably either a species of Lasius or Formica.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- caerulescens. Formica caerulescens Losana, 1834: 314, fig. 3 (w.) ITALY. Junior synonym of erraticum: Mayr, 1865: 62.