Brachymyrmex aphidicola

Specimens of this species have been found under stones, in rotten wood, on epiphytes (USNMENT00757619), and on Conostegia setosa (USNMENT00757923). Brachymyrmex aphidicola nests underground or in organic litter, and it appears to be abundant in Paraguayan forests (Ortiz-Sepulveda et al. 2019, Wild 2007).

Identification
Ortiz-Sepulveda et al. (2019) – Brachymyrmex aphidicola is morphologically similar to Brachymyrmex australis, Brachymyrmex minutus, and Brachymyrmex termitophilus, because all of them typically have smooth and shiny yellowish bodies, their mesonotum does not bulge dorsally above the pronotum, their eyes are positioned on the cephalic midline, and the metanotal groove is either absent or narrower than the diameter of the metathoracic spiracles. However, B. aphidicola differs from B. australis by having scapes that surpass the posterior margin of the head by a length longer than the maximal diameter of the eye; from B. minutus by having a well-differentiated mesometanotal suture and by the presence of two erect hairs on the pronotum and two on the mesonotum; and from B. termitophilus by having scattered pubescence on the gaster.

Some specimens from Argentina have expanded gasters.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States. Neotropical Region: Argentina, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Greater Antilles, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay , Peru, Venezuela.

Nomenclature

 * . Brachymyrmex heeri var. aphidicola Forel, 1909a: 263 (w.) PARAGUAY.
 * Forel, 1912i: 62 (q.).
 * Subspecies of heeri: Forel, 1912i: 62; Forel, 1915c: 361; Bruch, 1915: 534; Santschi, 1923b: 665; Emery, 1925b: 42; Borgmeier, 1927c: 141; Donisthorpe, 1927b: 397; Wheeler, W.M. & Bequaert, 1929: 37; Wheeler, W.M. 1934h: 17; Wheeler, W.M. 1935g: 38; Santschi, 1936b: 204; Kempf, 1972a: 39; Bolton, 1995b: 81; Fernández & Ortiz-Sepúlveda, 2019: 728; Ortiz-Sepúlveda, et al. 2019: 464 (redescription).
 * Status as species: Wild, 2007b: 27, 43; Ortiz-Sepúlveda, et al. 2019: 464.
 * Senior synonym of fallax: Wild, 2007b: 43; Ortiz-Sepúlveda, et al. 2019: 464.
 * Senior synonym of hemiops: Ortiz-Sepúlveda, et al. 2019: 464.
 * fallax. Brachymyrmex heeri var. fallax Santschi, 1923b: 665, fig. 29 (w.) PARAGUAY.
 * Santschi, 1925e: 168 (q.).
 * Subspecies of heeri: Emery, 1925b: 42; Santschi, 1925e: 167; Kempf, 1972a: 39; Bolton, 1995b: 82.
 * Junior synonym of aphidicola: Wild, 2007b: 43; Ortiz-Sepúlveda, et al. 2019: 464.
 * hemiops. Brachymyrmex longicornis var. hemiops Santschi, 1923b: 668, fig. 20 (w.) BRAZIL (São Paulo).
 * Subspecies of longicornis: Emery, 1925b: 43; Borgmeier, 1927c: 142; Kempf, 1972a: 40; Bolton, 1995b: 82.
 * Junior synonym of aphidicola: Ortiz-Sepúlveda, et al. 2019: 464.

Worker
Ortiz-Sepulveda et al. (2019) - Lectotype HL1 0.41; HL2 0.29; HL3 0.10; HW 0.37; SL 0.39; EL 0.10; WL 0.41; PnL 0.10; PnW 0.25; ML 0.08; MW 0.18; Indices CI 90.48; SI1 105.26; SI2 133.33; OI1 26.32; OI2 23.81. Paralectotype (n = 4). HL1 0.43–0.45; HL2 0.27–0.31; HL3 0.10; HW 0.37; SL 0.39–0.41; EL 0.10; WL 0.41–0.43; PnL 0.14–0.17; PnW 0.23–0.29; ML 0.08– 0.10; MW 0.16–0.18; Indices CI 82.61–86.36; SI1 105.26– 110.53; SI2 125.00–142.86; OI1 26.32; OI2 21.74–22.73. Additional material (n = 20). HL1 0.36–0.55; HL2 0.26–0.37; HL3 0.08–0.13; HW 0.33–0.51; SL 0.32–0.54; EL 0.09–0.12; WL 0.35–0.58; PnL 0.09–0.18; PnW 0.24–0.36; ML 0.07–0.12; MW 0.14– 0.20; Indices CI 84.21–95.65; SI1 94.74–112.5; SI2 117.14– 157.89; OI1 21.82–28.57; OI2 20.62–28.89.

Head. Slightly longer than wide in full face view; posterior cephalic margin flat or slightly concave. Dorsum of the head with scattered appressed hairs. Clypeus with a rounded anterior margin and five long, erect hairs of which a single, usually conspicuous hair is near the anterior margin, two hairs are in mediolateral position, and two more near the toruli; other hairs on the clypeus are markedly shorter and appressed or decumbent. Toruli surpassing the posterior clypeal margin in oblique anterodorsal view. The scapes surpass the posterior margin of the head by a length larger than the maximal diameter of the eye, and typically bear appressed, sometimes decumbent, but never erect hairs. Three ocelli usually present, but sometimes inconspicuous. Eyes are positioned on the cephalic midline and have 7–10 ommatidia along their maximal diameter.

Mesosoma. Typically with two erect hairs on the pronotum and two on the mesonotum. In lateral view, the mesonotum is not or weakly inflated and does not bulge dorsally above the pronotum. Metanotal groove absent or shallow and narrower than the diameter of the metathoracic spiracles. Metathoracic spiracles in dorsolateral position, not protruding, and usually touching the propodeal suture. Dorsum of propodeum slightly convex and ~ 1/ 3th of the length of the propodeal slope. Propodeal spiracles circular, positioned ventrally of the posterior propodeal margin, and slightly posterior of the middle of the propodeal slope. Legs with appressed and scattered hairs. Petiole short and inclined forward.

Gaster. With scattered pubescence and scattered long suberect hairs, especially along the posterior edges of the segments.

Color and sculpture. Body smooth and shiny, yellowish.

Type Material
Ortiz-Sepulveda et al. (2019) – Lectotype worker (: USNMENT00757130) and paralectotype workers (MHNG: USNMENT00757129, 00757130, 00758121–00718123; here designated): 11 workers [examined]. PARAGUAY: San Bernardino.

The original description of Forel (1909) indicates B. aphidicola occurs in both Paraguay and the Bermudas; however, a type locality is not designated. In the type series of Forel’s collection, only specimens from Paraguay are present. Nevertheless, Santschi’s collection contains a decapitated specimen from Bermudas that is labeled as the type of B. aphidicola. Given this complication, only the specimens from Forel’s collection are designated here as lectotype and paralectotypes.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Cuezzo, F. 1998. Formicidae. Chapter 42 in Morrone J.J., and S. Coscaron (dirs) Biodiversidad de artropodos argentinos: una perspectiva biotaxonomica Ediciones Sur, La Plata. Pages 452-462.
 * Favretto M. A., E. Bortolon dos Santos, and C. J. Geuster. 2013. Entomofauna from West of Santa Catarina State, South of Brazil. EntomoBrasilis 6 (1): 42-63.
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Forel A. 1909. Ameisen aus Guatemala usw., Paraguay und Argentinien (Hym.). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1909: 239-269.
 * Forel A. 1912. Formicides néotropiques. Part VI. 5me sous-famille Camponotinae Forel. Mémoires de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 20: 59-92.
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
 * Lutinski J. A., B. C. Lopes, and A. B. B.de Morais. 2013. Diversidade de formigas urbanas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de dez cidades do sul do Brasil. Biota Neotrop. 13(3): 332-342.
 * Ortiz-Sepuvelda C. M., B. Van Bocxlaer, A. D. Meneses, and F. Fernandez. 2019. Molecular and morphological recognition of species boundaries in the neglected ant genus Brachymyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): toward a taxonomic revision. Organisms Diversity & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-019-00406-2
 * Quiran, E.M. 2007. El Género Neotropical Brachymyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) en la Argentina. III: Redescripción de las Especies: B. aphidicola Forel, de B. australis Forel y B. constrictus Santschi. Neotropical Entomology 36(5):699-706
 * Rosa da Silva R. 1999. Formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) do oeste de Santa Catarina: historico das coletas e lista atualizada das especies do Estado de Santa Catarina. Biotemas 12(2): 75-100.
 * Santschi F. 1923. Revue des fourmis du genre Brachymyrmex Mayr. Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Buenos Aires 31: 650-678.
 * Santschi F. 1925. Fourmis des provinces argentines de Santa Fe, Catamarca, Santa Cruz, Córdoba et Los Andes. Comunicaciones del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural "Bernardino Rivadavia" 2: 149-168.
 * Santschi F. 1936. Contribution à l'étude des fourmis de l'Amérique du Sud. Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro). 6: 196-218.
 * Ulyssea M. A., L. Pires do Prado, C. R. F. Brandao. 2017. Catalogue of the Dolichoderinae, Formicinae and Martialinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) types deposited at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia 57(23): 295-311.
 * Ulyssea M.A., C. E. Cereto, F. B. Rosumek, R. R. Silva, and B. C. Lopes. 2011. Updated list of ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) recorded in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, with a discussion of research advances and priorities. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 55(4): 603-611.
 * Vittar, F. 2008. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la Mesopotamia Argentina. INSUGEO Miscelania 17(2):447-466
 * Vittar, F., and F. Cuezzo. "Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina." Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina (versión On-line ISSN 1851-7471) 67, no. 1-2 (2008).
 * Wild, A. L. "A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Zootaxa 1622 (2007): 1-55.