Key to Lasius-Nearctic Acanthomyops males

This worker key is based on: Wing, M. W. 1968. Taxonomic revision of the Nearctic genus Acanthomyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Cornell University, New York State College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, NY, Memoir No. 405. 173 pages.

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Lasius

This key is less reliable than the other two, as relatively few of the nest samples studied contained males. Consequently the limits of variation of the diagnostic characters of this caste are poorly known. An attempt to circumvent the consequences of ignorance was made by running several species out twice. A serious study of males, including comparative data on genitalia, might result in a fairly reliable key. The work of Clausen ( 1938) strongly suggests that the subgenital plate may be the best single structure for separating the males of Lasius. Unfortunately he did not clearly indicate the degree of variability of this structure. Wilson (1955) found that the subgenital plate was fairly variable in some species of Lasius. The usefulness of the subgenital plate as a diagnostic character in Acanthomyops should be investigated.

There are 14 species included in the key; the male of pubescens is unknown. The male specimens included in a sample of pogonogynus are murphyi. The males included in samples of the taxon known as alpha-latipes are latipes. No males were associated with samples of the other 3 hybrid taxa.

Fortunately the male key will not be used much, since samples containing only males are not often sent in for identification or collected by entomologists. The reliability of this key is difficult to state, but may approach the 85 to 90 percent level, especially if series of specimens are available in the more variable species.