Strongylognathus

The ant genus Strongylognatus comprises obligatory social parasites, and include species which are dulotic, degeneratively dulotic as well as are queen-tolerant inquilines. All live in nests of various Tetramorium species. The parasite queen does not kill the host queen, but it pheromonally inhibits production of its sexual brood. The share of parasite workers in mixed colonies seldom exceeds 2%; under natural conditions, they only sporadically raid colonies of the host species to obtain more slaves. (Radchenko & Duibovikoff, 2011)

Ward et al. (2014) found that Strongylognathus is a synonym of Tetramorium, and note that it has nomenclatural priority over Tetramorium (meaning that all species of Tetramorium should be transferred to Strongylognathus). Transfer of the hundreds of valid Tetramorium species names to Strongylognathus, with consequent changes in spelling to many of them (because the gender of Tetramorium is neuter while Strongylognathus is masculine), would create considerable confusion. In this instance a ruling by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature would be required to validate a reversal of precedence (ICZN Article 23.9.3). In the interim they maintained current usage as two separate genera and refrained from synonymizing them.

Identification
Radchenko and Duibovikoff (2011) - Morphologically Strongylognathus well differs from any known Palaearctic Myrmicinae genera by its highly specialized, long and narrow mandibles with not defined masticatory margin. Bolton (1976) proposed to divide this genus into two species-groups: testaceus- and huberi-group. The species of the first group are characterized by the strongly concave occipital margin and by prominent posterio-lateral corners of the head. In contrary, the species of the huberi-group have straight or at most very shallowly concave occipital margin and rounded, not prominent posterio-lateral corners of the head.

Distribution
Radchenko and Duibovikoff (2011) - Strongylognathus species are distributed only in the Palaearctic Region, from Iberian Peninsula to Tien-Shan Mts. in the west, and also in eastern China, Korea and Japan. Nevertheless, at least three more new undescribed species are known from Iran (Paknia et al. 2008), Pakistan (Andres Schulz, pers. comm.) and Armenia (unpublished personal data).

Nomenclature

 *  STRONGYLOGNATHUS [Myrmicinae: Tetramoriini]
 * Strongylognathus Mayr, 1853d: 389. Type-species: Eciton testaceum, by monotypy. Replacement name for Myrmus Schenck, 1853: 188. [Junior homonym of Myrmus Hahn, 1832: 81 (Hemiptera).]
 * MYRMUS [junior homonym, see Strongylognathus]
 * Myrmus Schenck, 1853: 188. Type-species: Myrmus emarginatus (junior synonym of Eciton testaceum), by monotypy. [Junior homonym of Myrmus Hahn, 1832: 81 (Hemiptera).]
 * Strongylognathus Mayr, 1853d: 389, replacement name for Myrmus Schenck.

Radchenko and Duibovikoff (2011) - The taxonomy of Strongylognathus is comparatively well studied, while there are still several unresolved particular problems on this subject (Pisarski 1966, Baroni Urbani 1969, Radchenko 1985, 1991, Sanetra et al. 1999; see also Bolton 1995, Bolton et al. 2006).