Chronoxenus butteli

Turneria butteli Forel was transferred to Chronoxenus by Heterick and Shattuck (2011). This taxon had previously been placed in Iridomyrmex (Shattuck, 1990). However, the broadly arcuate anterior clypeal margin and the narrow mandible with reduced dentition exclude it from Iridomyrmex. Although the queen is dealated, her appearance is consistent with subtribe Bothriomyrmecina (sensu Dubovikoff, 2005). As the wings are not present and the palps are not visible, the important diagnostic characters for separating the members of the Bothriomyrmecina cannot be used in this case. Given the provenance of the specimen (Sumatra), the ant is unlikely to belong to Arnoldius, Bothriomyrmex or Nebothriomyrmex, although a conclusion cannot be reached for Loweriella, for which the queen is unknown. However, the balance of probabilities is with Chronoxenus—the queen in this instance is very similar morphologically to the holotype queen of Chronoxenus wroughtonii javanus Forel—and the holotype specimen of I. butteli is provisionally placed in that genus.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia.

Nomenclature

 *  butteli. Turneria butteli Forel, 1913k: 92 (q.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). Combination in Iridomyrmex: Shattuck, 1990: 105; in Chronoxenus: Heterick & Shattuck, 2011: 166.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
 * Forel A. 1913. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise nach Ostindien ausgeführt im Auftrage der Kgl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin von H. v. Buttel-Reepen. II. Ameisen aus Sumatra, Java, Malacca und Ceylon. Gesammelt von Herrn Prof. Dr. v. Buttel-Reepen in den Jahren 1911-1912. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 36:1-148.
 * Heterick B. E., and S. Shattuck. 2011. Revision of the ant genus Iridomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 2845: 1-174.
 * 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.