Temnothorax caryaluteus sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a new ant species from the eastern United States

Matthew Prebus; Nhi Nguyen; Grant Navid Doering; Douglas Booher

doi:10.5852/ejt.2024.970.2757

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Temnothorax caryaluteus sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a new ant species from the eastern United States

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Matthew Prebus, Nhi Nguyen, Grant Navid Doering, Douglas Booher

Year:

2024

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Southern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2024.970.2757

Source:

European Journal of Taxonomy

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Abstract

Although the ant genus Temnothorax is broadly distributed, extremely diverse, and contains multitudes of undescribed species, discovering new Temnothorax species in the eastern United States is rare due to the high concentration of taxonomic effort on this region. Here, we recognize and describe a new species that has consistently been misidentified in museum collections as Temnothorax ambiguus, a common inhabitant of acorn shells and leaf litter. Unlike T. ambiguus, T. caryaluteus sp. nov. nests primarily in arboreal microhabitats, especially within dead branches on live Carya and Quercus trees. We compare the morphology of T. caryaluteus sp. nov. against the congeners with similar appearance T. ambiguus and T. curvispinosus, and delineate diagnostic characters for T. caryaluteus sp. nov. Moreover, we provide an updated key to the Temnothorax species of the eastern United States.

Keywords

Morphometry, cryptic species, Carya, Quercus

Citation

Prebus, M. M.; Nguyen, N.; Doering, G. N.; Booher, D. B. 2024. Temnothorax caryaluteus sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a new ant species from the eastern United States. European Journal of Taxonomy. 970: 175–202. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2024.970.2757.