Fossil and extant species of Cylindromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract

The genus Cylindromyrmex is restricted to the Neotropics and comprises ten Recent species and two fossil ones from Dominican amber. Cylindromyrmex parallelus Santschi is a junior synonym of Cylindromyrmex meinerti Forel. Cylindromyrmex whymperi (Cameron) is re-established as a good species. Cylindromyrmex escobari n. sp. is described from Colombia. A cladistic analysis allows grouping of the twelve known species into four clades: the striatus, the boliviae, the brevitarsus, and the longiceps clades. No Cylindromyrmex has been reported from the Recent fauna of Hispaniola yet. This genus existed on Hispaniola during the Early or Middle Tertiary times and its apparent absence from the extant fauna of the island, if confirmed, should be due to a more recent extinction.