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Home » Forums » Taxonomy Proposals

Status of Acanthomyops???

I was going through my book, "Ants of North America, A Guide to the Genera" by Brian Fisher and Stefan Cover, particularly page 103 and found Acanthomyops is synominized in the genus Lasius, specifically the Claviger group. My question is: How should that group be recognized, especially in Bugguide? I posed the question when Ilona Loser posted a picture of the ant from Wisconsin, but received no response to it.
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Contributed by Robert Otto on 20 September, 2008 - 6:23am

Comments
on this image contain a recent discussion.

Alex Wild says "Acanthomyops is no longer a valid genus name. Ward (2005) sunk it into Lasius, and the new arrangement is widely accepted among myrmecologists. Both DNA and morphology indicate that Acanthomyops is a relatively young group that evolved from within Lasius."
If others agree I think we should probably follow the latest accepted standards. Assuming it is commonly accepted there is no reason why something as fluid as BugGuide can't change to keep current.
… John R. Maxwell, 21 September, 2008 - 6:49pm login or register to post comments

 
Thank you...
and I do agree that group should be chanced to reflect the current trend in accepting Acanthomyops as Lasius.
… Robert Otto, 21 September, 2008 - 10:34pm login or register to post comments

 
Done
I hope everyone agrees with the placement.
… John R. Maxwell, 18 October, 2008 - 9:24am login or register to post comments

 
Postscript
Although there are my things that correct themselves when a taxon is moved, not everything does.

In this case the scientific names in the common name fields for the two species in the guide had Acanthomyops claviger and Acanthomyops latipes, and the "synonyms and other taxonomic changes" listed Lasius Subgenus Acanthomyops as an alternate classification.

The moral of the story is that just moving the taxa and putting in a note or two isn't all that's involved. You also have to look through the text of the guide pages affected to find such things- especially when it changes part of the binomial.

Not that I'm trying to nag or point fingers- I'm sure I've made such errors myself. It just seemed like a good place to bring it up as a reminder.
… Chuck Entz, 15 March, 2009 - 6:13pm login or register to post comments

 
I thank you
along with George Waldren from the other thread for your help in fixing the taxomony of this group. I am very much in agreement on the placement.
… Robert Otto, 20 October, 2008 - 10:34am login or register to post comments

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