1420 Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico 



Conomyrma subg. Biconomyrma Kusnezov, 1952. Acta Zool. Lilloana (Tucuman) 10: 

 429-430. 



Type-species: Dorymyrex pyramicus var. brunnea Forel. Desig. by Kusnezov, 1959. 



A New World genus. The Nearctic forms construct nests in the soil which are surmounted by 

 Irregular or craterlike mounds of soil. They are usually found in op)en sunny areas in situations 

 where other ant species find conditions intolerable. The workers are predaceous, active and 

 agressive and emit a fluid with a disagreeable odor. The species below have previously been as- 

 signed to the genus Dorymyrmex Mayr, a genus now restricted to South America. The taxa of 

 this genus occurring in the Gulf coast states are not yet clearly imderstood. 



Taxonomy: Gallardo, 1916. Buenos Aires Mus. Nac. de Hist. Nat., An. 28: 1-130. — Santschi, 

 1922. Soc. Vaud. des Sci. Nat., Bui. 54: 365. —Kusnezov, 1952. Acta Zool. Lilloana 

 (Tucuman) 10: 427, 429, 433^38. —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1951. Ent. Soc. Wash., Proc. 53: 

 183. —Kusnezov, 1959. Zool. Anz. 162: 38-51. — Snelling, 1973. Los Angeles Co. Mus., 

 Contrib. Sci. 238: 1-6 (in the U. S.). 

 bicolor (Wheeler). Tex., N. Mex., Utah, Ariz., Nev., Calif.; Mexico. Ecology: Nests are in 

 exposed situations in the soil and are usually surmounted by irregular or craterlike 

 mounds. 

 Dorymyrmex pyramicus var. bicolor Wheeler, 1906. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Bui. 22: 342. 



Taxonomy: Cole, 1942. Amer. Midland Nat. 28: 372. —Cole, 1957. N. Y. Ent. Soc., Jour. 65: 

 130. —Wilson, 1957. Psyche 64: 76. 



Biology: Mallis, 1941. South. Calif. Acad. Sci., Bui. 40: 76. — Eckert and Mallis, 1937. Calif. 



Agr. Expt. Sta. Cir. 342: 19. —Cole, 1966. Brigham Young Univ., Sci. Bui., Biol. Ser. 7: 18 



(Nevada Test Site). —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1973. Ants of Deep Canyon, pp. 103-104. 

 flavopecta (Smith). Fla. Occurrence in other Gulf Coast states is not certain. 



Dorymyrmex pyramiciLS Jlavopectus Smith, 1944. Fla. Ent. 27: 15. 2 . 

 insana (Buckley). N. C. to Fla., w. to 111., N. Dak., Oreg., Calif.; Mexico; W. Indies. Ecology: 



Nests are in soil in open sunny places and are surmoimted by an irregular or craterlike 

 mound. A pest species mainly in the South where it commonly enters houses and builds 

 ugly mounds on lawns. Pyramid ant. Records in the literature for Dorymyrmex 

 pyramicus (Roger) in N. Amer. should refer to this species; Conomyrma pyramica 

 (Roger) is a valid species but is found only in S. Amer. 



Formica insana Buckley, 1866. Ent. Soc. Phila., Proc. 6: 165. $ , 9 . 



Dorymyrmex flavus McCook, 1879. In Comstock, Rpt. on Cotton Insects, p. 186. 9. 



Dorymyrmex pyramicus var. nigra Pergande, 1895. Calif. Acad. Sci., Proc. 5: 871. 5 . 



Dorymyrmex pyramica brunnea var. antillana Forel, 1911. Deut. Ent. Ztschr., p. 306. 



Dorymyrmex pyramicus var. smithi Cole, 1936. Ent. News 47: 120. 5 . 



Conomyrma {'? Biconomyrma) wheeleri Kusnezov, 1952. Acta Zool. Lilloana (Tucuman) 10: 

 438. 5. 



Taxonomy: Emery, 1895. Zool. Jahrb., Abt. f. System 8: 331-332 (male). —Cole, 1940. Amer. 

 Midland Nat. 24: 61. —Cole, 1942. Amer. Midland Nat. 28: 371. —Smith, 1936. Puerto Rico 

 Univ., Jour. Agr. 20: 861, 864. — Buren, 1944. Iowa State Col., Jour. Sci. 18: 291. —Wheeler 

 and Wheeler, 1951. Ent. Soc. Wash., Proc. 53: 183 (larva). —Wilson, 1967. Psyche 64: 76 

 (sympatry of bicolor and pyramica). — Snelling, 1973. Los Angeles Co. Mus., Contrib. Sci. 

 238: 5 (syn.). 



Biology: Wheeler, 1910. Ants, pp. 146, 210, 205, 426. —Smith, 1924. Ent. News 35: 82. 

 —Dennis, 1938. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 31: 293, 305. —Eckert and MaUis, 1937. Calif. Agr. 

 Expt. Sta. Cir. 342: 19. —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1963. Ants of N. Dak., pp. 155-157. 

 —Gregg, 1963. Ants of Colo., pp. 432-434. —Wilson, 1967. Psyche 64: 76. —Smith, 1965. U. 

 S. Dept. Agr., Tech. Bui. 1326: 56-57 (economic importance). —Cole, 1966. Brigham Young 

 Univ., Sci. Bui., Biol. Ser. 7: 18 (Nevada Test Site). —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1973. Ants of 

 Deep Canyon, pp. 105-106. 



Morphology: Metcalf and Metcalf, 1970. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 63: 34-35 (effects of isomeres 

 of 2-heptanone on alarm behavior). —Blum and Warter, 1966. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 59: 

 774-779 (alarm and digging behavior; isolation of 2-heptanone). 



