1336 Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico 

 Taxonomy: Brown, 1952. Breviora 6: 1-6. 



Genus PLATYTHYREA Roger 



Platythyrea Roger, 1863. Berlin Ent. Ztschr. 7: 172. 



Type-species: Pachycondyla pu7ictata Smith. Desig. by Bingham, 1903. 



A tropicopolitan genus with 8 Neotropical species, only one of which reaches the United 

 States. 



Taxonomy: Brown, 1952. Breviora 6: 4 (in key). —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1964. Ent. Soc. 

 Amer., Ann. 57: 446 (larvae). —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1976. Amer. Ent. Soc, Trans. 102: 41 

 (revised characterization of larvae). 

 punctata (Smith). S. Fla. and s. Tex., s. to W. Indies, Central Amer., and Brazil. Ecology: 



Nests in small colonies up to a few hundred individuals each, usually in rotten logs and 

 stumps or under the bark of trees in shady situations. Workers are active, forage singly, 

 and are carnivorous and predatory. 

 Pachycondyla punctata Smith, 1858. Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus., v. 6, p. 108. 5, cj. 

 Platythyrea pruinosa Mayr, 1870. Zool.-Bot. Gesell. Wien, Verh. 20: 962. 5 . 



Taxonomy: Forel, 1893. Ent. Soc. London, Trans., p. 358 (worker, female). —Mann, 1916. 

 Harvard Univ., Mus. Comp. ZooL, Bui. 60: 403. —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1952. Amer. 

 Midland Nat. 48: 119 (larva). 



Biology: Forel, 1899. Rev. Suisse Zool. 9: 335 (in Barbados). —Wheeler, 1905. Amer. Mus. 

 Nat. Hist., Bui. 21: 80 (in Bahamas). —Smith, 1936. Puerto Rico Univ., Jour. Agr. 20: 824 

 (in Puerto Rico). —Brown, 1957. Harvard Univ., Mus. Comp. Zool., Bui. 116: 229 (in 

 Mexico). 



Tribe ECTATOMMINI 

 Revision: Brown, 1958. Harvard Univ., Mus. Comp. Zool., Bui. 118: 175-362. 



Genus ECTATOMMA Smith 



Ectatomma Smith, 1859. Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus., v. 6, p. 102. 



Type-species: Formica tuberculata Olivier. Desig. by Bingham, 1903. 



A Neotropical genus of about 14 species, none of which are native to the United States. One 

 species was introduced into southern Texas for biological control purposes, but the attempt 

 failed. 



Revision: Brown, 1958. Harvard Univ., Mus. Comp. Zool., Bui. 118: 206-211, 295-299. 



Taxonomy: Wheeler and Wheeler, 1964. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 57: 449 (larvae). 



Biology: Weber, 1946. Ent. Soc. Wash., Proc. 48: 1-16 {E. tuberculatum (Olivier) and E. 

 ruidum (Roger). 



tuberculatum (Olivier). S. Tex. (?); Mexico to n. Argentina. Ecology: Nests are in the soU and 

 are composed of several hundred individuals. Workers are predatory and carnivorous 

 and also attend membracids and aphids on plants. Introduced into Victoria Co., Texas 

 from Guatemala in 1904-1905 to combat the cotton boll weevil. The attempted 

 introduction led to a fiery confrontation between O. F. Cook, instigator of the 

 experiment, and W. M. Wheeler. Known as the kelep. 



Formica tuberculata Olivier, 1791. Encycl. Meth., Diet. Ins., v. 6, p. 498. 9. 



Formica tridentata Fabricius, 1804. Systema Piezatorum, p. 42. 5 . 



Ectatomma fermginetis Norton, 1868. Comm. Essex Institute 6: 5. 5, 6. 



Ectatomma tuberculatum var. punctigerum Emery, 1890. Soc. Ent. France, Ann. 10: 56. 

 5. 



Ectatomma tuberculatum var. acrista Forel, 1909. Deut. Ent. Ztschr., p. 254. 5,9. 



Ectatomma tuberculatum var. irregularis Santschi, 1921. Soc. Vaud. Nat. des Sci., Bui. 54: 

 83. 5. 



