NEOCLYSTOPSENELLA (BETHYLIDAE) 
A SYNONYM OF TAPINOMA (FORMICIDAE) 
By William L. Brown, Jr. 
Department of Entomology 
Cornell University 
Ithaca, NY 14853 
I followed up Dr. Karl Krombein’s suggestion that Kurian’s spe- 
cies Neoclystopsenella luffae might be an ant, and not a bethylid as 
originally described. The type place of deposit is unknown, but a 
reading of the original paper convinces me that the description, 
although vague and incomplete, fits well the current concept of male 
Tapinoma in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The specific identity of 
Tapinoma luffae new combination remains obscure, but judging 
from the small size given, “2.4 mm,” and the wing venation as 
figured by Kurian, it may be close to or the same as T. melanocepha- 
lum or one of its relatives in “subgenus Micromyrma.” 
Tapinoma 
Tapinoma Foerster, 1850: 43, worker, queen (not male). Type: Tapinoma collina 
Foerster = Tapinoma erraticum, monobasic. 
Neoclystopsenella Kurian 1955: 133, male. Type: Neoclystopsenella luffae Kurian, by 
original designation, monobasic (described in Bethylidae). New synonym. 
Reference Cited 
Foerster, A. 1850. Hymenopterologische Studien. 1. Formicariae, pp. 1-74. Ver- 
lag E. Ter Meer, Aachen. 
Kurian, C. 1955. Bethyloidea (Hymenoptera) from India. Agra University Jour- 
nal of Research (Science) 4 : 67-155. 
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