PSYCHE 
Vol. 62 
June, 1955 
No. 2 
THE REDISCOVERY OF 
VEROMESSOR LOBOGNATHUS 
(ANDREWS) (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) 1 
By Robert E. Gregg 
Department of Biology, University of Colorado 
This species of ant is exceedingly rare, and some con- 
ception of its scarcity may be gained from the fact that it 
was described from four worker specimens taken in 1916 
and has been known primarily from these cotypes ever 
since. The species was collected by Professor T. D. A. 
Cockerell at Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and the descrip- 
tion was drawn up by one of his students, Hazel Andrews. 
One of the cotypes is in the Wheeler Collection at Harvard 
and of the remaining three, two only are now present in 
the Collection of the University of Colorado Museum. 
According to Creighton (1950) three specimens were 
examined by him which supposedly came from Missouri, 
but he strongly doubts the validity of the record. Recent 
correspondence, however, with Dr. Creighton and with 
Dr. W. L. Brown at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 
has supplied the following information about the Missouri 
record. Several specimens of V. lobognathus were collected 
in Barton County, Missouri in May 1920, by J. W. Chap- 
man. At least this is in accordance with the labels on the 
specimens, but Dr. Chapman denies having been in Barton 
County at the time indicated. His inability to remember 
the incident may be due to the long period which has since 
'Published with a grant from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at 
Harvard College. 
45 
