1953 ) 
Gregg — Camponotus cooperi 
103 
really belongs in the vicinity of Myrmelachista, particularly 
of the subgenus Decamera Roger. The species described by 
Menozzi (1935) as Aphomomyrmex {Neaphomus) goetschi 
from Chile also falls close into this group, according to his 
characterization and Wheeler’s key of 1922. The genera of 
the tribe Myrmelachistini appear to be in confusion, partly 
due to the unsatisfactory nature of the antennal club as a 
stable group character. A female of Myrmelachista (Dec- 
amera) paderetuskii Forel in the Museum of Comparative 
Zoology is almost as large as the cooperi female, but is 
much less aberrant in many ways. At present it appears 
best to consider Menozzi’s goetschi, with cooperi, as mem- 
bers of an independent genus bearing the name Neaphomus 
Menozzi.” 
There is no doubt that cooperi must be removed from 
Camponotus and placed in another, and more appropriate, 
genus, and it seems advisable to do so without involving 
any new generic names at this time, even though the group 
chosen may be shown subsequently to be an artificial as- 
semblage. However, I do not concur with Dr. Brown’s 
treatment quoted above, which would produce certain no- 
menclatural changes, but feel that in view of the unsatis- 
factory nature of the classification of the various species 
concerned, it is much safer to make as few shifts as pos- 
sible, and to place the ant in question in the genus Apho- 
moniyrmex into which group it falls with no difficulty ac- 
cording to Wheeler’s key to the genera written in 1922. 
Wheeler expressly states that the females of this genus 
have 10-segmented antennae, and since no workers ac- 
companied the specimen of cooperi, it is impossible to state 
what their antennal condition may be and we are forced 
to rely entirely upon the segment number of the female. 
Furthermore, while the genus Myrmelachista (subgenus 
Decamera) possesses 10-jointed antennae, the genus as a 
whole has a differentiated club, which is absent from the 
cooperi female, the joints of same showing a gradual in- 
crease in thickness toward the tips of the antennae. And 
finally, I am informed by Dr. Creighton that females of the 
genus Myrmelachista he has seen look much like those of 
Iridomyrmex in general appearance (despite the difference 
in subfamily allocation), which would make those species 
