Pogonomyrmex salinus Olsen, a synonym of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (Cress.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Abstract

Nevada, I found that in the keys of Creighton, 1950 (Harvard Univ., Bull. Mus. Compar. Zool. 104: 565 pp., 57 pis.) and Olson, 1934 (Harvard Univ., Bull. Mus. Compar. Zool. 77: 493-514, 15 pis.) specimens exhibiting the most extreme variation could be referred to salinus Olsen and specimens with the least variation to occidentalis (Cress.) ! Upon checking these individuals with the original description of salinus I found the variations to be of such a nature that they could well be within the range of a single species. Since Olsen had described salinus from a holotype worker, which is now in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, I sent series of workers from all five of the Elko County nests to Dr. W. L. Brown for comparison with the type of salinus. After carefully studying the specimens Dr. Brown wrote me as follows, "Olsen's P. salinus agrees well with certain specimens among your series i.e., those having an almost entirely non-transverse-rugose postpetiole and slender, upwardlydirected propodeal teeth of "medium" length. The basigastric shagreening in Olsen's type is not so strong or opaque as in several of your Nevada specimens. I would conclude that on the basis of