An introduction to Teleutomyrmex.....

Kiran, K., Karaman, C., Lapeva-Gjonova, A. & Aksoy, V., 2017, “Two new species of the “ultimate“ parasitic ant genus Teleutomyrmex Kutter, 1950 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Western Palaearctic.“ Myrmecological News, vol. 25, p. 145-155.

http://antcat.org/documents/67…t_genus_teleutomyrmex.pdf

Some more publications:

Kutter, H., 1950, “Über eine neue, extrem parasitische Ameise. 1. Mitteilung.” Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gessellschaft, vol. 23, no. 2, p. 81-94.

https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=seg-001:1950:23::464

Stumper, R., 1951, “Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutter (Hym. Formicid.). II. Mitteilung. Über die Lebensweise der neuen Schmarotzerameise.” Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gessellschaft, vol. 24, no. 2, p. 129-152.

https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=seg-001:1951:24::461

Brun, R., 1952, “Das zentralnervensystem von Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutt. (Hym. Formicid.). III. Mitteilung.” Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gessellschaft, vol. 25, no. 2, p. 73-86.

https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=seg-001:1952:25::393

Gösswald, K., 1953, “Histologische Untersuchungen an der arbeiterlosen Ameise Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutter (Hym. Formicidae).” Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gessellschaft, vol. 26, no. 2, p. 81-128.

https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=seg-001:1953:26::101

Kutter, H., 1968 (“1969”), “Die sozialparasitischen Ameisen der Schweiz.” Neujahrsblatt herausgegeben von der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zürich auf das Jahr 1969, vol. 171, (Ausgegeben am 31. Dezember 1968), p. 1-62.

http://www.ngzh.ch/media/njb/Neujahrsblatt_NGZH_1969.pdf

Tinaut, A., 1990, “Teleutomyrmex kutteri, spec. nov. A new species from Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain).” Spixiana, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 201-208.

http://antcat.org/documents/3074/2878.pdf

Buschinger, A., 2009, "Social parasitism among ants: a review (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Myrmecological News, vol. 12, p. 219-235.

http://antcat.org/documents/60…ism_review_with_suppl.pdf

Sanetra, M., Buschinger, A., 2000, “Phylogenetic relationships among social parasites and their hosts in the ant tribe Tetramoriini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).” European Journal of Entomology, vol. 97, no. 1, p. 95-117.

https://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/2000/01/17.pdf

Systematics of the hosts:

Csősz, S., Radchenko, A., Schulz, A., 2007, “Taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic Tetramorium chefketi species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).” Zootaxa 1405, p. 1-38.

http://antcat.org/documents/43…_al_2007_Zootaxa_2007.pdf

Wagner, H. C., Arthofer, W., Seifert, B., Muster, C., Steiner, F. M., Schlick-Steiner, B. C., 2017, “Light at the end of the tunnel: Integrative taxonomy delimits cryptic species in the Tetramorium caespitum complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).” Myrmecological News, vol. 25, p. 95–129.

https://www.myrmecologicalnews…_printable.pdf&format=raw

Teleutomyrmex Kutter, 1950

01) Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutter, 1950
(= Tetramorium inquilinum Ward, Brady, Fisher & Schultz, 2015)
02) Teleutomyrmex kutteri Tinaut, 1990
03) Teleutomyrmex seiferti Kiran & Karaman, 2017
04) Teleutomyrmex buschingeri Lapeva-Gjonova, 2017

Distribution.

01, 02, 03, 04: Europe.
01) Alps and Pyrenees.
02) Southern Iberia.
03) Anatolia.
04) Southern Balkans.

Host species.

01, 02, 03, 04: Certain species of the genus Tetramorium Mayr, 1855.
01) T. caespitum (Linnaeus, 1758) and/or T. impurum (Förster, 1850)
02) T. caespitum (Linnaeus, 1758)
03) T. cf. chefketi Forel, 1911
04) T. cf. chefketi Forel, 1911

Teleutomyrmex Kutter, 1950a.

Teleutomyrmex [junior synonym of Tetramorium]
- Teleutomyrmex Kutter, 1950a: 82. Type-species: Teleutomyrmex schneideri, by original designation.
- Teleutomyrmex junior synonym of Tetramorium: Ward et al., 2015 ("2014"): 76.

T. schneideri Kutter, 1950a.

schneideri. Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutter, 1950a: 82, figs. 1-23 (q.m.) Switzerland.
- [Junior secondary homonym of Tetramorium schneideri Emery, 1898c: 145.]
- Combination in Tetramorium: Ward, et al. 2015 ("2014"): 76.
- Status as species: Stumper, 1951: 129; Brun, 1952: 73; Gösswald, 1953: 81; Bernard, 1967: 240 (redescription); Bolton, 1976: 309 (redescription); Kutter, 1977c: 167; Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 210; Bolton, 1995b: 403; Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowski, 2009: 494; Borowiec, L. 2014: 170; Kiran, et al. 2017: 146.
- Replacement name: Tetramorium inquilinum Ward, et al. 2015 ("2014"): 76.

T. inquilinum Ward, Brady, Fisher & Schultz, 2015 ("2014"): 76.

schneideri. Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutter, 1950a: 82, figs. 1-23 (q.m.) Switzerland.
- [Junior secondary homonym of Tetramorium schneideri Emery, 1898c: 145.]
- Combination in Tetramorium: Ward, et al. 2015 ("2014"): 76.
- Status as species: Stumper, 1951: 129; Brun, 1952: 73; Gösswald, 1953: 81; Bernard, 1967: 240 (redescription); Bolton, 1976: 309 (redescription); Kutter, 1977c: 167; Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 210; Bolton, 1995b: 403; Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowski, 2009: 494; Borowiec, L. 2014: 170; Kiran, et al. 2017: 146.
- Replacement name: Tetramorium inquilinum Ward, et al. 2015 ("2014"): 76.

inquilinum. Tetramorium inquilinum Ward, Brady, Fisher & Schultz, 2015 ("2014"): 76.
- Replacement name for schneideri Kutter, 1950a: 82. [Junior secondary homonym of Tetramorium schneideri Emery, 1898c: 145.]

T. kutteri Tinaut, 1990b.

kutteri. Teleutomyrmex kutteri Tinaut, 1990b: 202, figs. 1-3, photos. 1-2 (q.m.) Spain.
- Combination in Tetramorium: Ward et al., 2015 ("2014"): 76.

- [Not in AntWiki: No replacement name for Tetramorium kutteri (Tinaut, 1990b, 202), junior secondary homonym of Tetramorium semilaeve kutteri Santschi, 1927b: 57.]

T. seiferti Kiran & Karaman, in Kiran, et al. 2017.

seiferti. Teleutomyrmex seiferti Kiran & Karaman, in Kiran, et al. 2017: 148, figs. 3a, 4a, 5a, 6-8 (q.m.) Turkey.
- [Note: Kiran, et al. 2017: 146, retain the paraphyletic genus Teleutomyrmex.]

T. buschingeri Lapeva-Gjonova, in Kiran, et al. 2017.

buschingeri. Teleutomyrmex buschingeri Lapeva-Gjonova, in Kiran, et al. 2017: 151, figs. 3b, 4b, 5b (q.) Bulgaria.
- [Note: Kiran, et al. 2017: 146, retain the paraphyletic genus Teleutomyrmex.]

For a complete list of literature see An official literature list of Teleutomyrmex Kutter, 1950.

In 2017 the host ant for Tel. schneideri became Tetr. alpestre Steiner, Schlick-Steiner & Seifert, 2010.

http://antcat.org/documents/4061/23229.pdf
https://www.myrmecologicalnews…_printable.pdf&format=raw

Gösswald, K., 1952, “Zur Biologie und Histologie parasitär degenerierter Ameisenarten mit besonderer Berücksichtigung von Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutter (Tribus Tetramorini).” Transactions of the IX-th International Congress of Entomology, Amsterdam, August 17-24 (1951), vol. 1, p. 446-448.

Here you can find a unique look into this fascinating article!

Goszwald111.pdf

López, J. R., Martínez, A. B., 2011, “Notas Científicas: Nueva cita de Teleutomyrmex kutteri Tinaut, 1990 (Hym., Formicidae) para la Península Ibérica. New record of Teleutomyrmex kutteri Tinaut, 1990 (Hym., Formicidae) from the Iberian Peninsula.” Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (S.E.A.), nº. 49, p. 206.

http://sea-entomologia.org/Pub…rmexkutteriFormicidae.pdf

Tinaut, A., Ruano, F., Martínez, M. D., 2005, “Biology, Distribution and Taxonomic Status of the Parasitic Ants of the Iberian Peninsula (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Myrmicinae).” Sociobiology, vol. 46, no. 3, p. 449-489.

http://antcat.org/documents/4077/21005.pdf

Ward, P. S., Brady, S. G., Fisher, B. L., Schultz, T. R., 2015, “The evolution of myrmicine ants: Phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).” Systematic Entomology, vol. 40, no. 1, (Article first published online: 23 July 2014), p. 61-81.

http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/images/a/ab/Ward_et_al_2015.pdf

Blaimer, B. B., Ward, P. S., Schultz, T. R., Fisher, B. L., Brady, S. G., 2018, “Paleotropical Diversification Dominates the Evolution of the Hyperdiverse Ant Tribe Crematogastrini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).” Insect Systematics and Diversity, vol. 2, no. 5, art. 3, p. 1-14.

http://antcat.org/documents/70…atogastrini_phylogeny.pdf

Keeping the ants in captivity:

Cuesta, D., García, F., García-Tejero, S. & Espadaler, X., 2009, “Resumen charla: Aportaciones a la biología de Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutter, 1950: primer caso de cría en cautividad. [Contributions to the biology of Teleutomyrmex schneideri Kutter, 1950: first case of keeping in captivity.]” [abstract]. Iberomyrmex, vol. 1, p. 24.

http://www.mirmiberica.org/files/Iberomyrmex%20nº1.pdf

A small note: In this thread we encounter reply no. 8. This is a cleaned-up version of AntWiki. All that is in it came from AntWiki. We only did make Ward, et al. 2015 ("2014") a uniform notation and did keep the synonymy like it stood in AntWiki. But we don't agree with them. I am a follower of Seifert, et al. 2016 in that I keep Teleutomyrmex, Anergates,... as separate genera and not as synonyms under Tetramorium... That is all...

If the authors in 2015 went on to accept Strongylognathus as the oldest name....

Strongylognathus Mayr, 1853

For our species all the names used would become:

Strongylognathus inquilinum (Ward, Brady, Fisher & Schultz, 2015)
= Strongylognathus schneideri (Kutter, 1950)
Strongylognathus kutteri (Tinaut, 1990), still needs a new name
Strongylognathus seiferti (Kiran & Karaman, 2017)
Strongylognathus buschingeri (Lapeva-Gjonova, 2017)

In López, J. R., Martínez, A. B., 2011, “Notas Científicas: Nueva cita de Teleutomyrmex kutteri Tinaut, 1990 (Hym., Formicidae) para la Península Ibérica. New record of Teleutomyrmex kutteri Tinaut, 1990 (Hym., Formicidae) from the Iberian Peninsula.” Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (S.E.A.), nº. 49, p. 206. sea-entomologia.org/Publicacio…rmexkutteriFormicidae.pdf the most important passage is:

"The funiculus of this specimen has nine pieces, where the first and the second are very similar in length, and both more long than the third. This extra-long segment comes from the fusion of the second and third. This phenomenon occurs in all the specimens captured on at least one of the antennas (in the half of them affect the two antennas).
The cephalic surface is smooth and shiny, except for light reticulations near the compound eyes, barely perceptible. In T. schneideri this cross-linking between the eyes and the base of the antennas is much more obvious.
Another major difference between T. kutteri and T. schneideri is the length of the silks of the petiole. An average of 18.9 and 33.3 microns respectively. In the female that was measured under the SEM (x370 increases), the result was 19.7 ± 1.1micras (n = 15), a figure very similar to T. kutteri."

Two reactions on Ward et al. 2015 ("2014"):

Seifert, B., Buschinger, A., Aldawood, A., Antonova, V., Bharti, H., Borowiec, L., Dekoninck, W., Dubovikoff, D., Espadaler, X., Flegr, J. , Georgiadis, C., Heinze, J., Neumeyer, R., Ødegaard, F., Oettler, J., Radchenko, A., Schultz, R., Sharaf, M., Trager, J., Vesnić, A., Wiezik, M., Zettel, H., 2016, “Banning paraphylies and executing Linnaean taxonomy is discordant and reduces the evolutionary and semantic information content of biological nomenclature.” Insectes Sociaux, vol. 63, no. 2, p. 237-242.

Seifert Linnaean 006.pdf

Ward, P. S., Brady, S. G., Fisher, B. L., Schultz, T. R., 2016, “Phylogenetic classifications are informative, stable, and pragmatic: the case for monophyletic taxa.” Insectes Sociaux, vol. 63, no. 4, p. 489-492.

Ward Linnaean 004.pdf

Sometimes, even general names change or are different than intended. Just like Teleutomyrmex.

First part means: das Ende, die Vollendung.
Last part means: die Ameise.

Since Brun, 1951-1952, everybody in the German hemisphere calls the ant: die Endameise.
Kutter wanted to call it, and did so in his 1950 article: die Grenzameise.

In English it always was the final ant...

And surely, they are the exemplars of:

The extreme, workerless inquilines.