D3229: Taxonomic revision of the Nylanderia austroccidua (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species complex

The ant genus Nylanderia (Emery) includes 125 described species and likely hundreds more undescribed. Classifying taxa within this genus is difficult because morphological characters for delimiting species are subtle, leading to distantly related species looking very similar. Taxonomic confusion in this genus has caused problems in the past, leading to policy inaction during the early stages of invasion. The goal of this project is to revise the taxonomy of the Nylanderia austroccidua (Trager) species complex to help understand the biodiversity of this genus. Nylanderia austroccidua complex has a large geographic range, from Utah to Panama, and has a highly variable morphology. In total, we describe 7 new species using qualitative and quantitative morphological data from over 65 specimens, including 14 standardized measurements. Together, the morphological and geographic data are used to delimit new species and provide tools for their identification, including images, distribution maps, and a dichotomous key for the N. austroccidua complex.