Neivamyrmex nyensis Watkins, 1977

Neivamyrmex nyensis Watkins, 1977:421-423; o. Wheeler and Wheeler, 1986:20.


TYPE LOCALITY: USA Nevada Nye Co.: 3 mi. SE Beatty 3500" 16 April 1970

TYPES: Holotype LACM, additional paratypes LACM, USNM,
Range: UNITED STATES: California, Nevada, MEXICO

Map 29

Habitat: Creosote Scrub Desert

Elevation: 3500'

United States Records

CALIFORNIA: Imperial Co.: 2.9 mi N Glamis 5 May 1978 ( R.R Snelling & C. D. George; LACM.#78-22 ), Riverside Co.: Chuckwalla Mtns. Red Cloud Cyn. @ 8 mi. SSW Desert Center 33° 37' N 117° 47' W 16 April 1994 (G. C. Snelling; GCSC, LACM),
NEVADA: Nye Co.: 3 mi. SE Beatty 3500" 16 April 1970 (G.C. & J. Wheeler; LACM)

MEXICO: Baja Calif.: 28 km E Ensenada 31° 53' N 116° 18'W 750m (P. S. Ward; LACM, UCDC)

DISCUSSION

       Known only from the desert areas of California and Nevada, and Mexico (Baja California), This small secretive species is poorly known. Although it has not yet been collected in California's Mojave Desert, based on the widely scattered collection sites, this species has a rather extensive range, and may certainly be expected to occur there.
       Not surprisingly two of the three collections were from under partially buried stones, while the third, from the Glamis site, consists of a single specimen taken from a foraging worker of Forelius foetidus Buckley.
       The Chuckwalla Mountain site is in a rocky stream bed on the west side of the range, in Creosote/ cactus Scrub Desert. The specimens, which were collected in the late afternoon, were under a partially buried stone. There had been rain several days prior to the collection and the soil under the stone was slightly damp.
       Nothing is known of the biology of this species, however it is likely to be the unknown worker form of N. mojave, if this actually the case, it would nicely fill the large gap in distribution we currently see.