SPECIES OR SUBSPECIES ?

     One of the problems that pops up on a fairly consistent basis is how to deal with taxa that have been named as subspecies or varieties. "Variety" is no longer used in the present course of events; all previous varieties have been bumped up to "subspecies." A great many of the currently described ant species have one or more subspecies: some have half a dozen or more and sometimes two of these may be sympatric. As any taxonomist will attest, there are two kinds of subspecies: those that are apparently conspecific with the parent form and those that are apparently distinct species. Until the particular complex or genus has been studied at a population level, utilizing not only the traditional external morphological examining, but also sometimes supplemented by genetic, chemical and molecular techniques, these names must always be treated as if they were valid.
      One of my Australian colleagues, Dr. Robert Taylor, and I discussed this situation briefly last September and he gave me a copy of one of his manuscripts that pretty much summarizes his view and I will paraphrase the pertinent paragraph below.
      Names of the species-group have equal nomenclatural status, whether applied to species or subspecies. Present subspecific epithets are best assigned species rank when the must be discussed under circumstances where their status or synonymy remain unresolved. This applies especially in taxa like the Formicidae, where few authors now consider the subspecies category to be taxonomically functional. Current subspecific names of ants are thus destined almost inevitably either to become junior synonyms or to be recognized as full species. It is therefore appropriate to discuss them with full-species status, unless or until junior synonymy is confidently indicated.
      Thus, if one is preparing a list of the ants of the El Verde Research Station in Puerto Rico there are a number of taxa that are presently listed as "subspecies" in Bolton's 2000 catalog. An example would be Hypoponera opaciceps jamaicensis Aguayo. In such a list, or in an ecological study, the ant should be listed as H. jamaicensis. Until proven otherwise, it is a potentially valid species and should be treated as such.
     Bob Taylor and I would both welcome comments to Notes From Underground. We would like to know what insights others might offer.

Roy Snelling