Common names for Australian ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) |
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Authors: | Alan N Andersen |
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Institution: | CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, PMB 44, Winnellie, NT 0822, Australia. |
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Abstract: | Abstract Most insects do not have common names, and this is a significant barrier to public interest in them, and to their study by non-specialists. This holds for even highly familiar insect groups such as ants. Here, I propose common names for all major native Australian ant genera and species-groups, as well as for many of the most abundant and distinctive species. Sixty-two genera, 142 species-groups and 50 species are given names. The naming system closely follows taxonomic structure; typically a genus is given a general common name, under which species-group and species names are nested. |
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Keywords: | ant species communicating entomology species-groups taxonomic nomenclature |
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