New Haven, CT, American Academy of Arts and Science, 1930. 8vo (23.5 x 15.2 cm). 151 pp.; eight plates. Original printed wrappers.

A major monograph of this ant genus, written by the American entomologist William Steel Creighton (1902-1973). "As a student of William Wheeler at the Bussey Institute at Harvard, Creighton inherited the problem of an unwieldy system that made the field of ant systematics practically unusable. Although Creighton had access to a huge museum collection at Harvard, he came to see that field work provided more accurate classification of subspecies based on Ernst Mayr’s definitions. He challenged the system of his mentor, Wheeler, who had based his classifications on form, structure and behavior. In turn, his own protégés and younger colleagues, William Brown and E. O. Wilson, challenged his classifications and denied the reality of the subspecies that Creighton defined. Creighton, however, using field work as the bedrock of his classification system, eventually prevailed over those who based their system on museum types." (Antwiki). A few species are new. Published in the Academy's Proceedings, as Vol. 66 No. 2, but also as "stand alone" work, with its own title page, page and plate numbering (both starting at 1) and wrappers. Stamp of a Dutch geologist on the front wrapper and title page top margin; otherwise, a very good, clean copy. Very uncommon. Creighton not in Mallis, American Entomologists (1971).