| Acanthostichus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A. texanus worker from Mexico | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dorylinae |
| Genus: | Acanthostichus Mayr, 1887 |
| Type species | |
| Typhlopone serratula | |
| Diversity [1] | |
| 24 species | |
| Synonyms | |
CtenopygaAshmead, 1906 | |
Acanthostichus is a predatory and predominantly subterranean genus of ant in the subfamily Dorylinae. [2] [3] They are found in the New World, from the southern United States to Uruguay, Paraguay and northern Argentina. [4] They are probably common, but due to their subterranean nature, they are seldom collected or seen. [5]
Contents
Most species are very similar; the petiole is the most important feature in identifying species. Many are known only from a few collections, or even single specimen, which makes it hard to determine variability within species. For this reason, many described members of this genus may be synonyms. [5]
