Aphomomyrmex | |
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A. afer worker from South Africa | |
Scientific classification | |
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Genus: | Aphomomyrmex Emery, 1899 |
Species: | A. afer |
Binomial name | |
Aphomomyrmex afer Emery, 1899 | |
Type species | |
Aphomomyrmex afer |
Aphomomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. [1] It contains the single species Aphomomyrmex afer, known from Africa (Cameroon and South Africa). The genus is closely related to Petalomyrmex . [2]
A genus is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, as well as viruses, in biology. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus.
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 140 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.
In biological classification, a subfamily is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoological names with "-inae".
The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.
Aenictogiton is a genus of ants, comprising seven rarely collected species. All of the species are known only from males from Central Africa, and show a morphological and phylogenetic affinity to the army ant genus Dorylus. Nothing is known about the workers, queens, or behavior of these ants. A few undescribed species are known to exist in a few collections.
Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies, with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly species.
The name army ant (or legionary ant or marabunta) is applied to over 200 ant species in different lineages. Due to their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", a huge number of ants forage simultaneously over a certain area.
Dorymyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae.
Plagiolepidini are an ant tribe from the subfamily Formicinae.
Paratrechina is one of seven ant genera in the Prenolepis genus-group from the subfamily Formicinae. Six species are included in Paratrechina; one of which, the longhorn crazy ant, is a widespread, pantropical pest.
Monomorium is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. As of 2013 it contains about 396 species. It is distributed around the world, with many species native to the Old World tropics. It is considered to be "one of the more important groups of ants," considering its widespread distribution, its diversity, and its variety of morphological and biological characteristics. It also includes several familiar pest species, such as the pharaoh ant and the flower ant.
Liometopum is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae, found in North America, Europe and Asia.
Apomyrma stygia is a species of ant found in West Africa, first described in 1970 (1970). It is the only species in the genus Apomyrma, tribe Apomyrmini, and subfamily Apomyrminae. A newly described species, Opamyrma hungvuong, is apparently related to Apomyrma. It has been suggested the ant primarily lives in tropical forests, and apparently belongs to a guild of centipede feeding ants.
Titanomyrma is a genus of prehistoric giant ant. The latest species to be discovered, T. lubei, was described in 2011, when a 49.5-million-year-old fossilized winged queen ant, comparable in size to hummingbirds, was found in Wyoming, United States. This fossil is the first fossil of a giant ant found in the Western Hemisphere. The presence of Titanomyrma in North America is considered to indicate "the first reported cross-Arctic dispersal by a thermophilic insect group". Another fossil species of this genus, T. gigantea, is the largest-known fossil or extant species of giant ant in the world.
Agroecomyrmecinae is a subfamily of ants containing two extant and two fossil genera. The subfamily was originally classified in 1930 by Carpenter as Agroecomyrmecini, a Myrmicinae tribe. Bolton raised the tribe to subfamily status in 2003, suggesting that Agroecomyrmecinae might be the sister taxon to Myrmicinae. It has since been discovered to be one of the earliest lineages of ants, a clade from the basal polytomy for all ants. In 2014, the subfamily was expanded to two tribes. The tribe Ankylomyrmini was moved from the subfamily Myrmicinae to Agroemyrmecinae.
Cyphoidris is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus is known from Africa.
Dicroaspis is an African genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae.
Lachnomyrmex is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus consists of 16 species restricted to the Neotropics, known from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. They are most often found in the leaf litter of wet forests, with nests located on the ground. Workers forage alone, apparently without recruiting nestmates or using pheromones. Within the tribe Stenammini, they seem to be most closely related to the genera Lordomyrma of Indo-Australia and Cyphoidris of Africa.
Ankylomyrma is a genus of large arboreal ants in the subfamily Agroecomyrmecinae. It contains the single species Ankylomyrma coronacantha, the sole member of the tribe Ankylomyrmini. The genus is known from Africa. Nothing is known about their biology. The genus was moved from the subfamily Myrmicinae to Agroecomyrmecinae in 2014.
Melissotarsus is a rare African genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. They are known from the Afrotropics and Malagasy regions, where their nests are located in living wood, built by tunneling through the wood under the bark. They are rarely seen outside of their nests, which may contribute to their perceived rarity. However, they are considered pest insects because of damage they can cause to trees, including economically important ones such as mangos and trees in the family Burseraceae, including Aucoumea klaineana, Dacryodes buettneri, and Dacryodes edulis.
Petalomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. It contains the single species Petalomyrmex phylax, known only from Cameroon. The genus is closely related to Aphomomyrmex.
Promyopias is an Afrotropical genus of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae containing the single species Promyopias silvestrii. The rare genus has previously been regarded as a separate genus, as a subgenus and as a provisional synonymy, but was reinstated at genus-rank in 2008.
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