| Dinoponera longipes | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Genus: | Dinoponera |
| Species: | D. longipes |
| Binomial name | |
| Dinoponera longipes Emery, 1901 | |
Dinoponera longipes is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Dinoponera longipes have been collected in eastern Peru in the departments of Loreto, Amazonas, Huánuco, San Martín and Pasco, as well as Ecuador in the Pastaza Province. In Colombia it has been recorded near the Peruvian border in the department of Amazonas. In Brazil, Dinoponera longipes has been found in Acre, Amazonas as far east as Manaus, as well as along the Rio Madeira in Rondônia. [1]
Doubt was raised by Kempf (1971) as to whether Dinoponera longipes was a valid species. Since few specimens have been collected from western Brazil a clinal variation in character form with Dinoponera gigantea or Dinoponera mutica was a possibility. Specimens from Brazil examined by Lenhart, Dash & MacKay (2013) showed no such integration. Additionally, evidence of species validity comes from the unique morphology of the male. The nearest known locality of another species is Dinoponera gigantea 550 km away at Estirón Rio Ampiacu in the department of Loreto, Peru. There is a possibility that these could be males of a yet undiscovered species. However, relatively intensive collecting of Dinoponera in the area by numerous collectors has not revealed any other form. [1]
Workers of this species can easily be recognized by the golden luster of its conspicuous long, flagellate hairs especially on the frons. In addition this species has the following combination of character states: pronotal corner rounded without tooth-like process, no gular striations, a reflective, smooth and shiny integument. All specimens have a petiole which bulges on the dorso-anterior edge except for those from the Rio Madeira and Rio Negro in Brazil. [2]
Males can be distinguished from other Dinoponera by the following combination of character states: funiculus of antennae with short, thick decumbent setae; pygidial spine shorter than in Dinoponera gigantea and Dinoponera quadriceps but longer and narrower than in Dinoponera australis and Dinoponera snellingi , volsella with broad basal lobe covered in minute teeth. [3]
Paraponera clavata, commonly known as the bullet ant, is a species of ant known for its extremely painful sting. It inhabits humid lowland rainforests in Central and South America.
Ponerinae, the ponerine ants, is a subfamily of ants in the Poneromorph subfamilies group, with about 1,600 species in 47 extant genera, including Dinoponera gigantea - one of the world's largest species of ant. Mated workers have replaced the queen as the functional egg-layers in several species of ponerine ants. In such queenless species, the reproductive status of workers can only be determined through ovarian dissections.
Oxyepoecus is a Neotropical genus of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus is a member of the tribe Solenopsidini and currently includes 20 species.
Dinoponera gigantea is a species of ant belonging to the family Formicidae.
Aenictus is a large army ant genus distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics. It contains about 181 species, making it one of the larger ant genera of the world.
Dinoponera grandis is a species of ant notable for its lack of distinct queen caste.
Dinoponera is a strictly South American genus of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae, commonly called tocandiras or giant Amazonian ants. These ants are generally less well known than Paraponera clavata, the bullet ant, yet Dinoponera females may surpass 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) in total body length, making them among the largest ants 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.
Tatuidris, or armadillo ant, is a rare genus of ants consisting of a single species, Tatuidris tatusia. The ants are small in size and inhabit the leaf litter of Neotropical forests in Central and South America, from Mexico to Brazil. Workers are ferruginous-colored to dark red and present a distinctive morphology, consisting of a shield-like head with a broad vertex, ventrally-turned heavy mandibles which do not overlap at full closure, and unique among ants – an antenna socket apparatus sitting upside-down. Little is known about the biology of the ants, but they are likely nocturnal and specialist predators.
Dinoponera mutica is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Dinoponera quadriceps is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species, known from Brazil, is similar to Dinoponera mutica and uses venom for subduing large live prey and defense. Its venom could be of use to the pharmaceutical industry.
Dinoponera snellingi is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species is known only from type locality in Campo Grande, Brazil.
Dinoponera hispida is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species is known only from the type locality in Tucuruí, Pará, Brazil.
Dinoponera lucida is a large queenless species of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species, endemic to Brazil, is threatened by habitat destruction. Workers range from 27 to 30 mm in body length, which is slightly larger than the related species Dinoponera australis, but smaller than other large ants. Males are unknown.
Anochetus brevidentatus is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae known from two possibly Miocene fossils found on Hispaniola. A. ambiguus is one of eight species in the ant genus Anochetus to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber and is one of a number of Anochetus species found in the Greater Antillies.
Archiponera is an extinct genus of ant in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae. The genus contains a single described species, Archiponera wheeleri known from several Late Eocene fossils which were found in North America.
Dolichoderus abruptus is a species of ant in the genus Dolichoderus. Described by Smith in 1858, the species is endemic to Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Dolichoderus gagates is a species of ant in the genus Dolichoderus. Described by Emery in 1890, the species is endemic to multiple countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
Dolichoderus germaini is a species of ant in the genus Dolichoderus. Described by Emery in 1894, the species is endemic to Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru.
Dolichoderus omacanthus is a species of ant in the genus Dolichoderus. Described by Kempf in 1972, the species is endemic to Brazil.
This article incorporates text from a scholarly publication published under a copyright license that allows anyone to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the materials in any form for any purpose: Lenhart, P.; Dash, S. T.; MacKay, W. P. (2013), "A revision of the giant Amazonian ants of the genus Dinoponera (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)", Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 31: 119–164, doi: 10.3897/JHR.31.4335 Please check the source for the exact licensing terms.