| Hypoponera punctatissima | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Tribe: | Ponerini |
| Genus: | Hypoponera |
| Species: | H. punctatissima |
| Binomial name | |
| Hypoponera punctatissima (Roger, 1859) | |
Hypoponera punctatissima, or Roger's ant, is a species of Ponerine ant native to Africa but now found worldwide as a tramp species. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Hypoponera punctatissima constructs nests across a variety of mediums, with the minimum temperature to successfully establish a colony theorised to be 21°C. In their natural climate range, H. punctatissima nests commonly in soil, rotting wood, gardens and various disturbed habitats; however, in cooler areas, the species is known to nest in houses, greenhouses, heated buildings and manure/compost piles. [7]
It is thought that the species' range is probably largely due to humanities' use of horses as draft animals, with their stables and dung being a suitable environment for the species' colonies. This also has led to the species being widely distributed in Great Britain, yet locally rare, most commonly found in horse stables, therefore making stables a suitable location to find and collect the ant. The species' hypothesised relationship with horses and other large herbivores has led to the hypothesis of the ant's local range being in the horse's natural range in Eastern Asia. [8]
Colonies have been recorded to be polydomous, with ~200 workers. The most likely way this species is encountered is by the alate gynes above ground. [9]
These three subspecies belong to the species Hypoponera punctatissima:
Data sources: i = ITIS, [1] c = Catalogue of Life, [2] g = GBIF, [3] b = Bugguide.net [4]