Leptanillinae | |
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Leptanilla swani female and worker | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Leptanillinae Emery, 1910 |
Type genus | |
Leptanilla Emery, 1870 | |
Diversity [1] | |
6 genera (50-60 species) |
Leptanillinae is a subfamily of ants. They are further divided into the tribes Anomalomyrmini and Leptanillini.
In all Leptanillini, the larvae feed their hemolymph to the queen through specialized processes on their prothoraces and third abdominal segments. [2] This behavior resembles that of the unrelated Adetomyrma , also called Dracula ants, which pierce their larvae to obtain body fluids.[ citation needed ]
At least Leptanilla and Phaulomyrma are minute, yellow, blind ants that live below the surface.[ citation needed ]
The Leptanillinae are mainly spread out in tropical and warm temperate regions in Europe and Australian regions. [3]
The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.
Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent and in soil, rotting wood, under stones, or in trees.
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant, the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the cone ant. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the world, distributed in different biogeographic realms, from the Palearctic, Nearctic, Afrotropical region and Malaysia, to the Middle East, Australian, and Neotropical regions.
Plagiolepis is an ant genus of the formic acid-producing subfamily Formicinae. The genus is found in tropical and temperate regions of the Old World.
Strongylognathus is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Many of its species are endemic to specific regions.
Liometopum is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae, found in North America, Europe and Asia.
Crematogastrini is a tribe of myrmicine ants with 64 genera and 8 fossil genera.
Myrmicaria is an ant genus within the subfamily Myrmicinae.
Ponera is a genus of ponerine ants. The name is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek ponira.
Tetraponera is a genus of ants in the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae that are commonly known as slender ants and are characterized by their arboreal nature and slender bodies. The 86 described species of Tetraponera all live in hollow structures of plants and trees, such as thorns or branches; these hosts are known as myrmecophytes. Tetraponera species are closely related to the New World genus of ants Pseudomyrmex, but differ in their relationships with host plants.
Myopias is a genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. The genus is known from the Oriental, Indo-Australian, and Australasian regions.
Leptanilla japonica is an uncommon highly migratory, subterranean ant found in Japan. They are tiny insects, with workers measuring about 1.2 mm and queens reaching to about 1.8 mm, and live in very small colonies of only a few hundred individuals at a time Its sexual development follows a seasonal cycle that affects the colony's migration and feeding habits, and vice versa. L. japonica exhibits specialized predation, with prey consisting mainly of geophilomorph centipedes, a less reliable food source that also contributes to their high rate of nest migration. Like ants of genera Amblyopone and Proceratium, the genus Leptanilla engages in larval hemolymph feeding (LHF), with the queen using no other form of sustenance. LHF is an advantageous alternative to the more costly cannibalism. Unlike any other ant, however, members of Leptanilla, including L. japonica, have evolved a specialized organ dubbed the “larval hemolymph tap” that reduces the damage LHF inflicts on the larvae. LHF has become this species' main form of nutrition.
Yavnella is a genus of ants in the subfamily Leptanillinae. Its two species are distributed in India and Israel. The genus is known only from male specimens.
Carebara is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is one of the largest myrmicine genera with more than 174 species distributed worldwide in the tropics and the Afrotropical region. Many of them are very tiny cryptic soil and leaf litter inhabitants. They nest in rotten wood to which the bark is still adherent in the Afrotropical region, or may be lestobiotic nesting near other ant species. Some species are known to exist parasitically within termite nests. Little is known about the biology of the species. However, they are notable for the vast difference in size between queens and workers.
Opisthopsis is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. Its 13 species are found in Australasia.
Paratopula is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus consists of arboreal species known from the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions. Little is known about their biology.
Anomalomyrmini is a tribe of Leptanillinae ants with three extant genera.
Leptanillini is a tribe of Leptanillinae ants with three extant genera.
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