Meranoplus

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Meranoplus
Meranoplus mayri casent0430421 profile 1.jpg
M. mayri worker from Madagascar
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Meranoplus
Smith, 1853
Type species
Cryptocerus bicolor
Diversity [1]
88 species

Meranoplus is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. [2] With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the Meranoplus diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. [3]

Contents

Classification

Meranoplus is a unique and charismatic myrmicine genus of hairy, slow-moving, and armored ants. The genus was previously classified in its own tribe, the Meranoplini, with one fossil genus, Parameranoplus , from Baltic amber (44.1 ± 1.1 mya), [3] but was moved to Crematogastrini by Ward et al. (2015). [4] The historic shuffling of Meranoplus through higher taxa — Cryptoceridae, Cataulacinae, Tetramoriini, Meranoplini — reflects our poor understanding of the phylogenetic position of Meranoplus within the Formicidae. Brady et al. (2006) recovered a clade of Meranoplus and Cataulacus , although this relationship was not supported in Moreau et al. (2006). [3]

Distribution

The extant species of Meranoplus are distributed throughout the Old World, absent only from the Palearctic and Oceania regions but with the exception of M. levellei, from New Caledonia. [3]

Biology

Species of this genus are predominantly ground-nesting and, when disturbed, will display thanatosis enhanced by crypsis, i.e., individuals will accumulate dirt in their pilosity and play dead. With respect to diet, most species are omnivores and facultative granivores, while others, including the whole M. diversus species group, are specialist granivores. At least one species, the Malaysian rainforest-dwelling M. mucronatus is known to have a trophobiotic relationship with hemipterans. Meranoplus species are known to be active both day and night, and to recruit via pheromone trails laid from the base of the sting using secretions from their extremely large Dufour glands. The function of the spatulate sting is still unknown. The only species of Meranoplus for which mating has been reported is M. peringuiyi, in which mating swarms occurred after a rain and where males patrolled for the outnumbered females in a zig-zag manner. [3]

Species

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponerinae</span> Subfamily of ants

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrmicinae</span> Subfamily of ants with cosmopolitan distribution whose pupae do not create cocoons

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolichoderinae</span> Subfamily of ants

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<i>Aphaenogaster</i> Genus of ants

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<i>Crematogaster</i> Genus of ants

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<i>Megalomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Megalomyrmex is a genus of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus is known only from the Neotropics, where some of the species are specialized parasites or predators of Attini.

<i>Anochetus</i> Genus of ants

Anochetus is a genus of small, carnivorous ants found in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world.

<i>Myrmecina</i> Genus of ants

Myrmecina is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains 53 species distributed in North America, Europe, northern Africa, India east, Korea, Japan and Australia.

<i>Trachymyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Trachymyrmex is a genus of fungus-growing ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus is mainly tropical in distribution, with most species being found in Central and South America.

<i>Technomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Technomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. With 98 species, it is one of the largest and most diverse ant genera in the Dolichoderinae. The genus distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical zones with most species occurring in the Oriental-Malesian and Afrotropical regions. One species, Technomyrmex albipes is a tramp ant now widespread throughout the tropics due to human activities.

Meranoplus parviumgulatus is a species of ant in the genus Meranoplus. It is known from New Guinea and Papua New Guinea.

<i>Carebara</i> Genus of ants

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<i>Paraparatrechina</i> Genus of ants

Paraparatrechina is a genus of small ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus contains 31 species distributed in the tropics of Africa, Asia and Australia.

Meranoplus cryptomys is a Malagasy species of ant in the genus Meranoplus.

<i>Meranoplus mayri</i> Species of ant

Meranoplus mayri is a Malagasy species of ant in the genus Meranoplus.

<i>Meranoplus radamae</i> Species of ant

Meranoplus radamae is a Malagasy species of ant in the genus Meranoplus. The species diurnal.

<i>Trichomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Trichomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Described by Mayr in 1865, it was raised as a genus in 2015. These ants are endemic to multiple continents.

References

  1. ↑ Bolton, B. (2014). "Meranoplus". AntCat. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Genus: Meranoplus". antweb.org. AntWeb . Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Boudinot, Brendon E.; Fisher, Brian L. (2013), "A taxonomic revision of the Meranoplus F. Smith of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) with keys to species and diagnosis of the males." (PDF), Zootaxa , 3635 (4): 301–339, doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3635.4.1, PMID   26097952
  4. ↑ Ward, Philip S.; Brady, Sean G.; Fisher, Brian L.; Schultz, Ted R. (2015). "The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)" (PDF). Systematic Entomology. 40 (1): 61–81. Bibcode:2015SysEn..40...61W. doi:10.1111/syen.12090. ISSN   1365-3113. S2CID   83986771.
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