Pachycondyla Temporal range: | |
---|---|
Pachycondyla harpax worker | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Ponerinae |
Tribe: | Ponerini |
Genus: | Pachycondyla Smith, 1858 |
Type species | |
Formica crassinoda Latreille, 1802 | |
Diversity [1] | |
37 species |
Pachycondyla is a ponerine genus of ants found in the Neotropics.
Pachycondyla is currently distributed from southern United States to northern Argentina, [1] but some fossil species (e.g. P. eocenica and P. lutzi ) are found in Europe.
The genus formerly contained hundreds of species, most of them belonging to at the time junior synonyms of Pachycondyla. While revising the ponerines, Schmidt & Shattuck (2014) revived many of the former synonyms, leaving only eleven species in Pachycondyla. They were not able to place some species with certainty, and left more than twenty species incertae sedis in Pachycondyla, acknowledging that "this placement is undoubtedly incorrect". [1]
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.
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.
Ponera is a genus of ponerine ants. The name is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek ponira.
Anochetus is a genus of small, carnivorous ants found in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world.
Thaumatomyrmex is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae, found from Mexico to Brazil. They are notable for their pitchfork-shaped mandibles, which they use to capture millipedes of the order Polyxenida. The genus is a specialist predator of polyxenids, and one of only two ant genera known to prey upon polyxenids.
Dolichoderus is a genus of ants found worldwide.
Gesomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus contains six extant species, known from the Indomalayan realm, and nine fossil species. Of the extant species, four are known only from workers and two only from females. The extinct species "G. expectans" and "Gesomyrmex miegi", formerly placed in the genus, were excluded by Dlussky et al.., 2009.
Bothroponera is a genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. It is distributed in Africa and Asia.
Casaleia is an extinct genus of ants in the formicid subfamily Amblyoponinae described by Pagliano & Scaramozzino in 1990 from fossils found in Europe. The genus contains four species dating from the Eocene to Miocene, Casaleia eocenica, Casaleia inversa, Casaleia longiventris, Casaleia orientalis.
Buniapone is a monotypic genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. Buniapone amblyops, the single described species, is found in Southern and Southeast Asia.
Austroponera is a ponerine genus of ants found in Australia and New Zealand, hence the prefix "Austro-".
Ponerini is a tribe of ponerine ants with 46 genera and 6 extinct genera. It contains every ponerine genus except Platythyrea, which is placed in its own tribe Platythyreini.
Pachycondyla eocenica is an extinct species of ant in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae described from fossils found in Europe. P. eocenica is one of six Lutetian Pachycondyla species.
Pachycondyla lutzi is an extinct species of ant in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae described by from fossils found in Europe. P. lutzi is one of six Lutetian Pachycondyla species.
Pachycondyla? messeliana is an extinct species of ants in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae described by from a fossil found in Europe. P.? messeliana is one of six Lutetian Pachycondyla species.
Pachycondyla parvula is an extinct species of ant in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae described by from a fossil found in Europe. P. parvula is one of six Lutetian Pachycondyla species.
Pachycondyla petiolosa is an extinct species of ant in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae described by from a fossil found in Europe. P. parvula is one of six Lutetian Pachycondyla species.
Pachycondyla petrosa is an extinct species of ant in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae described from a fossil found in Europe. P. petrosa is one of six Lutetian Pachycondyla species.
Pachycondyla succinea is an extinct species of ant in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae described from fossils found in Europe. P. petrosa is one of three middle Eocene Pachycondyla species found in Baltic amber.