Stereomyrmex

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Stereomyrmex
Stereomyrmex horni casent0178593 profile 1.jpg
S. horni worker
Scientific classification
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Stereomyrmex

Emery, 1901
Type species
Stereomyrmex horni
Emery, 1901
Diversity [1]
3 species
Synonyms

WillowsiellaWheeler, 1934

S. dispar worker Willowsiella.dispar.-.wheeler.svg
S. dispar worker

Stereomyrmex is a genus of myrmicine ants. Two of the described species are known from only a single worker, making this one of the rarest groups of ants in the world. [2]

Contents

Biology

The single specimen of S. anderseni was caught in a pitfall trap, and nothing is known about its biology.[ citation needed ]

Systematics

Stereomyrmex is probably the sister taxon to Romblonella . Closely related genera are Leptothorax and Cardiocondyla . [3]

Description

S. dispar is 3.2 mm long and black, with yellowish brown mandibles, antennae, legs and terminal segments of gaster. S. anderseni is only 2 mm long, has a very different petiolar and postpetiolar structure and is paler in color. [3]

Distribution

S. dispar has been described from a single worker, taken in 1933 on Bellona Island, Solomon Islands; no other specimen has since been found, and it is unlikely that the species is truly endemic to Bellona. S. anderseni is known from a single worker as well. [3] S. horni was collected under rocks in Sri Lanka. [4]

Names

The genus was originally named in honor of Maurice Willows Jr., who collected the type specimen of S. dispar. [5] S. anderseni was collected by A.N. Andersen. S. horni was collected by W. Horn.[ citation needed ]

Species

Related Research Articles

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Myrmeciinae is a subfamily of the Formicidae, ants once found worldwide but now restricted to Australia and New Caledonia. This subfamily is one of several ant subfamilies which possess gamergates, female worker ants which are able to mate and reproduce, thus sustaining the colony after the loss of the queen. The Myrmeciinae subfamily was formerly composed of only one genus, Myrmecia, but the subfamily was redescribed by Ward & Brady in 2003 to include two tribes and four genera: An additional three genera, one form genus, and 9 species were described in 2006 from the Early Eocene of Denmark, Canada, and Washington.

Sri Lankan relict ant Species of ant

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<i>Aphaenogaster</i> Genus of ants

Aphaenogaster is a genus of myrmicine ants. About 200 species have been described, including 18 fossil species. They occur worldwide except in South America south of Colombia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Antarctica.

<i>Cardiocondyla</i> Genus of ants

Cardiocondyla is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae.

<i>Leptothorax</i> Genus of ants

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Crematogastrini Tribe of ants

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<i>Romblonella</i> Genus of ants

Romblonella is a genus of myrmicine ants.

<i>Prionomyrmex</i> Extinct genus of ants

Prionomyrmex is an extinct genus of bulldog ants in the subfamily Myrmeciinae of the family Formicidae. It was first described by Gustav Mayr in 1868, after he collected a holotype worker of P. longiceps in Baltic amber. Three species are currently described, characterised by their long mandibles, slender bodies and large size. These ants are known from the Eocene and Late Oligocene, with fossil specimens only found around Europe. It is suggested that these ants preferred to live in jungles, with one species assumed to be an arboreal nesting species. These ants had a powerful stinger that was used to subdue prey. In 2000, it was suggested by Cesare Baroni Urbani that the living species Nothomyrmecia macrops and a species he described both belonged to Prionomyrmex, but this proposal has not been widely accepted by the entomological community. Instead, scientists still classify the two genera distinctive from each other, making Nothomyrmecia a valid genus.

<i>Ochetellus glaber</i> Species of ant

Ochetellus glaber is a species of ant native to Australia. A member of the genus Ochetellus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, it was described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. Aside from Australia, O. glaber has been introduced to a number of countries, including China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines and the United States, where it has established itself in Hawaii and Florida. It has been found on Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Réunion and the Solomon Islands. Compared with other ants, O. glaber is a small species, with workers measuring 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in). Males are the smallest at 1.6 mm (0.063 in), while the queens measure 5.2–5.5 mm (0.20–0.22 in). The ant's colour ranges from brown to black.

Prionomyrmecini Tribe of ants

Prionomyrmecini is an ant tribe belonging to the subfamily Myrmeciinae established by William Morton Wheeler in 1915. Two members are a part of this tribe, the extant Nothomyrmecia and the extinct Prionomyrmex. The tribe was once considered a subfamily due to the similarities between Nothomyrmecia and Prionomyrmex, but such reclassification was not widely accepted by the scientific community. These ants can be identified by their long slender bodies, powerful stingers and elongated mandibles. Fossil Prionomyrmecini ants were once found throughout Europe, possibly nesting in trees and preferring jungle habitats. Today, Prionomyrmecini is only found in Australia, preferring old-growth mallee woodland surrounded by Eucalyptus trees. Nothomyrmecia workers feed on nectar and arthropods, using their compound eyes for prey and navigational purposes. Owing to their primitive nature, they do not recruit others to food sources or create pheromone trails. Nothomyrmecia colonies are small, consisting of 50 to 100 individuals.

<i>Discothyrea</i> Genus of ants

Discothyrea is a genus of small ants in the subfamily Proceratiinae. The genus is distributed in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world, where they usually nest in rotten wood, in the leaf litter, or under stones. Little is known about their biology, but ants in this genus are thought to be specialist predators of arthropod eggs and have been observed storing eggs in their nests.

<i>Peronomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Peronomyrmex is a rare genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Its three species are known from the east coast of Australia. With only five specimens in total, collected from four localities, Peronomyrmex is one of the world's most rare ant genera.

<i>Euprenolepis</i> Genus of ants

Euprenolepis is a Southeast Asian genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae with eight recognized species.

<i>Nylanderia</i> Genus of ants

Nylanderia is a large genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution with species inhabiting a wide array of habitats in almost all geographic regions. Nylanderia, currently containing over 110 species, is an ecologically important genus, with some species reported as being invasive. The ants are small to medium in size and range in color from pale yellow to black.

<i>Tyrannomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Tyrannomyrmex is a rare tropical genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Three similar species, only known from workers, are recognized and share small eyes and edentate mandibles.

<i>Iridomyrmex anderseni</i> Species of ant

Iridomyrmex anderseni is an ant species of the genus Iridomyrmex. Nothing is known of its biology. One single specimen has been only been collected in South Australia. The species was described by Shattuck in 1993.

<i>Stereomyrmex horni</i> Species of ant

Stereomyrmex horni is a species of ant in the genus Stereomyrmex. It is found in Sri Lanka.

Aneuretellus is an extinct genus of ant in the formicid subfamily Aneuretinae, and is one of eight genera of the subfamily. The genus contains a single described species Aneuretellus deformis and is known from one Middle Eocene fossil which was found in Sakhalin in the Russian Far East.

References

  1. Bolton, B. (2014). "Stereomyrmex". AntCat. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  2. Australian Ants Online: Genus Stereomyrmex
  3. 1 2 3 Taylor, Robert W. (1991). "Notes on the ant genera Romblonella and Willowsiella, with comments on their affinities, and the first descriptions of Australian species. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae)". Psyche . 97: 281–298. doi: 10.1155/1990/29514 .
  4. Emery, Carlo (1901): Ameisen gesammelt in Ceylon von Dr. W. Horn 1899. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift1901: 113-122. PDF
  5. Wheeler, William M. (1934): Formicidae of the Templeton Crocker Expedition, 1933. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences21(4): 173-181. PDF