| Tetramorium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tetramorium caespitum worker | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Crematogastrini |
| Genus: | Tetramorium Mayr, 1855 |
| Diversity | |
| > 520 species | |
| Synonyms | |
ApomyrmexCalilung, 2000 Contents | |
Tetramorium is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae that includes more than 520 species. [1] [2] These ants are also known as pavement ants.
Tetramorium was first described by Gustav Mayr in 1855 in the same publication as Monomorium . [3]
Revision within the genus by Wagner et al. in 2017 recognized a complex of 10 cryptic species, 3 of which were raised from subspecies classifications and 2 of which were newly described. This revision also elevated the pavement ant introduced to North America as the species T. immigrans rather than the previous designation as a subspecies of T. caespitum. These 10 species in the T. caespitum complex are as follows: [4]
Workers of most species have a ridged clypeus, an appendaged stinger, mandibles with 3 or 4 teeth, and antennae with 11 or 12 segments or with 3-segmented clubs on the tips. [2] The genus is divided into several species groups defined by various characters. [2]
Most species are distributed throughout the Afrotropical and Indomalayan realms. Ten species have been recorded from Japan. One species of pavement ant, T. immigrans , is native to Europe and was probably introduced to North America starting in the 18th century. [5] [4]
Most known species nest in the soil, in decaying wood, or in leaf litter. Some live in trees or in termite nests. [2]
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