| Dinoponera quadriceps | |
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| Dinoponera quadriceps | |
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| Species: | D. quadriceps |
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| Dinoponera quadriceps Kempf, 1971 | |
Dinoponera quadriceps is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species, known from Brazil, is similar to Dinoponera mutica and uses venom for subduing large live prey and defense. Its venom could be of use to the pharmaceutical industry.
Dinoponera quadriceps is found in the Caatingas, Cerrados, upland humid forest and Atlantic forest in the northeastern Brazilian states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Paraiba, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte. [1] Of all Dinoponera , Dinoponera quadriceps has the largest colonies with an average of 80 workers (range 26–238). [2] Dinoponera quadriceps usually nest at the base of trees. Observations of Dinoponera quadriceps nests show that in more arid Caatinga and Cerrado habitats, nests are predominantly constructed under trees, whereas in Atlantic forest 60% of nests were 3 m away from any tree. Nests are deeper in Dinoponera quadriceps (and Dinoponera australis ) than in Dinoponera gigantea , Monnin et al. (2003) suggests that deeper nests are a possible adaptation to seasons and aridity. [2]
Workers of this species is recognized by its finely micro-sculptured integument which is not shiny, rounded anterior inferior pronotal corner lacking a tooth-like process, ventral side of the head lacking any gular striations and long/flagellate pilosity. [3] Males are distinguished by the long fine setae of the second funicular segment, light brown coloration, long narrow parameres, volsella with two small basal teeth and lacking a lobe on the distal edge of digitus volsellaris. [4]
Dinoponera quadriceps may be confused with Dinoponera mutica , but has a finely micro-sculptured integument which is not shiny, lacks gular striations and has a petiole which bulges on the dorso-anterior edge in contrast to Dinoponera mutica's roughly microsculptured integument, striated gula and petiole with even, non-bulging corners. Dinoponera quadriceps and Dinoponera mutica differ in micro-sculpturing, gular striations and petiole shape. Distribution records show a distance of over 900 km between the two species, but if specimens are found with an integration of characters in the area of Tocantins and northern Goias then these species may need to be synonymized. [5]
Like other Dinoponera, Dinoponera quadriceps lacks a distinct queen caste and all individuals are morphologically similar and capable of reproduction. In Dinoponera quadriceps, dominance hierarchies tend to be relatively short where only a few individuals actively compete for reproduction. [6] Dinoponera quadriceps has a marked seasonal pattern in activity. It is most active in May–August, the late rainy season to early dry season in the semiarid Caatinga. Activity is strongly negatively correlated to temperature and positively correlated to prey abundance. The diet Dinoponera quadriceps have been shown to be predominantly scavenged invertebrates, but include live prey, seeds and fruits. Diet seems to be very similar across the genus, regardless of habitat, and the taxonomic diversity of prey is comparable to other tropical ponerines. [7]
For subduing large live prey and defense, workers possess a sting that has been known to cause severe pain lasting up to 48 hours. Due to the high diversity of compounds and systemic effects, venom could be of use to the pharmaceutical industry. For instance, Sousa et al. (2012) demonstrated in mice that venom from Dinoponera quadriceps had antinociceptive properties. The authors note that the local population of northeast Brazil uses dry crushed Dinoponera quadriceps ants to treat earaches, and the stings of live ants are administered for back pain and rheumatism. [8]
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants appear in the fossil record across the globe in considerable diversity during the latest Early Cretaceous and early Late Cretaceous, suggesting an earlier origin. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their geniculate (elbowed) antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.
Paraponera clavata is a species of ant, commonly known as the bullet ant, named for its extremely painful sting. It inhabits humid lowland rainforests in Central and South America.
Ponerinae 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. Ponerinae is a subfamily of ants within the family of Formicidae. These ants typically nest in soil, forest litter, or rotting logs, and are predacious. They primarily prey on isopods. They mostly live in small colonies of up to 200 workers. They can be found mostly in tropical environments, but have been found in southeastern Canada and New York. Female workers have twelve segmented antennae, whereas male workers have 13 segmented antennae.
Dinoponera gigantea is a species of ant belonging to the family Formicidae.
The green-head ant, also known as the green ant or metallic pony ant, is a species of ant that is endemic to Australia. It was described by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1858 as a member of the genus Rhytidoponera in the subfamily Ectatomminae. These ants measure between 5 to 7 mm. The queens and workers look similar, differing only in size, with the males being the smallest. They are well known for their distinctive metallic appearance, which varies from green to purple or even reddish-violet. Among the most widespread of all insects in Australia, green-head ants are found in almost every Australian state, but are absent in Tasmania. They have also been introduced in New Zealand, where several populations have been established.
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.
Pseudomyrmex pallidus is a species of ant found in the Nearctic realm with an extensive range throughout the southern United States to Central America.
Ypresiomyrma is an extinct genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmeciinae that was described in 2006. There are four species described; one species is from the Isle of Fur in Denmark, two are from the McAbee Fossil Beds in British Columbia, Canada, and the fourth from the Bol’shaya Svetlovodnaya fossil site in Russia. The queens of this genus are large, the mandibles are elongated and the eyes are well developed; a stinger is also present. The behaviour of these ants would have been similar to that of extant Myrmeciinae ants, such as solitary foraging for arthropod prey and never leaving pheromone trails. The alates were poor flyers due to their size, and birds and animals most likely preyed on these ants. Ypresiomyrma is not assigned to any tribe, and is instead generally regarded as incertae sedis within Myrmeciinae. However, some authors believe Ypresiomyrma should be assigned as incertae sedis within Formicidae.
Dinoponera australis is a species of ant notable for its lack of distinct queen caste.
A gamergate is a mated worker ant that can reproduce sexually, i.e., lay fertilized eggs that will develop as females. In the vast majority of ant species, workers are sterile and gamergates are restricted to taxa where the workers have a functional sperm reservoir ('spermatheca'). In some species, gamergates reproduce in addition to winged queens, while in other species the queen caste has been completely replaced by gamergates. In gamergate species, all workers in a colony have similar reproductive potentials, but as a result of physical interactions, a dominance hierarchy is formed and only one or a few top-ranking workers can mate and produce eggs. Subsequently however, aggression is no longer needed as gamergates secrete chemical signals that inform the other workers of their reproductive status in the colony.
Dinoponera is a strictly South American genus of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae, commonly called tocandiras or giant Amazonian ants. These ants are generally less well known than Paraponera clavata, the bullet ant, yet Dinoponera females may surpass 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) in total body length, making them among the largest ants in the world.
Leptogenys is a genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. Leptogenys is the most diverse ponerine ant genus in the world; it is widespread throughout tropical and subtropical regions and there are over 260 extant species described. Most species have ergatoid queens, and many have falcate, bowed mandibles and are specialists on isopod prey.
Phrynoponera is a strictly Afrotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Dinoponera mutica is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Dinoponera snellingi is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species is known only from type locality in Campo Grande, Brazil.
Dinoponera longipes is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Dinoponera hispida is a queenless species of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species is known only from the type locality in Tucuruí, Pará, Brazil.
Dinoponera lucida is a large queenless species of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species, endemic to Brazil, is threatened by habitat destruction. Workers range from 27 to 30 mm in body length, which is slightly larger than the related species Dinoponera australis, but smaller than other large ants. Males are unknown.
Myrmecia nigrocincta, commonly known as the jumper ant or jumping jack, is an ant of the genus Myrmecia. The species was first described by Frederick Smith in 1858. Colonies of this ant are abundant in eastern Australia. Ants of this species are known for their ability to jump up to 10 centimetres, and they also have a powerful, venomous sting. Rather than foraging on the ground, M. nigrocincta prefer to forage in trees where they are known to pollinate certain flowers.
Pogonomyrmex badius, or the Florida harvester ant, is a species of harvester ant in the genus Pogonomyrmex. It is the only Pogonomyrmex species found on the east coast of the United States and the only one in North America known to be polymorphic. The Florida Harvester ant is commonly found in Florida scrub and other similar habitats within the Atlantic coastal plain states.
This article incorporates text from a scholarly publication published under a copyright license that allows anyone to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the materials in any form for any purpose: Lenhart, P.; Dash, S. T.; MacKay, W. P. (2013), "A revision of the giant Amazonian ants of the genus Dinoponera (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)", Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 31: 119–164, doi: 10.3897/JHR.31.4335 Please check the source for the exact licensing terms. This article incorporates text from a scholarly publication published under a copyright license that allows anyone to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the materials in any form for any purpose: Smith, C. R.; Suarez, A. V.; Tsutsui, N. D.; Wittman, S. E.; Edmonds, B.; Freauff, A.; Tillberg, C. V. (2011), Raine, Nigel E (ed.), "Nutritional Asymmetries Are Related to Division of Labor in a Queenless Ant", PLOS ONE, 6 (8): 1–5, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024011 , PMC 3160331 , PMID 21886914 Please check the source for the exact licensing terms.
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