Formicinae
|
|
| Formicinae | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missing image Formica_rufa2_mrowka_rudnica.jpg Formica rufa worker Formica rufa worker | ||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Genera | ||||||||||||
|
See text. |
Formicinae is a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.
Formicines retain some primitive features such as the presence of cocoons around pupae, the presence of ocelli in workers, and little tendency toward reduction of palp or antennal segmentation in most species, except subterranean groups. Extreme modification of mandibles is rare, except in the genera Myrmoteras and Polyergus. On the other hand, some members show considerable evolutionary advancement in behaviors such as slave-making and symbiosis with root-feeding homopterans. Finally, all formicines have a very reduced sting and enlarged venom reservoir, with the venom gland, specialized (uniquely among ants) for the production of formic acid.
Classification
The tribal structure of Formicinae is not completely understood. This list follow the scheme at antbase.org, but there are other schemes and names.
- Camponotini
- Calomyrmex
- Camponotus (Carpenter ant, worldwide)
- Chaemeromyrma
- Echinopla
- Forelophilus
- Opisthopsis
- Overbeckia
- Phasmomyrmex
- Polyrhachis
- Polyrhachis(Asian, African tropics)
- Pseudocamponotus
- Formicini
- Gesomyrmecini
- Gigantopini
- Gigantiops (neotropical)
- Lasiini
- Melophorini
- Melophorus(Australian)
- Myrmecorhynchini
- Myrmoteranini
- Notostigmatini
- Oecophyllini
- Plagiolepidini
- Unassigned
- Eucharis
- Imhoffia
- Kyromyrma(Cretaceous fossil)
- Leucotaphus
- Protrechina
- Tylolasius
References
- B. Bolton, A new general catalogue of the ants of the world, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1995.
External links
- Formincinae (http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu:210/hymenoptera/nomenclator.name_entry?text_entry=formicinae&Submit=Submit+Query) at antbase.org
- Kye S. Hedlund, Subfamily Formicinae (http://www.cs.unc.edu/~hedlund/ants/SubfamilyPages/Formicinae-print)