Proformica articles - Encyclopedia of Life

Proformica

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Proformica is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae.^[2] The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single queen (monogyne) or multiple ergatogyne queens. Unique in the tribe Formicini, some species have specialized workers ("honeypot ants") gorged with food; they function as living storage containers.^[3]

Four species are host to obligate slave-making ants in the genus Rossomyrmex, with each species forming a coevolving pair:^[4]

^ Bolton, B. (2014). "Proformica". AntCat. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
^ "Genus: Proformica". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
^ Agosti, D. (1994). "The phylogeny of the ant tribe Formicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with the description of a new genus". Systematic Entomology. 19 (2): 93–117. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1994.tb00581.x. S2CID 83590673.
^ Ruano, F.; Sanllorente, O.; Lenoir, A.; Tinaut, A. (2013), "Rossomyrmex, the Slave-Maker Ants from the Arid Steppe Environments", Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 2013: 1–7, doi:10.1155/2013/541804

provided by wikipedia EN

Proformica is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single queen (monogyne) or multiple ergatogyne queens. Unique in the tribe Formicini, some species have specialized workers ("honeypot ants") gorged with food; they function as living storage containers.