Amblyoponinae

Amblyoponinae is a subfamily of ants in the poneromorph subfamilies group containing 13 extant genera and one extinct genus. The ants in this subfamily are mostly specialized subterranean predators.^[1] Adult workers pierce the integument (non lethally) of their larvae and pupa to imbibe haemolymph, earning them the common name Dracula ant.^[2]

Identification

Amblyoponinae is characterized by these worker characters: eyes small or absent, situated behind midlength of side of head; anterior margin of clypeus with specialized dentiform setae; promesonotal suture flexible; petiole very broadly attached to abdominal segment 3 and without a distinct posterior face; postpetiole absent; sting present and well developed.^[1]

Systematics

The subfamily was formerly considered a tribe within Ponerinae, but was elevated to its own subfamily in 2003 when Barry Bolton divided Ponerinae into six subfamilies.^[3]

• Amblyoponinae Forel, 1893
  • Amblyoponini Forel, 1893
    • Adetomyrma Ward, 1994
    • Amblyopone Erichson, 1842
    • †Casaleia Pagliano & Scaramozzino, 1990
    • Fulakora Mann, 1919
    • Myopopone Roger, 1861
    • Mystrium Roger, 1862
    • Onychomyrmex Emery, 1895
    • Prionopelta Mayr, 1866
    • Stigmatomma Roger, 1859
    • Xymmer Santschi, 1914

References

Adetomyrma venatrix (obrera ciega)

Amblyoponinae es una subfamilia de la familia de las hormigas que contiene 14 géneros (uno extinto).^[1]​

Descripción

Subfamilia escindida de la antigua subfamilia Ponerinae en Bolton (2003), que la divide en seis nuevas subfamilias. Forma parte de las denominadas subfamilias Poneromorfas, con las que comparte caracteres más generales como la presencia de un solo segmento (peciolo) separando mesosoma y gastro, o la presencia de una constricción entre los prescleritos y postescleritos del segmento abdominal IV.

La diagnosis completa de la subfamilia se describe en la pag. 41 de Bolton (2003), si bien los caracteres principales que la separan son la presencia de quetas dentadas en el clípeo y el peciolo ampliamente unido al gastro, de forma que este no presenta una cara posterior claramente definida. Los machos presentan antenas de 13 artejos.

Géneros

• Amblyoponinae Forel, 1893
  • Amblyoponini Forel, 1893
    • Adetomyrma Ward, 1994
    • Amblyopone Erichson, 1842
    • Apomyrma Brown, Gotwald & Lévieux, 1971
    • Bannapone Xu, 2000
    • †Casaleia Pagliano & Scaramozzino, 1990
    • Concoctio Brown, 1974
    • Myopopone Roger, 1861
    • Mystrium Roger, 1862
    • Onychomyrmex Emery, 1895
    • Opamyrma Yamane, Bui & Eguchi, 2008
    • Prionopelta Mayr, 1866
    • Stigmatomma Roger, 1859
    • Xymmer Santschi, 1914
  • incertae sedis
    • Paraprionopelta Kusnezov, 1955

Referencias

• AntWeb - The California Academy of Sciences. Amblyoponinae
• Bolton, B. (2003). Synopsis and classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 1-370.
• Saux, C.; Fisher, B.L.; Spicer, G.S. 2004: Dracula ant phylogeny as inferred by nuclear 28S rDNA sequences and implications for ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Amblyoponinae). Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 33: 457-468.
• Yamane, S.; Bui, T.V.; Eguchi, K. 2008: Opamyrma hungvuong, a new genus and species of ant related to Apomyrma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Amblyoponinae). Zootaxa, 1767: 55-63. Abstract & excerpt