Ponerinae
| Ponerinae Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Fighting Harpegnathos saltator | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Ponerinae Lepeletier, 1835 |
| Type genus | |
| Ponera Latreille, 1804
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| Diversity[1] | |
| 54 genera | |
Ponerinae, the ponerine ants,[2] is a subfamily of poneromorph ants containing about 1,600 species in 54 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.[citation needed]
Description and identification
Ponerinae are most easily identified from other subfamilies by possessing a single-segmented petiole and the gaster usually being constricted between the first and second segments.[3] Odontomachus lack this constriction, but these can be identified from their elongate, straight mandibles attached close together along the front margin of the head and with teeth only at the mandible tips.[3] They are rare examples of stinging ants.[4] Females have 12-segmented antennae, whereas males have 13-segmented antennae.[3]
Behavior
These ants typically nest in soil, forest litter, or rotting logs, and are predacious.[5] 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.[citation needed]
Genera
- Platythyreini Emery, 1901
- Platythyrea Roger, 1863
- Ponerini Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835
- Anochetus Mayr, 1861
- †Archiponera Carpenter, 1930
- Asphinctopone Santschi, 1914
- Austroponera Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014
- Belonopelta Mayr, 1870
- Boloponera Fisher, 2006
- Boltonopone Fisher et al. 2025
- Bothroponera Mayr, 1862
- Brachyponera Emery, 1900
- Buniapone Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014
- Centromyrmex Mayr, 1866
- †Cephalopone Dlussky & Wedmann, 2012[6]
- Corrieopone Esteves & Fisher, 2021
- Cryptopone Emery, 1893
- †Cyrtopone Dlussky & Wedmann, 2012[6]
- Diacamma Mayr, 1862
- Dinoponera Roger, 186
- Dolioponera Brown, 1974
- Ectomomyrmex Mayr, 1867
- Emeryopone Forel, 1912
- Euponera Forel, 1891
- Feroponera Bolton & Fisher, 2008
- Fisheropone Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014
- Hagensia Forel, 1901
- Harpegnathos Jerdon, 1851
- Hypoponera Santschi, 1938
- Igaponera Troya et al., 2022
- Leptogenys Roger, 1861
- Loboponera Bolton & Brown, 2002
- Makebapone Fisher et al. 2025
- Mayaponera Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014
- Megaponera Mayr, 1862
- Mesoponera Emery, 1900
- †Messelepone Dlussky & Wedmann, 2012[6]
Messelepone leptogenoides male - Myopias Roger, 1861
- Neoponera Emery, 1901
- Odontomachus Latreille, 1804
- Odontoponera Mayr, 1862
- Ophthalmopone Forel, 1890
- Pachycondyla Smith, 1858
- Paltothyreus Mayr, 1862
- Parvaponera Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014
- Phrynoponera Wheeler, 1920
- Plectroctena Smith, 1858
- Ponera Latreille, 1804
- †Ponerites Dlussky & Rasnitsyn, 2003
- Promyopias Santschi, 1914
- †Protopone Dlussky, 1988[6]
- Psalidomyrmex André, 1890
- Pseudoneoponera Donisthorpe, 1943
- Pseudoponera Emery, 1900
- Rasopone Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014
- Simopelta Mann, 1922
- Sritoponera Fisher et al. 2025
- Streblognathus Mayr, 1862
- Subiridopone Fisher et al. 2025
- Thaumatomyrmex Mayr, 1887
- Wadeura Weber, 1939
- Xiphopelta Forel, 1913
- incertae sedis
- †Afropone Dlussky, Brothers & Rasnitsyn, 2004
- †Eogorgites Hong, 2002
- †Eoponerites Hong, 2002
- †Furcisutura Hong, 2002
- †Longicapitia Hong, 2002
- †Taphopone Dlussky & Perfilieva, 2014
Phylogeny
The maximum-probability molecular cladogram of the subfamily constructed by Fisher et al. in 2025 is shown here. All genera are represented except for Igaponera, which is only known from a single queen specimen. Six unofficial genus groups are recognized by the authors, namely the Pachycondyla, Ponera, Harpegnathos, Plectroctena, Hypoponera, and Odontomachus groups.[7]
| Ponerinae |
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Notes
- ^ This monotypic genus currently contains the species currently known as Neoponera bucki, which is not a true Neoponera species, however it has not yet been formally described as of 2025.
References
- ^ Bolton, B. (2015). "Ponerinae". AntCat. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Schmidt, Chris (9 May 2013). "Molecular phylogenetics of ponerine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae)". Zootaxa. 3647 (2): 201–250. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.1. PMID 26295106.
- ^ a b c "Ponerinae". AntWiki.
- ^ Hoffman, Donald R. (2010). "Ant venoms". Current Opinion in Allergy & Clinical Immunology. 10 (4): 342–346. doi:10.1097/ACI.0b013e328339f325. PMID 20445444. S2CID 4999650.
- ^ Schmidt, C.A.; Shattuck, S.O. (2014). "The higher classification of the ant subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a review of ponerine ecology and behavior". Zootaxa. 3817: 1–242. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3817.1.1. PMID 24943802.
- ^ a b c d Dlussky, G.M.; Wedmann, S. (2012). "The poneromorph ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae: Amblyoponinae, Ectatomminae, Ponerinae) of Grube Messel, Germany: High biodiversity in the Eocene". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 10 (4): 725–753. Bibcode:2012JSPal..10..725D. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.628341. S2CID 83928415. – via Taylor & Francis (subscription required)
- ^ Fisher, Brian L.; Branstetter, Michael G.; Blaimer, Bonnie B.; Borowiec, Marek L.; Camacho, Gabriela P.; Doré, Maël; Ward, Philip S.; Longino, John T. (19 December 2025). "A genus-level classification of the ant subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)". ZooKeys (1264): 281–349. Bibcode:2025ZooK.1264..281F. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1264.173399. PMC 12743250. PMID 41458144.
External links
Media related to Ponerinae at Wikimedia Commons
