''Diacamma'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
queenless ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...
s belonging to the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Ponerinae
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 fun ...
.
It is distributed from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and contains about 24 species.
Biology
A
queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
caste does not exist in ''Diacamma''. Unique to this genus, all workers emerge from cocoons with a pair of tiny innervated thoracic appendages (''gemmae'') that are homologous with wings. Mutilation leads to a permanent change in lifetime trajectory, because workers lacking gemmae never mate. This is unlike other queenless ants where workers establish a dominance hierarchy to regulate reproduction. In ''Diacamma'' only one worker retains her gemmae in each
colony
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
, she is the
gamergate
Gamergate may refer to:
* Gamergate (ant), a worker ant that can store sperm and reproduce sexually
* Gamergate (harassment campaign), targeting women in the video game industry
* Lt. Gamergate, a character in the ''Adventure Time'' episode " Den ...
(mated egglaying worker), and she bites off the gemmae of newly emerged workers. Mutilation causes the degeneration of the neuronal connections between the sensory hairs on the gemma's surface and the
central nervous system
The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all par ...
, and this may explain the irreversibility of modifications in individual behaviour.
Species
*''
Diacamma assamense''
Emery, 1897
*''
Diacamma australe
''Diacamma'' is a genus of queenless ant, queenless ants belonging to the subfamily Ponerinae. It is distributed from India to Australia and contains about 24 species.
Biology
A ant queen, queen caste does not exist in ''Diacamma''. Unique to t ...
''
(Fabricius, 1775)
*''
Diacamma baguiense''
Wheeler & Chapman, 1925
*''
Diacamma bispinosum''
(Le Guillou, 1842)
*''
Diacamma ceylonense
''Diacamma ceylonense'', also known as Sri Lanka queenless ant, is a species of ant of the subfamily Ponerinae. It is a widespread species.
Subspecies
*''Diacamma ceylonense ceylonense'' Santschi, 1932 - India, Sri Lanka
*''Diacamma ceylonense ...
''
Emery, 1897
*''
Diacamma colosseense''
Forel, 1915
*''
Diacamma cupreum''
(Smith, 1860)
*''
Diacamma cyaneiventre''
André, 1887
*''
Diacamma holosericeum''
(Roger, 1860)
*''
Diacamma indicum
''Diacamma indicum'', also known as Indian queenless ant, is a species of ant of the subfamily Ponerinae. It is found from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country ...
''
Santschi, 1920
*''
Diacamma intricatum
''Diacamma'' is a genus of queenless ants belonging to the subfamily Ponerinae. It is distributed from India to Australia and contains about 24 species.
Biology
A queen caste does not exist in ''Diacamma''. Unique to this genus, all workers em ...
''
(Smith, 1857)
*''
Diacamma jacobsoni
''Diacamma'' is a genus of queenless ants belonging to the subfamily Ponerinae. It is distributed from India to Australia and contains about 24 species.
Biology
A queen caste does not exist in ''Diacamma''. Unique to this genus, all workers em ...
''
Forel, 1912
*''
Diacamma leve
''Diacamma'' is a genus of queenless ants belonging to the subfamily Ponerinae. It is distributed from India to Australia and contains about 24 species.
Biology
A queen caste does not exist in ''Diacamma''. Unique to this genus, all workers em ...
''
Crawley, 1915
*''
Diacamma longitudinale
''Diacamma'' is a genus of queenless ants belonging to the subfamily Ponerinae. It is distributed from India to Australia and contains about 24 species.
Biology
A queen caste does not exist in ''Diacamma''. Unique to this genus, all workers em ...
''
Emery, 1889
*''
Diacamma palawanicum''
Emery, 1900
*''
Diacamma pallidum''
(Smith, 1858)
*''
Diacamma panayense''
Wheeler & Chapman, 1925
*''
Diacamma purpureum''
(Smith, 1863)
*''
Diacamma rugivertex''
Emery, 1902
*''
Diacamma rugosum
''Diacamma rugosum'', also known as the Bornean queenless ant, is a species of ant of the subfamily Ponerinae. It is found in many countries throughout Southeast Asia. 20 subspecies are recognized.
''D. rugosum'' is noted for being one of the o ...
''
(Le Guillou, 1842)
*''
Diacamma scalpratum''
(Smith, 1858)
*''
Diacamma schoedli''
Shattuck & Barnett, 2006
*''
Diacamma sericeiventre''
Stitz, 1925
References
*
External links
*
Diacamma photo gallery by Alexander Wild
Ponerinae
Ant genera
Hymenoptera of Asia
Hymenoptera of Australia
Taxa named by Gustav Mayr
{{Ponerinae-stub