''Eutetramorium'' is a small

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 ...

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 within 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 ...

Myrmicinae Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent and ...

. To date it contains three species found in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

Species

*'' Eutetramorium mocquerysi'' Emery 1899 – Madagascar *'' Eutetramorium monticellii'' Emery 1899 – Comoros *'' Eutetramorium parvum'' Bolton & Fisher, 2014 – Madagascar

Description

The

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 ...

is extremely

ergatoid An ergatoid (from Greek '' ergat-'', "worker" + ''-oid'', "like") is a permanently wingless reproductive adult ant or termite. The similar but somewhat ambiguous term ergatogyne refers to any intermediate form between workers and standard gynes. E ...

in ''E. mocquerysi'',

alate Alate (Latin ''ālātus'', from ''āla'' (“wing”)) is an adjective and noun used in entomology and botany to refer to something that has wings or winglike structures. In entomology In entomology, "alate" usually refers to the winged form o ...

in ''E. monticellii''. In ''E. parvum'' a normal dealate queen is present in the type-series, but there is also a specimen that may be an ergatoid or a worker-queen intercaste, or possibly merely an oversized worker. Males are known only for ''E. mocquerysi'', where it is smaller than conspecific workers.

Taxonomy

This small genus was established by Emery (1899) for two conspicuous, large, darkly coloured Madagascan species that superficially resemble ''

Tetramorium ''Tetramorium'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae that includes more than 520 species. These ants are also known as pavement ants. Taxonomy and phylogeny ''Tetramorium'' was first described by Gustav Mayr in 1855 in the same pub ...

''. Initially, Emery (1912, 1914) was of the opinion that the genus was referable to the tribe Myrmecinini, but Ashmead (1905) and Wheeler (1910) had already referred it to

Tetramoriini Crematogastrini is a tribe of myrmicine ants Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved fro ...

, an opinion that Emery (1915, 1924) also came to accept. Bolton (1976) excluded ''Eutetramorium'' from Tetramoriini on morphological grounds, and tentatively transferred it to Myrmicini. This placement persisted until recently, when a molecular analysis of Myrmicini by Jansen & Savolainen (2010) showed that the monophyly of the tribe was dubious, and that ''Eutetramorium'' formed a clade with ''

Huberia ''Huberia'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus contains two species endemic to New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses ...

''. The yet unpublished, more detailed, DNA analysis of Myrmicinae by Philip S. Ward has established that ''Eutetramorium'' belongs in a strongly supported, endemic Madagascan clade that also includes the other four genera: '' Malagidris'', '' Myrmisaraka'', ''

Royidris ''Royidris'' is a Madagascar, Malagasy genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Described in 2014, the genus contains 15 species endemic to Madagascar. Description Ant queen, Queens are known for ''R. admixta'', ''R. diminuta'', ''R. notortho ...

'' and ''

Vitsika ''Vitsika'' is a Malagasy genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Described in 2014, the genus contains 14 species. Description Queens are known for all species except ''V. obscura''. The queens may be alate or ergatoid, or both forms may o ...

''.

References

* * *Emery, C. (189.). "Formiche di Madagascar raccolte dal Sig. A. Mocquerys nei pressi della Baia di Antongil (1897–1898)." ''Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana'', 31, 263–290 * * * * *

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4038365 Myrmicinae Ant genera Hymenoptera of Africa