''Eutetramorium'' is a small genus of ants 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 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 is extremely ergatoid in ''E. mocquerysi'', alate 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''. 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 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 consi ...

, 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.Taylor, R. W. (1987). "A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". ''CSIRO (Com ...

''. The yet unpublished, more detailed,

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

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 ''Malagidris'' is a Malagasy genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Described in 2014, the genus contains six species. Species * '' Malagidris alperti'' Bolton & Fisher, 2014 * '' Malagidris belti'' (Forel, 1895) * '' Malagidris dulcis'' B ...

'', '' Myrmisaraka'', '' Royidris'' and '' Vitsika''.

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