The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development. Formicines retain some primitive features, such as the presence of cocoons around pupae, the presence of ocelli in workers, and little tendency toward reduction of palp or

antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

l segmentation in most species, except subterranean groups. Extreme modification of

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

s is rare, except in the genera '' Myrmoteras'' and '' Polyergus''. However, some members show considerable evolutionary advancement in behaviors such as slave-making and symbiosis with root-feeding hemipterans. Finally, all formicines have very reduced

sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

s and enlarged venom reservoirs, with the venom gland, specialized (uniquely among ants) for the production of formic acid. All members of the Formicinae "have a one-segmented petiole in the form of a vertical scale".

Identification

Formicine ants have a single node-like or scale-like petiole (postpetiole entirely lacking) and the apex of the abdomen has a circular or U-shaped opening (the acidopore), usually fringed with hairs. A functional sting is absent, and defense is provided by the ejection of formic acid through the acidopore. If the acidopore is concealed by the pygidium and difficult to discern, then the antennal sockets are located well behind the posterior margin of the clypeus (cf.

Dolichoderinae Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the cone ant. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the worl ...

). In most formicines, the eyes are well developed (ocelli may also be present), the antennal insertions are not concealed by the frontal carinae, and the promesonotal suture is present and flexible.

Tribes and genera

The tribal structure of the Formicinae is not completely understood. This list follows the scheme at AntCat, but other schemes and names are used. * Camponotini Forel, 1878 ** '' Calomyrmex'' Emery, 1895 ** '' Camponotus'' Mayr, 1861 – carpenter ants (global) ** †'' Chimaeromyrma'' Dlussky, 1988 ** '' Colobopsis'' Mayr, 1861 ** '' Dinomyrmex'' Ashmead, 1905 ** '' Echinopla'' Smith, 1857 ** '' Opisthopsis'' Dalla Torre, 1893 ** '' Overbeckia'' Viehmeyer, 1916 ** '' Polyrhachis'' Smith, 1857 (Asian, African tropics) ** †'' Pseudocamponotus'' Carpenter, 1930 * Formicini Latreille, 1809 ** '' Alloformica'' Dlussky, 1969 ** '' Bajcaridris'' Agosti, 1994 ** ''

Cataglyphis ''Cataglyphis'' is a genus of ant, desert ants, in the subfamily Formicinae. Its most famous species is ''C. bicolor'', the Sahara Desert ant, which runs on hot sand to find insects that died of heat exhaustion, and can, like other several oth ...

'' Foerster, 1850 ** †'' Cataglyphoides'' Dlussky, 2008 ** †'' Conoformica'' Dlussky, 2008 ** ''

Formica ''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. ''Formica'' is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus ' ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 ** '' Iberoformica'' Tinaut, 1990 ** '' Polyergus'' Latreille, 1804 – Amazon ants ** ''

Proformica ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single qu ...

'' Ruzsky, 1902 ** †'' Protoformica'' Dlussky, 1967 ** ''

Rossomyrmex ''Rossomyrmex'' is a genus of slave-making ant in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus consists of four species, each with a single host from the genus ''Proformica'', and has a very wide range of distribution from China to southeastern Spa ...

'' Arnol'di, 1928 * Gesomyrmecini Ashmead, 1905 ** '' Gesomyrmex'' Mayr, 1868 ** †'' Prodimorphomyrmex'' Wheeler, 1915 ** ''

Santschiella ''Santschiella'' is an Afrotropical genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes a ...

'' Forel, 1916 ** †'' Sicilomyrmex'' Wheeler, 1915 * Gigantiopini Ashmead, 1905 ** '' Gigantiops'' Roger, 1863 (Neotropical) * Lasiini Ashmead, 1905 ** '' Acropyga'' Roger, 1862 ** '' Anoplolepis'' Santschi, 1914 ** '' Cladomyrma'' Wheeler, 1920 ** †'' Glaphyromyrmex'' Wheeler, 1915 ** '' Lasiophanes'' Emery, 1895 ** '' Lasius'' Fabricius, 1804 ** '' Myrmecocystus'' Wesmael, 1838 ** '' Prolasius'' Forel, 1892 ** '' Stigmacros'' Forel, 1905 ** '' Teratomyrmex'' McAreavey, 1957 * Melophorini Forel, 1912 ** '' Melophorus'' Lubbock, 1883 (Australian) * Myrmecorhynchini Wheeler, 1917 ** '' Myrmecorhynchus'' André, 1896 ** ''

Notoncus ''Notoncus'' is an Australian genus of 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 ...

'' Emery, 1895 ** '' Pseudonotoncus'' Clark, 1934 * Myrmelachistini ** '' Brachymyrmex'' Mayr, 1868 ** '' Myrmelachista'' Roger, 1863 * Myrmoteratini Emery, 1895 ** '' Myrmoteras'' Forel, 1893 * Notostigmatini Bolton, 2003 ** '' Notostigma'' Emery, 1920 * Oecophyllini Emery, 1895 ** '' Oecophylla'' Smith, 1860 – weaver ants * Plagiolepidini Forel, 1886 ** '' Agraulomyrmex'' Prins, 1983 ** '' Aphomomyrmex'' Emery, 1899 ** '' Bregmatomyrma'' Wheeler, 1929 ** '' Euprenolepis'' Emery, 1906 ** ''

Lepisiota ''Lepisiota'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. They nest in rotten wood, in standing trees or in the ground, generally in less forested areas. Species *'' Lepisiota acuta'' Xu, 1994 *'' Lepisiota affinis'' (Santsch ...

'' Santschi, 1926 ** '' Nylanderia'' Emery, 1906 ** '' Paraparatrechina'' Donisthorpe, 1947 ** ''

Paratrechina ''Paratrechina'' is one of seven ant genera (alongside ''Euprenolepis, Nylanderia, Paraparatrechina, Prenolepis, Pseudolasius,'' and '' Zatania'') in the ''Prenolepis'' genus-group from the subfamily Formicinae (tribe Lasiini). Six species a ...

'' Motschoulsky, 1863 – crazy ants ** '' Petalomyrmex'' Snelling, 1979 ** '' Plagiolepis'' Mayr, 1861 ** '' Prenolepis'' Mayr, 1861 ** '' Pseudolasius'' Emery, 1887 ** '' Tapinolepis'' Emery, 1925 ** '' Zatania'' LaPolla, Kallal & Brady, 2012 * '' incertae sedis'' ** †'' Attopsis'' Heer, 1850 ** †'' Leucotaphus'' Donisthorpe, 1920 ** †'' Liaoformica'' Hong, 2002 ** †'' Longiformica'' Hong, 2002 ** †'' Magnogasterites'' Hong, 2002 ** †'' Orbicapitia'' Hong, 2002 ** †'' Ovalicapito'' Hong, 2002 ** †'' Ovaligastrula'' Hong, 2002 ** †'' Protrechina'' Wilson, 1985 ** †'' Sinoformica'' Hong, 2002 ** †'' Sinotenuicapito'' Hong, 2002 ** †'' Wilsonia'' Hong, 2002 Carpenter ant Tanzania crop

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q119691 Ant subfamilies Taxa named by Amédée Louis Michel le Peletier