''Liometopum'' 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
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 that belongs 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 ...
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 world ...
,
found in North America, Europe and Asia.
Caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...
s of certain butterfly species have a
symbiotic
Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...
relationship with ''Liometopum'' ants. They produce secretions that the ants will feed on, similar to the behavior of the ant genus ''
Iridomyrmex
''Iridomyrmex'' is a genus of ants called rainbow ants (referring to their blue-green iridescent sheen) first described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. He placed the genus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicida ...
''.
Species
*''
Liometopum apiculatum''
Mayr, 1870
*†''
Liometopum bogdassarovi''
(Nazaraw, Bagdasaraw & Uriew, 1994)
*†''
Liometopum brunascens''
(Heer, 1867)
*†''
Liometopum crassinervis''
Heer, 1849
*†''
Liometopum croaticum''
(Heer, 1849)
*†''
Liometopum eremicum''
Zhang, 1989
*†''
Liometopum escheri''
(Heer, 1867)
*†''
Liometopum globosum''
(Heer, 1849)
*†''
Liometopum imhoffii''
(Heer, 1849)
*†''
Liometopum incognitum''
Dlussky, Rasnitsyn, & Perfilieva, 2015
*''
Liometopum lindgreeni''
Forel, 1902
*†''
Liometopum longaevum''
(Heer, 1849)
*†''
Liometopum lubricum''
Zhang, Sun & Zhang, 1994
*''
Liometopum luctuosum''
Wheeler, 1905 – the pine tree ant
*''
Liometopum masonium''
(Buckley, 1866)
*''
Liometopum microcephalum''
(Panzer, 1798)
*†''
Liometopum miocenicum''
Carpenter, 1930
*''
Liometopum occidentale
''Liometopum occidentale'', also called the velvety tree ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. ''Liometopum occidentale'' is often mistaken for carpenter ants (''Camponotus'' spp.) by homeowners and pest management professiona ...
''
Emery, 1895 – the velvety tree ant
*†''
Liometopum oligocenicum''
Wheeler, 1915
*''
Liometopum orientale''
Karavaiev, 1927
*†''
Liometopum pallidum''
(Heer, 1867)
*†''
Liometopum potamophilum''
Zhang, 1989
*†''
Liometopum rhenana''
(Meunier, 1917)
*†''
Liometopum scudderi''
Carpenter, 1930
*''
Liometopum sinense''
Wheeler, 1921
*†''
Liometopum stygium''
(Heer, 1867)
*†''
Liometopum venerarium''
(Heer, 1864)
*†''
Liometopum ventrosum''
(Heer, 1849)
See also
*
Escamoles
Escamoles (; nah, azcamolli, from ''azcatl'' 'ant' and ''molli'' 'puree'), known colloquially as ''Mexican caviar'' or ''insect caviar'', are the edible larvae and pupae of ants of the species '' Liometopum apiculatum'' and '' L. occidentale var ...
, a Mexican dish made from ''Liometopum'' larvae and pupae
References
External links
*
*
Dolichoderinae
Ant genera
Taxa named by Gustav Mayr
{{Dolichoderinae-stub