''Leptogenys'' is a
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 above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
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 ...
s in the
subfamily 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 ...
.
''Leptogenys'' is the most diverse ponerine ant genus in the world; it is widespread throughout
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
and
subtropical regions and there are over 260
extant species described. Most species have
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 ...
queens, and many have falcate, bowed mandibles and are specialists on
isopod prey.
Description
The ant genus ''Leptogenys'' is one of the most diverse and abundant ponerines throughout the tropical and subtropical regions . The genus has attracted attention due to its wide variety of social organizations and
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 '' metropolitan state' ...
structures as well as its remarkably diverse range of behaviors. ''Leptogenys'' range from large-eyed
epigaeic (living or foraging primarily above ground) species to small-eyed cryptobiotic species that inhabit the soil layers or forage through the
leaf litter
Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...
. Such variation occurs across the geographical distribution of the genus. The ''maxillosa'' species-group includes widespread species that have expanded well beyond their native ranges. The worker caste of the genus can be distinguished largely by the distinct pectinate ventral margin of the tarsal claws.
Taxonomy
The
taxonomic history of the genus ''Leptogenys'' includes several
junior synonyms as a result of the remarkable
morphological diversity in the group. Several genera and subgenera were described by earlier ant taxonomists based on variation in the shape of the mandible, the number of mandibular teeth, the form of the
clypeus, the presence of teeth on the anterior clypeal margin, and the number of peg-like teeth on the ventral margin of the tarsal claws. ''Leptogenys'' now includes the following junior synonyms: ''Prionogenys'', ''Lobopelta'', ''Odontopelta'', ''Machaerogenys'', ''Dorylozelus'', and ''Microbolbos''. These genera originally were in their own
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
, Leptogenyini, but the morphological features used to separate this group were eventually considered insufficient, and Brown (1963) synonymized the tribe with
Ponerini
Ponerini is a tribe of Ponerinae ants with 46 genera and 6 extinct genera.
Genera
*'' Anochetus''
*†'' Archiponera''
*'' Asphinctopone''
*'' Austroponera''
*'' Belonopelta''
*'' Boloponera''
*'' Bothroponera''
*''Brachyponera''
*'' Bu ...
. A
molecular phylogenetic study of the Ponerinae by Schmidt (2013) corroborates the placement of ''Leptogenys'' in the Ponerini.
See also
*
List of Leptogenys species
References
*Brown, W.L. Jr. (1963). "Characters and synonymies among the genera of ants, part 3. Some members of the tribe Ponerini". ''Breviora'' 190: 1–10.
*Roger, J. (1861). "Die Ponera-artigen Ameisen (Schluss)". Berliner ''Entomologische Zeitschrift'' 5: 1-54.
*Schmidt, C. (2013). "Molecular phylogenetics of ponerine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae)". ''
Zootaxa
''Zootaxa'' is a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press (Auckland, New Zealand). The journal was established by Zhi-Qiang Zhang in 2001 and new issues are published multiple times a week ...
'', 3647: 201–250.
*
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1820179
Ponerinae
Ant genera
Taxa named by Julius Roger