''Phrynoponera gabonensis'' is an
Afrotropical species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
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 ...
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 ...
. ''P. gabonensis'' is the most common, widely distributed and frequently encountered member of the genus ''
Phrynoponera''. Specimens are usually retrieved from
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 ...
samples but also occur in pitfall traps. The species is known to nest in and under rotten wood, in compacted soil and in termitaries.
Synonyms
*''Phrynoponera gabonensis'' var. ''striatidens''
(Santschi, 1914)
*''Phrynoponera armata''
(Santschi, 1919)
*''Phrynoponera gabonensis'' var. ''robustior''
(Santschi, 1919)
*''Phrynoponera gabonensis'' var. ''esta''
Wheeler, 1922
*''Phrynoponera gabonensis'' var. ''fecunda''
Wheeler, 1922
*''Phrynoponera gabonensis'' var. ''umbrosa''
Wheeler, 1922
*''Phrynoponera heterodus''
Wheeler, 1922
References
*
External links
*
*
Ponerinae
Insects described in 1892
Hymenoptera of Africa
{{Ponerinae-stub