Belongs within: Formicidae.
Contains: Aphaenogaster, Messor, Myrmica, Oligomyrmex, Epopostrumiti, Solenopsidini, Leptothorax, Formicoxenini, Temnothorax, Monomorium, Cardiocondyla, Meranoplini, Stenammini, Tetramorium, Strumigeniti, Pheidole, Attini, Orectognathus.
The Myrmicinae are a large clade of often smaller ants including nearly half of the world’s ant genera. They are distinguished by the possession of a two-segmented waist of petiole and postpetiole, and fusion of the pronotum and mesonotum into a single visible segment (Heterick 2009). Some myrmicines are known for their potent stings; these include the harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex, the fire ants Solenopsis and the electric ant Wasmannia auropunctata.
Manica is a Holarctic genus of ants, most diverse in western North America, characterised by antennae with a five-segmented club, a weak but distinctly impressed promesonotal suture, and a propodeum armed with blunt tubercles rather than spines. Cataulacus is a genus of arboreally or subarboreally nesting ants found in warmer regions of the Old World, characterised by a broad, flattened head that in some species may be used to close up the entrance to the nest. Similar broad heads are found in soldiers of the Neotropical genus Cephalotes, in which the frontal carinae are laterally expanded and the scrobes are deep so the antennal scape is largely hidden in frontal view.
The Pogonomyrmex harvester ants get their vernacular name from their habit of collecting seeds for food; they are found in deserts of North and South America. Members of this genus possess a strongly developed psammophore (Wheeler & Wheeler 1990).
Characters (Heterick 2009): Head with frontal lobes expanded to cover all or part of antennal insertions; pronotum and mesonotum fused to form one segment (promesonotum); waist consisting of two distinct segments (petiole and postpetiole), with postpetiole distinctly separate from remaining abdominal segments which are smoothly rounded, presclerites of postpetiole meeting but usually not fused; hind tibiae with at most a simple spur (sometimes absent); tarsal claws simple.
<==Myrmicinae [Myrmicidae, Myrmicites]
|--+--+--MyrmicaSB08
| | `--Manica Jurine 1807BS06, B03
| | |--M. bradleyiBS06
| | |--M. hunteri [incl. M. aldrichi]WW90
| | `--M. rubidaS09
| `--PogonomyrmexSB08
| |--P. badiusES12
| |--P. barbatusES12
| |--P. californicusBM76
| |--P. occidentalisBS23
| |--P. rugosusH79
| `--P. subdentatusBS06
`--+--Cataulacus Smith 1854SB08, Z01 [incl. Otomyrmex Forel 1891Z01]
| |--*C. taprobanae Smith 1854Z01
| |--C. granulatus (Latreille 1802) [=Formica granulata; incl. C. hispidus]Z01
| |--C. hispidulusE89b
| |--C. horridusN-ZLI11
| |--C. latus Forel in Grandidier 1892B03
| |--C. muticus Emery 1889B03
| |--C. reticulatusE89b
| `--C. simoni Emery 1893B03
`--+--+--+--Atopomyrmex André 1889MB06, B03
| | | |--*A. mocquerysiB03
| | | `--A. ceylonicus Emery 1901B03
| | `--+--Pheidologeton Mayr 1862MB06, TB85 (see below for synonymy)
| | | |--*P. diversus (Jerdon 1851)TB85 (see below for synonymy)
| | | |--P. affinis (Jerdon 1851)Z01 (see below for synonymy)
| | | |--P. lamellifrons Forel 1902B03
| | | |--P. latinodus Zhou & Zheng 1997Z01
| | | |--P. melasolenos Zhou & Zheng 1997Z01
| | | |--P. nanus Roger 1863B03
| | | |--P. pygmaeusN-ZLI11
| | | |--P. silenusN-ZLI11
| | | `--P. trechiderus Zhou & Zheng 1997Z01
| | `--+--Carebara Westwood 1841MB06, B03
| | | |--*C. lignata Westwood 1841B03
| | | |--C. atomusH09
| | | |--C. castaneaE89b
| | | `--C. cornigerH09
| | `--OligomyrmexTB85
| `--+--+--Acanthognathus ocellatusSB08
| | |--EpopostrumitiBS06
| | `--Eutetramorium mocquerysiMB06, BS06
| `--+--+--+--SolenopsidiniBS06
| | | `--Mayriella Forel 1902MB06, TB85
| | | |--*M. abstinens Forel 1902TB85
| | | | |--M. a. abstinens [incl. M. overbecki Viehmeyer 1925]TB85
| | | | |--M. a. hackeri Wheeler 1935TB85
| | | | `--M. a. venustula Wheeler 1935TB85
| | | |--M. ebbeiBS06
| | | |--M. occiduaH09
| | | |--M. spinosior Wheeler 1935TB85
| | | `--M. transfuga Baroni Urbani 1977Z01
| | `--+--+--LeptothoraxMB06
| | | `--FormicoxeniniMB06
| | `--TemnothoraxMB06
| `--+--MonomoriumSB08
| `--CardiocondylaMB06
`--+--+--+--MeranopliniSB08
| | `--+--Dilobocondyla Santschi 1910MB06, Z01 [incl. Mesomyrma Stitz 1911Z01]
| | | |--*D. selebensis (Emery 1897) [=Atopomyrmex selebensis]Z01
| | | `--D. fouqueti Santschi 1910 [incl. D. fouqueti var. lighti Wheeler 1927]Z01
| | `--+--StenamminiMB06
| | `--Xenomyrmex floridanusMB06, BS06
| `--TetramoriumSB08
`--+--+--+--Wasmannia auropunctataSB08
| | `--Blepharidatta brasiliensisSB08
| `--+--Pilotrochus besmerusBS06
| `--StrumigenitiSB08
`--+--+--BasicerotiniBS-C08
| | |--Basiceros manniSB08
| | `--Octostruma balzani (Emery 1894) [incl. Pyramica amrishi Makhan 2007]BS-C08
| `--Eurhopalothrix Brown & Kempf 1961BS06, TB85
| |--*E. bolaui (Mayr 1870) [=Rhopalothrix bolaui]TB85
| |--E. australis Brown & Kempf 1960TB85
| |--E. emeryi (Forel 1912) [=Rhopalothrix emeryi]TB85
| |--E. procera (Emery 1897) [=Rhopalothrix procera]TB85
| `--E. seguensisN-ZLI11
`--+--Tranopelta gilvaSB08
`--+--+--PheidoleSB08
| `--+--Procryptocerus scabriusculusSB08
| `--Cephalotes Latreille 1802SB08, L02
| `--*C. atratus (Linnaeus 1758)L02, L58 [=Formica atrataL02]
`--+--AttiniSB08
`--+--OrectognathusSB08
`--Daceton [Dacetini, Dacetiti]SB08
`--D. armigerum Latreille 1802 [incl. Myrmecia cordata Fabricius 1805]TB85
Myrmicinae incertae sedis:
MegalomyrmexWB03
LenomyrmexWB03
ZacryptocerusGE05
Liomyrmex Mayr 1865B03
|--*L. coecusB03
`--L. aurianus Emery 1889B03
LaparomyrmexE89b
PhalacromyrmexB83
AnillomyrmaH09
AnkylomyrmaH09
HarpogoxenusWW90
EphebomyrmexWW90
VeromessorWW90
|--V. lariversiWW90
|--V. pergandeiTN62
`--V. smithiWW90
ParatopulaN-ZLI11
Acanthomyrmex Emery 1893B03
|--*A. luciolae Emery 1893B03
|--A. feroxN-ZLI11
`--A. glabfemoralis Zhou & Zheng 1997Z01
RotastrumaN-ZL11
SecostrumaN-Zl11
Trichomyrmex Mayr 1865B03
`--*T. rogeri Mayr 1865B03
Recurvidris Bolton 1992 [=Trigonogaster Forel 1890 non Guerin-Meneville 1844]Z01
|--*R. recurvispinosa (Forel 1890) [=*Trigonogaster recurvispinosa]Z01
|--R. glabriceps Zhou 2001Z01
`--R. pickburniZ01
Stereomyrmex Emery 1901B03
`--*S. horni Emery 1901B03
Calyptromyrmex Emery 1887TB85
|--*C. beccarii Emery 1887TB85
`--C. schraderi Forel 1901TB85
Machomyrma Forel 1895TB85
`--*M. dispar (Forel 1895) [=Liomyrmex (*Machomyrma) dispar]TB85
Peronomyrmex Viehmeyer 1922TB85
`--*P. overbecki Viehmeyer 1922TB85
Rhopalothrix Mayr 1870TB85
|--*R. ciliata Mayr 1870TB85
`--R. orbis Taylor 1968TB85
Rhoptromyrmex Mayr 1901 [incl. Acidomyrmex Emery 1915, Hagioxenus Forel 1910, Ireneella Donisthorpe 1941]Z01
|--*R. globinodis Mayr 1901Z01
|--R. melleus (Emery 1897) [=Tetramorium melleum]TB85
`--R. wroughtonii Forel 1902Z01 (see below for synonymy)
AphaenogasterBS06
MessorB03
Kartidris Bolton 1991Z01
|--*K. nyos Bolton 1991Z01
`--K. galos Bolton 1991Z01
Sinomyrmex Hong 2002H02
`--*S. brunnea Hong 2002H02
Orbigastrula Hong 2002H02
`--*O. guchengziensis Hong 2002H02
Fushunomyrmex Hong 2002H02
`--*F. lioaningensis Hong 2002H02
Quineangulicapito Hong 2002H02
`--*Q. fushunensis Hong 2002H02
Brachytarsites Hong 2002H02
`--*B. dongzhouheensis Hong 2002H02
Quadrulicapito Hong 2002H02
`--*Q. longa Hong 2002H02
Clavipetiola Hong 2002H02
`--*C. asiatica Hong 2002H02
Sphaerogasterites Hong 2002H02
`--*S. longipetiolatus Hong 2002H02
Wumyrmex Hong 2002H02
`--*W. furvis Hong 2002H02
Eocenidris crassaP92
OcymyrmexMB06
OxyopomyrmexMB06
|--O. oculatusE89a
`--O. saulcyi Emery 1889E89a
GoniommaMB06
Myrmecina Curtis 1829BS06, TB85 [incl. Archaeomyrmex Mann 1921Z01]
|--M. graminicola (Latreille 1802)TB85 (see below for synonymy)
| |--M. g. graminicolaATI94
| `--M. g. nipponicaATI94
|--M. guangxiensis Zhou 2001Z01
|--M. rugosa Forel 1902TB85
|--M. striata Emery 1889B03
`--M. taiwanensisZ01
Myrmicaria Saunders 1842BS06, Z01 [incl. Heptacondylus Smith 1858B03, Physatta Smith 1858B03]
|--*M. brunnea Saunders 1841 (see below for synonymy)B03
|--M. birmana Forel 1902 [=M. arachnoides birmana]B03
|--M. eumenoidesA61
`--M. exiguaBS06
TetratanerMB06
Myrmecina graminicola (Latreille 1802)TB85 [=Formica graminicolaTB85; incl. Myrmica bidens Foerster 1850Z01, Myrmecina grouvellei Bondroit 1918Z01, Myrmecina kutteri Forel 1914Z01, *Myrmecina latreillei Curtis 1829Z01, Myrmica striatala Nylander 1849Z01]
*Myrmicaria brunnea Saunders 1841 [incl. Myrmica fodiens Jerdon 1851, Myrmicaria fodiens, Myrmicaria brunnea var. subcarinata]B03
Rhoptromyrmex wroughtonii Forel 1902Z01 [=Tetramorium wroughtoniB03; incl. R. intermedia Forel 1913Z01, R. leno Viehmeyer 1914Z01, R. rothneyi Forel 1902Z01, R. wroughtoni rothneyiB03, Tetramorium rothneyiB03, R. sumatrensis Forel 1913Z01, R. taiwanensis Wheeler 1930Z01]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[A61] Andreae, H. 1961. Coleoptera: Cossyphodidae. In: Hanström, B., P. Brinck & G. Rudebeck (eds) South African Animal Life: Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951 vol. 8 pp. 198–216. Almqvist & Wiksell: Uppsala.
[B03] Bingham, C. T. 1903. The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera vol. 2. Ants and Cuckoo-Wasps. Taylor and Francis: London.
[BS23] Blaimer, B. B., B. F. Santos, A. Cruaud, M. W. Gates, R. R. Kula, I. Mikó, J.-Y. Rasplus, D. R. Smith, E. J. Talamas, S. G. Brady & M. L. Buffington. 2023. Key innovations and the diversification of Hymenoptera. Nature Communications 14: 1212.
[BM76] Bohart, R. M., & A. S. Menke. 1976. Sphecid Wasps of the World. University of California Press: Berkeley.
[B83] Bolton, B. 1983. The Afrotropical dacetine ants (Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Entomology series 46 (4): 267–416.
[BS-C08] Bolton, B., J. Sosa-Calvo, F. Fernandez & J. E. Lattke. 2008. New synonyms in neotropical myrmicine ants. Zootaxa 1732: 61–64.
[BS06] Brady, S. G., T. R. Schultz, B. L. Fisher & P. S. Ward. 2006. Evaluating alternative hypotheses for the early evolution and diversification of ants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 103 (48): 18172–18177.
[E89a] Emery, C. 1889a. Intorno ad alcune formiche della fauna palearctica. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2a, 7: 439–443.
[E89b] Emery, C. 1889b. Viaggio di Leonardo Fea in Birmania e regioni vicine. XX.—Formiche di Birmania e del Tenasserim raccolte da Leonardo Fea (1885–87). Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2a, 7: 485–520.
[ES12] Espadaler, X., & S. Santamaria. 2012. Ecto- and endoparasitic fungi on ants from the Holarctic region. Psyche 2012: 168478.
[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.
[H09] Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 76: 1–206.
[H02] Hong Y. 2002. Amber Insect of China. Beijing Scientific and Technological Publishing House.
[H79] Howse, P. E. 1979. The uniqueness of insect societies: aspects of defense and integration. In: Larwood, G., & B. R. Rosen (eds) Biology and Systematics of Colonial Organisms pp. 345–374. Academic Press: London.
[L02] Latreille, P. A. 1802. Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière des crustacés et des insectes vol. 3. Familles naturelles des genres. F. Dufart: Paris.
[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis revised 10th ed. vol. 1. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.
[MB06] Moreau, C. S., C. D. Bell, R. Vila, S. B. Archibald & N. E. Pierce. 2006. Phylogeny of the ants: diversification in the age of angiosperms. Science 312: 101–104.
[N-ZLI11] Nur-Zati A. M., G. T. Lim & A. B. Idris. 2011. Checklist of ants of selected hill dipterocarp forests of peninsular Malaysia. Serangga 16 (1): 91–105.
[P92] Poinar, G. O., Jr. 1992. Life in Amber. Stanford University Press: Stanford.
[SB08] Schultz, T. R. & S. G. Brady. 2008. Major evolutionary transitions in ant agriculture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 105 (14): 5435–5440.
[S09] Seifert, B. 2009. Cryptic species in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) revisited: we need a change in the alpha-taxonomic approach. Myrmecological News 12: 149–166.
[TB85] Taylor, R. W., & D. R. Brown. 1985. Formicoidea. In: Walton, D. W. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 2. Hymenoptera: Formicoidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea pp. 1–149. Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.
[TN62] Tevis, L., Jr & I. M. Newell. 1962. Studies on the biology and seasonal cycle of the giant red velvet mite, Dinothrombium pandorae (Acari, Trombidiidae). Ecology 43 (3): 497–505.
[WB03] Ward, P. S., & S. G. Brady. 2003. Phylogeny and biogeography of the ant subfamily Myrmeciinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Invertebrate Systematics 17: 361–386.
[WW90] Wheeler, G. C., & J. Wheeler. 1990. Insecta: Hymenoptera Formicidae. In: Dindal, D. L. (ed.) Soil Biology Guide pp. 1277–1294. John Wiley & Sones: New York.
[Z01] Zhou, S. 2001. Ants of Guangxi. Guangxi Normal University Press: Guilin (China).