Agroecomyrmecinae

Agroecomyrmecinae
	Ankylomyrma coronacantha Image: April Nobile, AntWeb
Systematics
Order :	Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)
Subordination :	Waist Wasps (Apocrita)
Partial order :	Voices (Aculeata)
Superfamily :	Vespoidea
Family :	Ants (Formicidae)
Subfamily :	Agroecomyrmecinae
Scientific name
	Agroecomyrmecinae
	Carpenter , 1930

The Agroecomyrmecinae are a small subfamily of ants with two living ( recent ) and three extinct ( fossil ) species.

features

The last morphological definition of the subfamily comes from Barry Bolton 2003. He mentions the following characteristics in particular: the mandible ridge when closed, in full contact, but not overlapping; Complex eyes on the head shifted far back, at the rear end of an antenna groove; Deflection points of the antennas and frontal lobes shifted far outwards, widely separated; on abdominal segment four (the first segment after the postpetiolus) tergite and sternite fused - this feature was later recognized as incorrect; Tergite of the fourth abdominal segment greatly enlarged and convex, sternite small and largely reduced. The delimitation of the subfamily according to purely morphological characteristics is, however, uncertain and is not accepted by all taxonomists. Some researchers argue that inclusion in the Myrmicinae would be possible, or at least represent the sister group . Ultimately, the subfamily is primarily based on phylogenomics, based on the comparison of homologous DNA sequences. Accordingly, the recent species are not closely related to the Myrmicinae, so that an inclusion is not possible.

Taxonomy and Phylogeny

Head of Agroecomyrmex duisburgi , fossil in Baltic amber. Image: Vincent Perrichot, AntWeb

The subfamily includes the following types:

† Agroecoyrmex with the only species † Agroecomyrmex duisburgi . In the Eocene , Baltic amber
† Eulithomyrmex with the species † Eulithomyrmex rugosus and † Eulithomyrmex striatus . In limestone from Florissant, Colorado, USA, late Eocene or early Oligocene
Tatuidris with the only species Tatuidris tatusia . South and Central America ( Neotropic )
Ankylomyrma with the only species Ankylomyrma coronacantha . tropical west africa

According to molecular analyzes based on the sequence of Tatuidris , the subfamily belongs to the so-called "poneroid" clade , a group of subfamilies, which at its core corresponds to the subfamily Ponerinae in the traditional sense. Accordingly, their most likely sister group would be the subfamily Paraponerinae , another relic group of ants with one fossil and only one recent species, Paraponera clavata . A more recent analysis with a focus on the Myrmicinae only showed in 2014 that Ankylomyrma also belongs here. This had previously been classified as Myrmicinae.

Individual evidence

↑ Barry Bolton: Synopsis and classification of Formicidae (= Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute . Vol 71). 2003.
↑ David A. Donoso: Additions to the taxonomy of the armadillo ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Tatuidris) . In: Zootaxa . tape 3503 , 2012, p. 61-81 .
↑ cf. GM Dlussky, AP Rasnitsyn: Ants (Insecta: Vespida: Formicidae) in the upper Eocene amber of central and Eastern Europe . In: Paleontological Journal . tape 43 , no. 9 , December 1, 2009, p. 1024-1042 , doi : 10.1134 / S0031030109090056 .
^ Roberto A. Keller: A Phylogenetic Analysis of Ant Morphology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with Special Reference to the Poneromorph Subfamilies . In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History . August 10, 2011, p. 1-90 , doi : 10.1206 / 355.1 .
^ William Morton Wheeler: The ants of the Baltic Amber. In: Writings of the Physikalisch-Ökonomische Gesellschaft zu Königsberg in Prussia. 55, 1915, pp. 1-142.
^ FM Carpenter: The fossil ants of North America .. In: Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 70, 1930, 1-66.
^ Corrie S. Moreau, Charles D. Bell, Roger Vila, S. Bruce Archibald, Naomi E. Pierce: Phylogeny of the ants: diversification in the age of angiosperms . In: Science . tape 312 , no. 5770 , 2006, p. 101-104 , doi : 10.1126 / science.1124891 .
↑ Philip S. Ward: Phylogeny, classification, and species-level taxonomy of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa. 1668, 2007, pp. 549-563. ( PDF ).
Jump up ↑ Philip S. Ward, Seán G. Brady, Brian L. Fisher, Ted R. Schultz: The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) . In: Systematic Entomology . Pre-subscription, July 1st, 2014, doi : 10.1111 / syen.12090 .

Web links

Commons : Agroecomyrmecinae - collection of images, videos and audio files

[Bolton-1] Barry Bolton: Synopsis and classification of Formicidae (= Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute . Vol 71). 2003.

[Donoso-2] David A. Donoso: Additions to the taxonomy of the armadillo ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Tatuidris) . In: Zootaxa . tape 3503 , 2012, p. 61-81 .

[Dlussky-3] . GM Dlussky, AP Rasnitsyn: Ants (Insecta: Vespida: Formicidae) in the upper Eocene amber of central and Eastern Europe . In: Paleontological Journal . tape 43 , no. 9 , December 1, 2009, p. 1024-1042 , doi : 10.1134 / S0031030109090056 .

[Keller-4] Roberto A. Keller: A Phylogenetic Analysis of Ant Morphology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with Special Reference to the Poneromorph Subfamilies . In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History . August 10, 2011, p. 1-90 , doi : 10.1206 / 355.1 .

[Wheeler-5] William Morton Wheeler: The ants of the Baltic Amber. In: Writings of the Physikalisch-Ökonomische Gesellschaft zu Königsberg in Prussia. 55, 1915, pp. 1-142.

[Carpenter-6] FM Carpenter: The fossil ants of North America .. In: Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 70, 1930, 1-66.

[Moreau-7] Corrie S. Moreau, Charles D. Bell, Roger Vila, S. Bruce Archibald, Naomi E. Pierce: Phylogeny of the ants: diversification in the age of angiosperms . In: Science . tape 312 , no. 5770 , 2006, p. 101-104 , doi : 10.1126 / science.1124891 .

[Ward-8] Philip S. Ward: Phylogeny, classification, and species-level taxonomy of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa. 1668, 2007, pp. 549-563. ( PDF ).

[Ward2-9] Jump up ↑ Philip S. Ward, Seán G. Brady, Brian L. Fisher, Ted R. Schultz: The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) . In: Systematic Entomology . Pre-subscription, July 1st, 2014, doi : 10.1111 / syen.12090 .