Cryptopone
| Cryptopone | ||||||||||
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Cryptopone gilva |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Cryptopone | ||||||||||
| Emery , 1893 |
Cryptopone is a genus of ants from the subfamily of the ancient ants (Ponerinae).
features
In Cryptopone , the stalk member ( petiolus ) is towering and flattened at the top, so that the gaster and the petiolar stigma are about the same height. The triangular mandibles are covered with small teeth on the inside and show a small dent on the outside near the base of the head. They are reinforced with 6 or 7 well defined, equally sized teeth. The compound eyes are small and consist of a maximum of 10 ommatidia . The tibia of the rear pair of legs each carry a comb-like spur, sometimes an additional smaller spine. The tibia of the middle pair of legs are modified, and thickly overgrown with hair and bristles on the outside or covered with two spurs.
Similar genera
The representatives of Cryptopone are very similar to ants from the genera Ponera , Hypoponera and Pachycondyla . The hairiness or the spurs of the middle pair of legs, as well as the dent in the mandibles and the number of teeth are clear distinguishing features.
distribution
A little more than 20 species are known worldwide. Representatives can be found in the entire Holarctic , as well as in the subtropical steppe areas of Africa and Australia . There is only one species in Europe , Cryptopone ochracea . It occurs in southern Switzerland.
Way of life
Usually colonies are very poor in individuals and consist of no more than 100 workers. The nests are created underground under the protection of stones or rocks as well as in dead wood . When foraging for food, the animals mostly move underground, in the cavities of dead wood or in the litter layer. The hair on the tibia apparently serves to improve grip in narrow, vertical tunnels.
Systematics
The following species belong to the genus Cryptopone (selection):
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c genus cryptopone. Australian Ants Online, archived from the original on December 6, 2008 ; Retrieved July 20, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Bernhard Seifert: The ants of Central and Northern Europe . lutra Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Görlitz / Tauer 2007, ISBN 978-3-936412-03-1
- ^ Cryptopone Taxon Count. (No longer available online.) Hymenoptera Name Server, formerly the original ; Retrieved June 17, 2008 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Hölldobler and Wilson : The Ants . Springer (1990) ISBN 3-540-52092-9
- ↑ Cryptopone Emery 1893 Fauna Europaea, accessed June 17, 2008 .
literature
- Bert Hölldobler , Edward O. Wilson : Ants. The discovery of a fascinating world. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel - Boston - Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-7643-5152-7
Web links
- AntWeb images of different Cryptopone species