Hypoponera

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Hypoponera
Hypoponera eduardi

Hypoponera eduardi

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)
Family : Ants (Formicidae)
Subfamily : Great Ants (Ponerinae)
Genre : Hypoponera
Scientific name
Hypoponera
Santschi , 1938

Hypoponera is a genus of ants from the subfamily of the ancient ants (Ponerinae).

features

Representatives of Hypoponera show a great similarity with ants from the genera Cryptopone , Ponera and Pachycondyla . So all specimens are rather small, the basic shape of the mandible is triangular and the stalk member ( petiolus ) is towering. In contrast to Ponera, however , the underside of the petiolus is evenly curved and does not show any excesses. It can be distinguished from the genus Pachycondyla on the basis of the rear pair of legs. Hypoponera, for example, has a single comb-like spur on the tibia . An additional, smaller spike is missing.

The males of some species are wingless and look more like workers. These ergatoid males are characterized by large heads and powerful mandibles. They live in the colony as permanent members and have lifelong spermatogenesis . Ordinary, winged males can also exist. Female workers of some species have functional sex organs. If no queen is present, female workers are mated, who can then take on the reproductive role as so-called gamergates .

For the first time it could be shown in 1995 that with Hypoponera and the very similar genus Ponera real trophallaxis takes place, therefore the adult animals exchange goiter food with each other. This phenomenon was at the ponerinae not been established so far, although the behavior is widespread among the other ants groups.

distribution

The genus is distributed worldwide. Most of the approximately 140 known species are native to the tropics. Some invasive species have spread well beyond their original range. In Central Europe only Hypoponera punctatissima is more common. In addition, there are some tramp ants, which can only survive longer in year-round heated rooms with an intact floor, such as in greenhouses.

Way of life

The ergatoid males permanently living in the colony lead killing battles to mate the young queens. If there are ergatoid "minor" males in addition to these "major" males, these are excluded from the fights, presumably because they imitate the behavior of a worker with the help of tactile or chemical mimicry .

Ants of the genus Hypoponera live underground and feed primarily on zoophagus . The workers hunt in the litter layer and prey on various arthropods . Some species seem to have specialized in springtails (Collembola). The ergatoid males do not take part in foraging for food or looking after the brood.

Systematics

The following species from the genus Hypoponera are represented in Europe :

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Genus Hypoponera. Australian Ants Online, archived from the original on December 6, 2008 ; Retrieved July 20, 2013 .
  2. ↑ a b Bernhard Seifert : The ants of Central and Northern Europe . lutra Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Görlitz / Tauer 2007, ISBN 978-3-936412-03-1
  3. ↑ a b Hölldobler and Wilson : The Ants . Springer (1990) ISBN 3-540-52092-9
  4. ^ Wilson , Hölldobler : The rise of the ants: A phylogenetic and ecological explanation . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA vol. 102 (May 2005) 7411-7414
  5. ^ Hypoponera Taxon Count. (No longer available online.) Hymenoptera Name Server, formerly the original ; Retrieved June 4, 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.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu  
  6. ↑ Heiko Bellmann : bees, wasps, ants. Hymenoptera of Central Europe . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-440-09690-4
  7. ^ Hypoponera Santschi 1938. Fauna Europaea, accessed on June 4, 2008 .

literature

Web links

  • AntWeb pictures of different Hypoponera species