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Species: Paraponera clavata

Name Status: Valid Name

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

Subfamily: Paraponerinae Genus: Paraponera

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

Formica clavata Fabricius, 1775: 394 (w.) AntCat AntWiki

Taxonomic history

India (locality in error).

Lepeletier, 1835: 189 (w.q.); Smith, 1858a PDF: 101 (m.); Mayr, 1862 PDF: 731 (q.m.); Wheeler & Wheeler, 1952a PDF: 117 (l.).

Combination in Paraponera: Smith, 1858a PDF: 100.

Senior synonym of Paraponera aculeata and material of the unavailable name Paraponera spininoda referred here: Latreille, 1802a: 207; of Paraponera tarsalis: Smith, 1858a PDF: 100.

Distribution:

Throughout the wet Neotropics. Costa Rica: Atlantic slope wet forest, low elevations; extending to just west of Santa Cecilia in northern Guanacaste Province (Janzen, pers. comm.); absent from wet forest of southern Pacific slopes and Osa.

Biology:

Natural History:

This is the famous "bala" ant, reknowned for its large size and powerful sting; workers forage arboreally at all heights in the canopy; nests are subterranean at the bases of trees, or occasionally in humus accumulations in the canopy; workers forage on live prey and extrafloral nectar; males are frequent at blacklights. There is a growing literature of behavioral and ecological studies of Paraponera.

References:

Fabricius, J. C. 1775. Systema entomologiae, sistens insectorum classes, ordines, genera, species adiectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, observationibus. Flensburgi et Lipsiae [= Flensburg and Leipzig]: Korte, 832 pp.

Taxon Page Author History

Taxonomic Treatment (provided by Plazi)

Smith, F.:
Formica clavata, Fabr. Syst. Ent. 394. 18 [[worker]]; Ent. Syst. ii. 360. 44; Syst. Piez. 410. 61.
Formica armata, Oliv. Encycl. Meth. vi. 498. 42.
Formica spininoda, Latr. Hist. Nat. Fourm. 207 [[queen]] [[worker]].
Ponera tarsalis, Perty , Del. An. Art, 135. t. xxxvii. f. 2 [[queen]].
Ponera clavata, Erichs . Faun, et Flo. Brit. Guiana, iii. 592.
Hab. South America (Napo); Brazil (Para).
The male of this species resembles the female in the form of the abdomen and node of the peduncle, they are, however, smoother and more highly polished; all the specimens which I have examined are of a paler colour, being more or less obscurely ferruginous; the head narrower than the thorax, the eyes large and prominent, and the antennae three-fourths of the length of the body.

Forel, A., 1909:
— [[ worker ]]. — Cette espece bresilienne porte avec d'autres la fausse etiquette « Guinee »!

Wild, A. L., 2007:
Amambay (INBP). Literature records: “Paraguay” (s. loc.) (Forel 1895).

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 29 times found in montane wet forest, 15 times found in lowland rainforest, 7 times found in La Selva, 3 times found in CCL 300, 5 times found in CCL 840M, 3 times found in CEN 650, 2 times found in mature wet forest, 4 times found in SSO 450m, 4 times found in tropical wet forest, 4 times found in 2º lowland rainforest, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 54 times Malaise, 48 times Fogging, 15 times Blacklight, 10 times search, 4 times baiting, 3 times flight intercept trap, 3 times Sweeping, 1 times Winkler, 1 times yellow pan trap, 1 times beating, 1 times malaise trap, ...

Elevations: collected from 40 - 500 meters, 135 meters average