Nearctic: California > Myrmicinae

Subfamily: Myrmicinae

Author: P.S.Ward , Revised: 9/28/2002

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

Identification:

Myrmicine worker ants have a distinct postpetiole, i.e., abdominal segment 3 is notably smaller than segment 4 and set off from it by a well developed constriction; the pronotum is inflexibly fused to the rest of the mesosoma, such that the promesonotal suture is weakly impressed or absent; and a functional sting is usually present. The clypeus is well developed and extends back between the frontal carinae. As a result of the broad clypeus the antennal sockets are well separated from the anterior margin of the head (cf. Ecitoninae). Most myrmicine ants possess well developed eyes, and frontal lobes that partly conceal the antennal insertions.

Notes:

This is the largest ant subfamily, with more than 130 species in California alone. Most species are generalist omnivores but some have become specialized as predators, granivores, or fungus-growers.

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2010)

Myrmicites Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835: 169. Type-genus: Myrmica.

Taxonomic history

Myrmicinae as group name: Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835: 169 [Myrmicites]; Nylander, 1846a: 877 [Myrmicae].

Myrmicinae as family: Smith, F. 1851: 4 [Myrmicidae]; Smith, F. 1861b: 45 [Myrmicidae]; Smith, F. 1871a: 324 [Myrmicidae]; Andr?, 1882a: 125 [Myrmicidae]; Cresson, 1887: 93 [Myrmicidae]; Emery, 1894g: 383 [Myrmicidae]; Saunders, 1896: 18 [Myrmicidae]; Ashmead, 1905b: 383 [Myrmicidae]; Nov?k & Sadil, 1941: 71 [Myrmicidae]; Bernard, 1951: 1058 [Myrmicidae]; Bernard, 1953b: 222 [Myrmicidae].

Myrmicinae as subfamily of Poneridae: Smith, F. 1858b: 114 [Myrmicidae].

Myrmicinae as tribe of Formicidae: Andr?, 1874: 167 [Myrmicidae].

Myrmicinae as subfamily of Myrmicidae: Ashmead, 1905b: 383.

Myrmicinae as subfamily of Formicidae: Mayr, 1855: 290, 299 [Myrmicidae]; Smith, F. 1857a: 70 [Myrmicidae]; Mayr, 1861: 21 [Myrmicidae]; Smith, F. 1862b: 33 [Myrmicidae]; Mayr, 1862: 738 [Myrmicidae]; Mayr, 1865: 17 [Myrmicidae]; Mayr, 1868c: 24 [Myrmicidae]; Forel, 1870: 307 [Myrmicidae]; Forel, 1874: 22 [Myrmicidae]; Emery, 1877a: 70 [Myrmicidae]; Forel, 1878: 367 [Myrmicidae]; Emery & Forel, 1879a: 456 [Myrmicidae]; Andr?, 1881b: 64 [Myrmicidae]; Nasonov, 1889: 28 [Myrmicidae]; Forel, 1891b: 11 [Myrmicidae]; Forel, 1892j: 220 [Myrmicidae]; Forel, 1893a: 163; Dalla Torre, 1893: 53; Emery, 1895j: 768 [subfamily spelled Myrmicini]; Emery, 1896e: 179; Forel, 1899c: 30; Forel, 1902f: 520; Bingham, 1903: 105; Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 138; Emery, 1914a: 29; Wheeler, 1915g: 806 [Myrmicides]; Wheeler, W.M. 1915h: 40; Donisthorpe, 1915d: 74; Arnold, 1916: 166; Escherich, 1917: 2 [Myrmicini]; Forel, 1917: 240 [subfamily spelled Myrmicini]; Bondroit, 1918: 14 [Myrmicitae]; Wheeler, W.M. 1920: 53; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 124; Emery, 1921f: 3; Karavaiev, 1934: 59; Clark, 1951: 16; Brown, 1954e: 28; Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1972a: 40; Brown, 1973b: 166; all subsequent authors.

Myrmicinae as myrmicomorph subfamily of Formicidae: Bolton, 2003: 52, 182.

Myrmicinae as formicoid subfamily of Formicidae: Moreau, Bell, et al. 2006: 102; Brady, Schultz, et al. 2006: 18173.

Myrmicinae as formicoid myrmicomorph subfamily of Formicidae: Ward, 2007a: 556.

Tribes of Myrmicinae: Adelomyrmecini, Ankylomyrmini, Attini, Basicerotini, Blepharidattini, Cataulacini, Cephalotini, Crematogastrini, Dacetini, Formicoxenini, Lenomyrmecini, Liomyrmecini, Melissotarsini, Meranoplini, Metaponini, Myrmecinini, Myrmicariini, Myrmicini, Paratopulini, Phalacromyrmecini, Pheidolini, Solenopsidini, Stegomyrmecini, Stenammini, Tetramoriini.

Genus (extant) incertae sedis in Myrmicinae: Diaphoromyrma, Tyrannomyrmex.

Genera (extinct) incertae sedis in Myrmicinae: *Afromyrma, *Attopsis, *Cephalomyrmex, *Electromyrmex, *Eocenidris, *Eomyrmex, *Fallomyrma, *Miosolenopsis, *Myrmecites, *Solenopsites.

Hong (2002) genera (extinct) incertae sedis in Myrmicinae: *Brachytarsites, *Clavipetiola, *Fushunomyrmex, *Orbigastrula, *Quadrulicapito, *Quinqueangulicapito, *Sinomyrmex, *Sphaerogasterites, *Wumyrmex.

Collective group name in Myrmicinae: *Myrmicites.

Subfamily Myrmicinae references, world

Mayr, 1865: 17 (diagnosis); Mayr, 1867a: 91 (diagnosis); Forel, 1878: 367 (diagnosis); Handlirsch, 1907: 872 (*fossil taxa catalogue); Dalla Torre, 1893: 53 (catalogue); Emery, 1895j: 768 (diagnosis); Emery, 1896e: 179 (genera key); Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 138 (diagnosis); Emery, 1912b: 101 (phylogeny); Emery, 1914a: 34 (phylogeny, tribe key); Arnold, 1916: 164 (diagnosis); Forel, 1917: 240 (synoptic classification); Forel, 1921c: 139 (diagnosis); Emery, 1921f: 3 (diagnosis, tribes & genera key, catalogue); Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 124, 655 (diagnosis, tribes key); Brown & Nutting, 1950: 126 (venation, phylogeny); Brown, 1954e: 28 (phylogeny); Eisner, 1957: 477 (proventriculus morphology); Bernard, 1967: 93 (diagnosis); Gotwald, 1969: 99 (mouthparts morphology); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1972a: 40 (diagnosis); Brown, 1973b: 166 (genera, distribution); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1976b: 52 (larvae, review & synthesis); Kugler, C. 1978a: 413 (sting structure); Kugler, C. 1978b: 267 (pygidial glands); Kugler, C. 1979c: 117 (sting, evolution); Snelling, 1981: 393 (synoptic classification); Caetano, F.H. 1984: 257 (digestive tract, morphology); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1985: 257 (synoptic classification); Billen, 1986: 167 (Dufour's gland); Dlussky & Fedoseeva, 1988: 79 (synoptic classification); H?lldobler & Wilson, 1990: 9 onward (synoptic classification, genera keys); Baroni Urbani, Bolton & Ward, 1992: 317 (phylogeny); Bolton, 1994: 75 (diagnosis, synoptic classification, genera keys); Bolton, 1995a: 1040 (census); Bolton, 1995b: 13 (catalogue); Hashimoto, 1996: 354 (phylogenetic position); Baroni Urbani, 2000: 480 (phylogeny); Dlussky & Rasnitsyn, 2002: 422 (diagnosis for wingless fossils); Bolton, 2003: 52, 182 (diagnosis, synopsis); Moreau, Bell, et al. 2006: 102 (phylogeny); Brady, Schultz, et al. 2006: 18173 (phylogeny); Ward, 2007a: 556 (classification).

Regional and national faunas with keys

Mayr, 1855: 391 (Austria); Mayr, 1861: 29 (Europe); Mayr, 1868c: 79 (*Baltic Amber); Andr?, 1874: 171 (Europe); Forel, 1874: 29 (Switzerland); Saunders, E. 1880: 213 (Britain); Andr?, 1882c: 256 (Europe & Algeria); Cresson, 1887: 98 (U.S.A. genera); Provancher, 1887: 243 (Canada); Nasonov, 1889: 54 (Russia); Forel, 1891b: 11 (Madagascar genera); Lameere, 1892: 66 (Belgium); Forel, 1902f: 520 (India & Sri Lanka genera); Bingham, 1903: 105 (India, Sri Lanka & Burma); Ruzsky, 1905b: 103 (Russian Empire); Wasmann, 1906: 13 (Luxemburg); Bondroit, 1910: 490 (Belgium); Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 558 (North America genera); Stitz, 1914: 55 (Central Europe); Gallardo, 1915: 32 (Argentina genera); Forel, 1915d: 8 (Switzerland); Donisthorpe, 1915d: 74 (Britain); Arnold, 1916: 166, 170 (South Africa tribes, genera); Emery, 1916b: 112 (Italy); Wheeler, W.M. 1916m: 581 (U.S.A., Connecticut); Bondroit, 1918: 90 (France & Belgium); Kutter, 1920b: 144 (Switzerland); Soudek, 1922: 20 (Czechoslovakia); St?rcke, 1926: 84 (Netherlands); Karavaiev, 1927c: 256 (Ukraine); Donisthorpe, 1927b: 77 (Britain); Menozzi & Russo, 1930: 170 (Dominican Republic); Gallardo, 1932b: 91 (Argentina, tribes); Arnol'di, 1933b: 596 (Russia); Menozzi, 1933b: 88 (Israel genera); Karavaiev, 1934: 60 (Ukraine); Smith, M.R. 1937: 829 (Puerto Rico); Stitz, 1939: 63 (Germany); Kratochv?l, 1941: 71 (Central Europe); Nov?k & Sadil, 1941: 71 (Central Europe); Cole, 1942: 360 (U.S.A., Utah); Smith, M.R. 1943f: 291 (U.S.A., males); Holgersen, 1943b: 166 (Norway); Holgersen, 1944: 198 (Norway); Buren, 1944a: 281 (U.S.A., Iowa); Smith, M.R. 1947f: 543 (U.S.A. genera); Boven, 1947: 170 (Belgium); Creighton, 1950a: 83 (North America); Kusnezov, 1956: 15 (Argentina); Brown, 1958h: 25 (New Zealand); Boven, 1959: 7 (Netherlands); Gregg, 1963: 288 (U.S.A., Colorado); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1963: 92 (U.S.A., North Dakota); Collingwood, 1964: 94 (Britain); Bernard, 1967: 95 (Western Europe); Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 13 (Polynesia); Boven, 1970b: 9 (Netherlands); Kempf, 1972a: 263 (Neotropical, synoptic classification); Bolton, 1973a: 325 (West Africa genera); Bolton & Collingwood, 1975: 3 (Britain); Snelling & Hunt, 1976: 70 (Chile); Tarbinsky, 1976: 19 (Kyrghyzstan); Boven, 1977: 69 (Belgium); Kutter, 1977c: 31 (Switzerland); Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 524 (former European U.S.S.R.); Collingwood, 1978: 75 (Iberian Peninsula); Collingwood, 1979: 36 (Fennoscandia & Denmark); Greenslade, 1979: 20 (South Australia genera); Schembri & Collingwood, 1981: 423 (Malta); Allred, 1982: 438 (U.S.A., Utah); Baroni Urbani, 1984: 76 (Neotropical genera); Verhaeghe, Deligne, et al. 1984: 112 (Belgium genera); G?sswald, 1985: 289 (Germany); Collingwood, 1985: 245 (Saudi Arabia); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1986g: 20 (U.S.A., Nevada); Nilsson & Douwes, 1987: 57 (Norway); Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 265 (Balkans); Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 181 (Turkmenistan); Kupyanskaya, 1990: 89 (Far Eastern Russia); Ogata, 1991b: 61 (Japan genera); Morisita, Kubota, et al. 1992: 1 (Japan); Atanasov & Dlussky, 1992: 51 (Bulgaria); Lattke, in Jaffe, 1993: 153 (Neotropical genera); Arakelian, 1994: 15 (Armenia); Wu, J. & Wang, 1995: 57 (China genera); Kupyanskaya, 1995: 327 (Far Eastern Russia); Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 308 (Saudi Arabia); Seifert, 1996b: 108 (Central Europe); Skinner & Allen, 1996: 43 (Britain); Collingwood & Prince, 1998: 10 (Portugal); Shattuck, 1999: 39, 122 (Australia genera, synopsis); Andersen, 2000: 37 (northern Australia genera); Zhou, 2001b: 69 (China, Guangxi); Czechowski, Radchenko & Czechowska, 2002: 135 (Poland); Akta� & Radchenko, 2002: 55 (Turkey genera); Yoshimura & Onoyama, 2002: 424 (Japan genera, males); MacKay & MacKay, 2002: 58 (U.S.A., New Mexico); Palacio & Fern?ndez, in Fern?ndez, 2003d: 244 (Neotropical genera and synopsis); Coovert, 2005: 32 (U.S.A., Ohio); Radchenko, 2005b: 184 (North Korea); Clouse, 2007b: 190 (Micronesia); Seifert, 2007: 110 (North and Central Europe); Terayama, 2009: 131 (Taiwan).