Pseudomyrmecinae Explained

Pseudomyrmecinae is a small subfamily of ants containing three genera of slender, large-eyed arboreal ants, predominantly tropical or subtropical in distribution. In the course of adapting to arboreal conditions (unlike the predominantly ground-dwelling myrmeciins), the pseudomyrmecines diversified and came to occupy and retain a much wider geographic range.^[1]

Pseudomyrmecines consists of 230 described species in three genera. Among those, 32 species live in plant domatia, making them the most diverse plant-occupying ant group worldwide.

Taxonomy

• Pseudomyrmecinae Smith, 1952
  • Pseudomyrmecini Smith, 1952
    • Myrcidris Ward, 1990
    • Pseudomyrmex Lund, 1831
    • Tetraponera Smith, 1852

References

• Ward . Philip S. . The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Generic revision and relationship to other formicids . Systematic Entomology . October 1990 . 15 . 4 . 449–489 . 10.1111/j.1365-3113.1990.tb00077.x . 1990SysEn..15..449W .
• Chomicki . Guillaume . Ward . Philip S. . Renner . Susanne S. . Macroevolutionary assembly of ant/plant symbioses: Pseudomyrmex ants and their ant-housing plants in the Neotropics . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences . 22 November 2015 . 282 . 1819 . 20152200 . 10.1098/rspb.2015.2200 . 26582029 . 4685824 .

Notes and References

1. Ward. Philip S.. Downie. Douglas A.. 2005. The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): phylogeny and evolution of big-eyed arboreal ants: Phylogeny and evolution of big-eyed arboreal ants. Systematic Entomology. en. 30. 2. 310–335. 10.1111/j.1365-3113.2004.00281.x.