Pseudomyrmecinae
Pseudomyrmex gracilis (elongate twig ant) worker
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Pseudomyrmecinae
Smith, 1952
Tribe: Pseudomyrmecini
Smith, 1952
Type genus
Pseudomyrmex
Lund, 1831

Pseudomyrmecinae is a small subfamily of ants containing only three genera of slender, large-eyed arboreal ants, predominantly tropical or subtropical in distribution.[1] 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.[2]

Pseudomyrmecinae 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.

References

  1. ^ "Subfamily: Pseudomyrmecinae". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  2. ^ 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. 30 (2): 310–335. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2004.00281.x.

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