Brachyponera is a genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.

Brachyponera
Brachyponera croceicornis worker
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Tribe: Ponerini
Genus: Brachyponera
Emery, 1900
Type species
Euponera croceicornis
Emery, 1900
Diversity[1]
19 species

Distribution edit

The genus is natively distributed from Africa to southern Asia and Australia, with most species occurring in Southeast Asia. At least two species are invasive in other parts of the world. B. chinensis, the most studied Brachyponera species, has been introduced as an exotic ant in southeastern United States and New Zealand. The other invasive species, B. sennaarensis, is spreading through the Middle East.[2]

Description edit

The genus was first established as a subgenus of Euponera, when Emery (1900) described B. croceicornis.[3] Workers are small to medium in size (3–7 mm) and have triangular mandibles. Queens are similar to workers, but larger and winged.[2]

Species edit

References edit

  1. ^ Bolton, B. (2015). "Brachyponera". AntCat. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b Schmidt, C. A.; Shattuck, S. O. (2014). "The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior". Zootaxa. 3817 (1): 1–242. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3817.1.1. PMID 24943802.
  3. ^ Emery, C.; Shattuck, S. O. (2014). "Formicidarum species novae vel minus cognitae in collectione Musaei Nationalis Hungarici quas in Nova- Guinea, colonia germanica, collegit L. Biró. Publicatio secunda". Természetrajzi Füzetek. 23: 310–338.

External links edit