Proformica
| Proformica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P. nasuta worker from Spain | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Formicini |
| Genus: | Proformica Ruzsky, 1902 |
| Type species | |
| Formica nasuta | |
| Diversity[1] | |
| 25 species | |
Proformica is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae.[2] The genus is known from the Palearctic region, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single queen (monogyne) or multiple ergatogyne queens. Unique in the tribe Formicini, some species have specialized workers ("honeypot ants") gorged with food; they function as living storage containers.[3]
Parasite host
Four species are host to obligate slave-making ants in the genus Rossomyrmex, with each species forming a coevolving pair:[4]
- Rossomyrmex proformicarum–Proformica epinotalis
- Rossomyrmex quandratinodum–Proformica sp.
- Rossomyrmex anatolicus–Proformica korbi
- Rossomyrmex minuchae–Proformica longiseta
Species
- Proformica alaica Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1926
- Proformica buddhaensis Ruzsky, 1915
- Proformica caucasea (Santschi, 1925)
- Proformica coriacea Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927
- Proformica dolichocephala Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927
- Proformica epinotalis Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927
- Proformica ferreri Bondroit, 1918
- Proformica flavosetosa (Viehmeyer, 1922)
- Proformica jacoti (Wheeler, 1923)
- Proformica kaszabi Dlussky, 1969
- Proformica kobachidzei Arnol'di, 1968
- Proformica korbi (Emery, 1909)
- Proformica kosswigi (Donisthorpe, 1950)
- Proformica kusnezowi (Santschi, 1928)
- Proformica longiseta Collingwood, 1978
- Proformica mongolica (Emery, 1901)
- Proformica nasuta (Nylander, 1856)
- Proformica nitida Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1923
- Proformica oculatissima (Forel, 1886)
- Proformica ossetica Dubovikoff, 2005
- Proformica pilosiscapa Dlussky, 1969
- Proformica seraphimi Tarbinsky, 1970
- Proformica similis Dlussky, 1969
- Proformica splendida Dlussky, 1965
- Proformica striaticeps (Forel, 1911)
See also
- Rossomyrmex, genus of ant that parasitizes Proformica species
References
- ↑ Bolton, B. (2014). "Proformica". AntCat. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ↑ "Genus: Proformica". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ↑ Agosti, D. (1994). "The phylogeny of the ant tribe Formicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with the description of a new genus.". Systematic Entomology 19: 93–117. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1994.tb00581.x.
- ↑ Ruano, F.; Sanllorente, O.; Lenoir, A.; Tinaut, A. (2013), "Rossomyrmex, the Slave-Maker Ants from the Arid Steppe Environments", Psyche: A Journal of Entomology 2013: 1–7, doi:10.1155/2013/541804
External links
Media related to Proformica at Wikimedia Commons