Prionopelta

GENUS

1. KingdomAnimalia
2. PhylumArthropoda
3. ClassInsecta
4. OrderHymenoptera
5. FamilyFormicidae

Chiapas, soil. Dr. Goodnight's specimens could not with certainty be referred to any of the species named in the "Wheeler Collection. This genus, while small, seems greatly in need of revision. Phylogenetically, it has been related by Wheeler and Emery to the Ectatommini . I would place it closer to the Amblyoponini , and provisionally include it in the latter tribe. It has "amblyoponine teeth" at the sides of the head anteriorly, and several species have the anterior clypeal margin denticulate as in Amblyopone . The structure of the alitrunk and especially the petiole also point to such a relationship. The mandibles seem only relatively slightly modified from certain types seen today among the amblyoponines. A small, headless male specimen in the Wheeler Collection among unidentified miscellany, bearing Wheeler's handwritten label " Prionopelta ," is probably correctly placed. The structure of the petiole and sculpture and pilosity are those of the worker. The venation in this specimen is unusually complete for such a small ant, and is further unusual in that Mf1 comes off well basad of cu-a. In a recent paper (Brown and Nutting, 1950, pp. 116-121 and plate 8) it was stated that s

via GBIF

🔬Museum specimens

Specimen records

277

With media

9

Family

Formicidae

Collections

USNM, INECOL, NHMUK, OMNH, CSIRO, CAS

Recorded in

Peru, Mexico, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Australia, South Africa, Papua New Guinea

Wikidata facts

Instance of

taxon

Parent taxon

Amblyoponinae

Image

Prionopelta punctulata casent0102586 profile 1.jpg

via Wikidata · CC0