''Diacamma'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of queenless
ant
Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...
s belonging to the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...
Ponerinae
Ponerinae, the ponerine ants, is a subfamily of ants in the Poneromorph subfamilies group, with about 1,600 species in 47 extant genera, including '' Dinoponera gigantea'' - one of the world's largest species of ant. Mated workers have replac ...
.
It is distributed from
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and contains about 24 species.
Biology
A
queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
caste does not exist in ''Diacamma''. Unique to this genus, all workers emerge from cocoons with a pair of tiny innervated thoracic appendages (''gemmae'') that are homologous with wings. Mutilation leads to a permanent change in lifetime trajectory, because workers lacking gemmae never mate. This is unlike other queenless ants where workers establish a dominance hierarchy to regulate reproduction. In ''Diacamma'' only one worker retains her gemmae in each
colony
A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...
, she is the
gamergate
Gamergate or GamerGate (GG) was a loosely organized online misogyny, misogynistic online harassment campaign motivated by a right-wing backlash against feminism, diversity, and progressivism in video game culture. It was conducted using the ...
(mated egglaying worker), and she bites off the gemmae of newly emerged workers. Mutilation causes the degeneration of the neuronal connections between the sensory hairs on the gemma's surface and the
central nervous system
The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...
, and this may explain the irreversibility of modifications in individual behaviour.
Species
*''
Diacamma assamense''
Emery, 1897
*''
Diacamma australe''
(Fabricius, 1775)
*''
Diacamma baguiense''
Wheeler & Chapman, 1925
*''
Diacamma bispinosum''
(Le Guillou, 1842)
*''
Diacamma ceylonense''
Emery, 1897
*''
Diacamma colosseense''
Forel, 1915
*''
Diacamma cupreum''
(Smith, 1860)
*''
Diacamma cyaneiventre''
André, 1887
*''
Diacamma holosericeum''
(Roger, 1860)
*''
Diacamma indicum''
Santschi, 1920
*''
Diacamma intricatum''
(Smith, 1857)
*''
Diacamma jacobsoni''
Forel, 1912
*''
Diacamma leve''
Crawley, 1915
*''
Diacamma longitudinale''
Emery, 1889
*''
Diacamma palawanicum''
Emery, 1900
*''
Diacamma pallidum''
(Smith, 1858)
*''
Diacamma panayense''
Wheeler & Chapman, 1925
*''
Diacamma purpureum''
(Smith, 1863)
*''
Diacamma rugivertex''
Emery, 1902
*''
Diacamma rugosum
''Diacamma rugosum'', also known as the Bornean queenless ant or Asian bullet ant, is a species of ant of the subfamily Ponerinae. It is found in many countries throughout Southeast Asia. 20 subspecies are recognized.
''Diacamma rugosum'' is not ...
''
(Le Guillou, 1842)
*''
Diacamma scalpratum''
(Smith, 1858)
*''
Diacamma schoedli''
Shattuck & Barnett, 2006
*''
Diacamma sericeiventre''
Stitz, 1925
References
*
External links
*
Diacamma photo gallery by Alexander Wild
{{Taxonbar, from=Q136791
Ponerinae
Ant genera
Hymenoptera of Asia
Hymenoptera of Australia
Taxa named by Gustav Mayr