''Meranoplus'' is an

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

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 ...

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 in 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 ...

Myrmicinae Myrmicinae is a 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 ...

. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the ''Meranoplus'' diversity remains undescribed, most of these from

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 ...

Classification

''Meranoplus'' is a unique and charismatic myrmicine genus of hairy, slow-moving, and armored ants. The genus was previously classified in its own

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

, the Meranoplini, with one fossil genus, '' Parameranoplus'', from

Baltic amber Baltic amber or succinite is amber from the Baltic region, home of its largest known deposits. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that this forested region provided the re ...

(44.1 ± 1.1 mya), but was moved to

Crematogastrini Crematogastrini is a tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is cont ...

by Ward ''et al.'' (2015). The historic shuffling of ''Meranoplus'' through higher taxa — Cryptoceridae, Cataulacinae,

Tetramoriini Crematogastrini is a tribe of myrmicine ants Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous p ...

, Meranoplini — reflects our poor understanding of the

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

position of ''Meranoplus'' within the Formicidae. Brady et ''al''. (2006) recovered a clade of ''Meranoplus'' and '' Cataulacus'', although this relationship was not supported in Moreau ''et al''. (2006).

Distribution

The extant species of ''Meranoplus'' are distributed throughout the Old World, absent only from the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

and

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

regions but with the exception of ''M. levellei'', from

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

Biology

Species of this genus are predominantly ground-nesting and, when disturbed, will display

thanatosis Apparent death is a behavior in which animals take on the appearance of being dead. It is an immobile state most often triggered by a predatory attack and can be found in a wide range of animals from insects and crustaceans to mammals, birds, r ...

enhanced by

crypsis In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an animal or a plant to avoid observation or detection by other animals. It may be part of a predation strategy or an antipredator adaptation. Methods include camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean life ...

, i.e., individuals will accumulate dirt in their pilosity and play dead. With respect to diet, most species are omnivores and facultative

granivore Seed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of plants as a main or exclusive food source,Hulme, P.E. and Benkman, C.W. (2002) "Granivory", pp. 13 ...

s, while others, including the whole ''M. diversus'' species group, are specialist granivores. At least one species, the

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n rainforest-dwelling ''M. mucronatus'' is known to have a trophobiotic relationship with

hemipteran Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from to ...

s. ''Meranoplus'' species are known to be active both day and night, and to recruit via pheromone trails laid from the base of the sting using secretions from their extremely large

Dufour glands Dufour's gland is an abdominal gland of certain insects, part of the anatomy of the ovipositor or sting apparatus in female members of Apocrita. The diversification of Hymenoptera took place in the Cretaceous and the gland may have developed at a ...

. The function of the spatulate sting is still unknown. The only species of ''Meranoplus'' for which mating has been reported is ''M. peringuiyi'', in which mating swarms occurred after a rain and where males patrolled for the outnumbered females in a zig-zag manner.

Species

*''

Meranoplus affinis ''Meranoplus'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the ''Meranoplus'' diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification ''Meranoplus' ...

'' Baroni Urbani, 1971 *''

Meranoplus ajax ''Meranoplus'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the ''Meranoplus'' diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification ''Meranoplus' ...

'' Forel, 1915 *''

Meranoplus angustinodis ''Meranoplus'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the ''Meranoplus'' diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification ''Meranoplus' ...

'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus arcuatus'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus armatus'' Smith, 1862 *'' Meranoplus astericus'' Donisthorpe, 1947 *'' Meranoplus aureolus'' Crawley, 1921 *'' Meranoplus barretti'' Santschi, 1928 *'' Meranoplus beatoni'' Taylor, 2006 *'' Meranoplus bellii'' Forel, 1902 *'' Meranoplus berrimah'' Schödl, 2007 *''

Meranoplus bicolor ''Meranoplus bicolor'', is a species of ant of the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is found in many Asian countries, where its habitats range from open grasslands to open-canopy forests. They nest in soil, usually at the base of plants. The nest openi ...

'' (Guérin-Méneville, 1844) *'' Meranoplus biliran'' Schödl, 1998 *'' Meranoplus birmanus'' Schödl, 1999 *'' Meranoplus boltoni'' Schödl, 1998 *''

Meranoplus borneensis ''Meranoplus'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the ''Meranoplus'' diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification ''Meranoplus' ...

'' Schödl, 1998 *'' Meranoplus castaneus'' Smith, 1857 *'' Meranoplus christinae'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus clypeatus'' Bernard, 1953 *'' Meranoplus convexius'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus crassispina'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus cryptomys'' Boudinot & Fisher, 2013 *'' Meranoplus curvispina'' Forel, 1910 *'' Meranoplus deserticola'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus dichrous'' Forel, 1907 *'' Meranoplus digitatus'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus dimidiatus'' Smith, 1867 *'' Meranoplus discalis'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus diversoides'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus diversus'' Smith, 1867 *'' Meranoplus doddi'' Santschi, 1928 *'' Meranoplus duyfkeni'' Forel, 1915 *'' Meranoplus excavatus'' Clark, 1938 *'' Meranoplus fenestratus'' Smith, 1867 *'' Meranoplus ferrugineus'' Crawley, 1922 *'' Meranoplus froggatti'' Forel, 1913 *'' Meranoplus glaber'' Arnold, 1926 *'' Meranoplus hilli'' Crawley, 1922 *'' Meranoplus hirsutus'' Mayr, 1876 *'' Meranoplus hoplites'' Taylor, 2006 *''

Meranoplus hospes ''Meranoplus'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the ''Meranoplus'' diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification ''Meranoplus' ...

'' Forel, 1910 *'' Meranoplus inermis'' Emery, 1895 *'' Meranoplus laeviventris'' Emery, 1889 *'' Meranoplus leveillei'' Emery, 1883 *'' Meranoplus levis'' Donisthorpe, 1942 *'' Meranoplus linae'' Santschi, 1928 *'' Meranoplus loebli'' Schödl, 1998 *'' Meranoplus magrettii'' André, 1884 *'' Meranoplus malaysianus'' Schödl, 1998 *'' Meranoplus mars'' Forel, 1902 *''

Meranoplus mayri ''Meranoplus mayri'' is a Madagascar, Malagasy species of ant in the genus ''Meranoplus''. Distribution ''Meranoplus mayri'' is distributed throughout the drier regions of Madagascar from the Southwestern region near Andohahela National Park al ...

'' Forel, 1910 *'' Meranoplus mcarthuri'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus minimus'' Crawley, 1922 *'' Meranoplus minor'' Forel, 1902 *''

Meranoplus mjobergi ''Meranoplus'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the ''Meranoplus'' diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification ''Meranoplus' ...

'' Forel, 1915 *'' Meranoplus montanus'' Schödl, 1998 *'' Meranoplus mucronatus'' Smith, 1857 *'' Meranoplus naitsabes'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus nanus'' André, 1892 *'' Meranoplus nepalensis'' Schödl, 1998 *'' Meranoplus niger'' Donisthorpe, 1949 *'' Meranoplus occidentalis'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus oceanicus'' Smith, 1862 *'' Meranoplus orientalis'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus oxleyi'' Forel, 1915 *'' Meranoplus parviumgulatus'' (Donisthorpe, 1947) *'' Meranoplus peringueyi'' Emery, 1886 *'' Meranoplus pubescens'' (Smith, 1853) *'' Meranoplus puryi'' Forel, 1902 *'' Meranoplus radamae'' Forel, 1891 *''

Meranoplus raripilis ''Meranoplus'' is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the ''Meranoplus'' diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification ''Meranoplus' ...

'' Donisthorpe, 1938 *'' Meranoplus rothneyi'' Forel, 1902 *'' Meranoplus rugosus'' Crawley, 1922 *'' Meranoplus sabronensis'' Donisthorpe, 1941 *'' Meranoplus schoedli'' Taylor, 2006 *'' Meranoplus similis'' Viehmeyer, 1922 *'' Meranoplus snellingi'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus spininodis'' Arnold, 1917 *'' Meranoplus spinosus'' Smith, 1859 *'' Meranoplus sthenus'' Bolton, 1981 *'' Meranoplus sylvarius'' Boudinot & Fisher, 2013 *'' Meranoplus taurus'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus testudineus'' McAreavey, 1956 *'' Meranoplus tricuspidatus'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus unicolor'' Forel, 1902 *'' Meranoplus variabilis'' Schödl, 2007 *'' Meranoplus vestigator'' Smith, 1876 *'' Meranoplus wilsoni'' Schödl, 2007

References

* * *

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4043988 Myrmicinae Ant genera Taxa named by Frederick Smith (entomologist)