''Proformica'' 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
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 ...
Formicinae
The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.
Formicines retain some primitive features, such as the presence of cocoons around pupae, the presence of ocelli in workers, and littl ...
.
The genus is known from the
Palearctic realm
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.
The ...
, from
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
through
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
Colonies
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 or ...
are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single
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 ...
(
monogyne) or multiple
ergatogyne queens. Unique in the
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 ...
Formicini, some species have specialized workers ("
honeypot ant
Honeypot ants, also called honey ants, are ants which have specialized workers—repletes, plerergates or rotunds—that consume large amounts of food to the point that their abdomens swell enormously. This phenomenon of extreme inflation of the ...
s") gorged with food; they function as living storage containers.
Parasite host
Four species are host to
obligate
{{wiktionary, obligate
As an adjective, obligate means "by necessity" (antonym '' facultative'') and is used mainly in biology in phrases such as:
* Obligate aerobe, an organism that cannot survive without oxygen
* Obligate anaerobe, an organism ...
slave-making ant
Slave-making ants or slaver ants are brood parasites that capture Offspring, broods of other ant species to increase the worker force of their ant colony, colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers work as if they were in their ...
s in the genus ''
Rossomyrmex'', with each species forming a
coevolving pair:
*''
Rossomyrmex proformicarum''–''
Proformica epinotalis''
*''
Rossomyrmex quandratinodum''–''Proformica'' sp.
*''
Rossomyrmex anatolicus''–''
Proformica korbi''
*''
Rossomyrmex minuchae''–''
Proformica longiseta''
Species
*''
Proformica alaica''
Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1926
*''
Proformica borowieci''
Lebas, Galkowski, Lenoir & Perdereau, 2023
*''
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 lebasi''
Borowiec & Salata, 2022
*''
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
External links
*
Formicinae
Ant genera
{{formicinae-stub