''Proformica'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

ant 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 period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...

s in the subfamily

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 the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Si ...

, from

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 millio ...

through

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

(

monogyne The gyne (, from Greek γυνή, "woman") is the primary reproductive female caste of social insects (especially ants, wasps, and bees of order Hymenoptera, as well as termites). Gynes are those destined to become queens, whereas female workers a ...

) 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 usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

Formicini, some species have specialized workers ("

honeypot ant Honeypot ants, also called honey ants, are ants which have specialised workers (repletes, plerergates, or rotunds) that are gorged with food to the point that their abdomens swell enormously. Other ants then extract nourishment from them, throug ...

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 tha ...

slave-making ant Slave-making ants are brood parasites that capture broods of other ant species to increase the worker force of their colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers work as if they were in their own colony, while parasite workers onl ...

s in the genus ''

Rossomyrmex ''Rossomyrmex'' is a genus of slave-making ant in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus consists of four species, each with a single host from the genus ''Proformica'', and has a very wide range of distribution from China to southeastern Spai ...

'', 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 ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single queen (m ...

'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1926 *'' Proformica buddhaensis'' Ruzsky, 1915 *''

Proformica caucasea ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single ...

'' (Santschi, 1925) *''

Proformica coriacea ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single queen (m ...

'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927 *'' Proformica dolichocephala'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927 *'' Proformica epinotalis'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927 *'' Proformica ferreri'' Bondroit, 1918 *'' Proformica flavosetosa'' (Viehmeyer, 1922) *''

Proformica jacoti ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Ant colony, Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a sing ...

'' (Wheeler, 1923) *''

Proformica kaszabi ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single ...

'' Dlussky, 1969 *'' Proformica kobachidzei'' Arnol'di, 1968 *'' Proformica korbi'' (Emery, 1909) *''

Proformica kosswigi ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single queen ...

'' (Donisthorpe, 1950) *''

Proformica kusnezowi ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single ...

'' (Santschi, 1928) *'' Proformica longiseta'' Collingwood, 1978 *''

Proformica mongolica ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single ...

'' (Emery, 1901) *'' Proformica nasuta'' (Nylander, 1856) *''

Proformica nitida ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single ...

'' Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1923 *'' Proformica oculatissima'' (Forel, 1886) *''

Proformica ossetica ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single queen ( ...

'' Dubovikoff, 2005 *''

Proformica pilosiscapa ''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single ...

'' Dlussky, 1969 *'' Proformica seraphimi'' Tarbinsky, 1970 *'' Proformica similis'' Dlussky, 1969 *'' Proformica splendida'' Dlussky, 1965 *'' Proformica striaticeps'' (Forel, 1911)

References

External links

* Formicinae Ant genera {{formicinae-stub

Parasite host

Species

See also

References

External links