''Simopelta'' is a
Neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In biogeogra ...
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 ...
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 ...
.
Distribution
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.
Description
Workers are slender, small in size (2.1–4.9 mm), and black to orange in color. Queens are dichthadiiform (wingless and with enlarged
gasters) and "
morphologically simplified" relative to workers. Males remain unknown.
Species have an
army-ant life style, including group predation and nomadism. However, belonging to 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 ...
Ponerini, they are evidently ponerines and the army-ant like characters are deemed to have evolved through
convergent evolution
Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last comm ...
. Compared to other ponerines, colonies are large, consisting of 1,000 to 2,000 individuals.
Species
*''
Simopelta andersoni''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta bicolor
''Simopelta'' is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Distribution
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.
Description
Workers are slender, s ...
''
Borgmeier, 1950
*''
Simopelta breviscapa''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta curvata''
(Mayr, 1887)
*''
Simopelta fernandezi''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta jeckylli
''Simopelta'' is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Distribution
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.
Description
Workers are slender, s ...
''
(Mann, 1916)
*''
Simopelta laevigata''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta laticeps
''Simopelta'' is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Distribution
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.
Description
Workers are slender, s ...
''
Gotwald & Brown, 1967
*''
Simopelta longinoda''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta longirostris''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta manni''
Wheeler, 1935
*''
Simopelta mayri''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta minima''
(Brandao, 1989)
*''
Simopelta oculata''
Gotwald & Brown, 1967
*''
Simopelta paeminosa''
Snelling, 1971
*''
Simopelta pentadentata''
*''
Simopelta pergandei''
(Forel, 1909)
*''
Simopelta quadridentata
''Simopelta'' is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Distribution
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.
Description
Workers are slender, s ...
''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta transversa
''Simopelta'' is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Distribution
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.
Description
Workers are slender, s ...
''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta vieirai
''Simopelta'' is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Distribution
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.
Description
Workers are slender, s ...
''
MacKay & MacKay, 2008
*''
Simopelta williamsi
''Simopelta'' is a Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae.
Distribution
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.
Description
Workers are slender, s ...
''
Wheeler, 1935
References
External links
*
Ponerinae
Ant genera
Hymenoptera of South America
{{Ponerinae-stub