Ant

Dorylomorph subfamilies

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• Apomyrminae
• Cerapachyinae
• Dorylinae
• Ecitoninae

Formicomorph subfamilies:

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• Aneuretinae
• Dolichoderinae
• Formicinae - e.g. Formica

Leptanillomorph subfamilies:

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• Leptanillinae
• Leptanilloidinae

Myrmeciomorph subfamilies:

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• Myrmeciinae eg. Myrmecia
• Pseudomyrmecinae

Myrmicomorph subfamilies:

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• Agroecomyrmecinae
• Myrmicinae- e.g. Pheidole, Atta

Poneromorph subfamilies:

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• Amblyoponinae
• Ectatomminae
• Heteroponerinae
• Paraponerinae
• Ponerinae
• Proceratiinae

Extinct subfamilies:

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• Armaniinae
• Brownimeciinae
• Formiciinae
• Sphecomyrminae

Incertae Sedis Subfamily:

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• Paleosminthurinae

The ants, one of the most successful groups of insects, are of particular interest because they form advanced colonies, and can constitute up to 15% of the total animal biomass of a tropical rainforest. They belong to the order Hymenoptera, and are close relatives of the vespoid wasps. Ants appear in amber, found in central New Jersey, believed to be from the Cretaceous period. It is thought that they evolved from the wasps that had appeared during the Jurassic period. They are morphologically distinguished mainly by having six legs, sharply elbowed antennae, wingless worker caste, the first abdominal segment being fused with the thorax (= alitrunk or mesosoma), a wasptail like constriction between the first and second abdominal segment, and by having one to two bead-like round to scale-shaped pedicel formed from the second and third abdominal segments respectively, which in wasps are joined to the gaster.

Related Topics:
Insect - Colonies - Biomass - Hymenoptera - Wasp - Amber - New Jersey - Cretaceous - Jurassic - Antennae - Pedicel - Abdominal - Gaster

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Ants are also the only animals that possess the metapleural gland.

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They can "hear" with organs on the legs, antenna, thorax and head which can detect sound vibrations moving through the ground. Also, they "talk" with chemicals, having at least 10?20 chemical "words".

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Most queens and males of ants have wings, which they lose after nuptial flight; however wingless queens (ergatoids) and males can occur. The currently known 11,836 (Aug. 29, 2005) ant species occur worldwide but are especially common in hot climates. 22,000 ant species are expected to live on planet Earth.

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Ant: Development ►