Proformica

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Hymenopterida
Ordo: Hymenoptera
Subordo: Apocrita
Superfamilia: Formicoidea

Familia: Formicidae
Subfamilia: Formicinae
Tribus: Formicini
Genus: Proformica
Species: P. ferreri – P. longiseta – P. nasuta –
Name
Proformica Ruzsky, 1902

Proformica is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae.[2] 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 (monogyne) or multiple ergatogyne queens. Unique in the tribe Formicini, some species have specialized workers ("honeypot ants") gorged with food; they function as living storage containers.[3]

Parasite host

Four species are host to obligate slave-making ants in the genus Rossomyrmex, with each species forming a coevolving pair:[4]

Rossomyrmex proformicarum–Proformica epinotalis
Rossomyrmex quandratinodum–Proformica sp.
Rossomyrmex anatolicus–Proformica korbi
Rossomyrmex minuchae–Proformica longiseta

Species

Proformica alaica Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1926
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 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

Bolton, B. (2014). "Proformica". AntCat. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
"Genus: Proformica". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
Agosti, D. (1994). "The phylogeny of the ant tribe Formicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with the description of a new genus". Systematic Entomology. 19 (2): 93–117. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1994.tb00581.x. S2CID 83590673.
Ruano, F.; Sanllorente, O.; Lenoir, A.; Tinaut, A. (2013), "Rossomyrmex, the Slave-Maker Ants from the Arid Steppe Environments", Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 2013: 1–7, doi:10.1155/2013/541804