Ponerini

Ponerini
Fighting Harpegnathos saltator
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Tribe: Ponerini
Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835
Genera

See text

Diversity
61 genera

Ponerini is a tribe of ponerine ants with 46 genera and 6 extinct genera.[1] It contains every ponerine genus except Platythyrea, which is placed in its own tribe Platythyreini.[2]

Genera

Extant

Pachycondyla genus group

Ponera genus group

Odontomachus genus group

Harpegnathos genus group

Hypoponera genus group

Plectroctena genus group

Unknown genus group

Extinct

Phylogeny

The maximum-probability molecular cladogram of the tribe constructed by Fisher et al. in 2025 is shown here. All genera are represented except for Igaponera, which is only known from a single queen specimen. Six unofficial genus groups are recognized by the authors, namely the Pachycondyla, Ponera, Harpegnathos, Plectroctena, Hypoponera, and Odontomachus groups. [4] These genus groups are also referred to as alliances.[5]

Ponerini
Pachycondyla genus group

Simopelta

Belonopelta

Thaumatomyrmex

Mayaponera

Rasopone

Neoponera

Dinoponera

Pachycondyla

Ponera genus group

Diacamma

Ponera

Emeryopone

Cryptopone

Ectomomyrmex

Austroponera

Pseudoponera

Sritoponera

Parvaponera

Wadeura

Odontomachus genus group

Unnamed genus[a]

Odontomachus

Anochetus

Odontoponera

Brachyponera

Xiphopelta

Hagensia

Makebapone

Fisheropone

Feroponera

Boltonopone

Dolioponera

Euponera

Bothroponera

Pseudoneoponera

Streblognathus

Phrynoponera

Megaponera

Ophthalmopone

Mesoponera

Myopias

Leptogenys

Subiridopone

Asphinctopone

Corrieopone

Paltothyreus

Buniapone

Promyopias

Harpegnathos genus group

Harpegnathos

Hypoponera genus group

Hypoponera

Plectroctena genus group

Centromyrmex

Psalidomyrmex

Loboponera

Boloponera

Plectroctena

Notes

  1. ^ This monotypic genus currently contains the species currently known as Neoponera bucki, which is not a true Neoponera species, however it has not yet been formally described as of 2025.

References

  1. ^ Bolton, Barry. "An Online Catalog of the Ants of the World by Barry Bolton". antcat.org. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  2. ^ Schmidt, Chris A.; Shattuck, Steven O. (18 June 2014). "The Higher Classification of the Ant Subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a Review of Ponerine Ecology and Behavior". Zootaxa. 3817 (1): 1–242. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3817.1.1. PMID 24943802.
  3. ^ a b c d Dlussky, G.M.; Wedmann, S. (2012). "The poneromorph ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae: Amblyoponinae, Ectatomminae, Ponerinae) of Grube Messel, Germany: High biodiversity in the Eocene". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 10 (4): 725–753. Bibcode:2012JSPal..10..725D. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.628341. S2CID 83928415. – via Taylor & Francis (subscription required)
  4. ^ Fisher, Brian L.; Branstetter, Michael G.; Blaimer, Bonnie B.; Borowiec, Marek L.; Camacho, Gabriela P.; Doré, Maël; Ward, Philip S.; Longino, John T. (19 December 2025). "A genus-level classification of the ant subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)". ZooKeys (1264): 281–349. Bibcode:2025ZooK.1264..281F. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1264.173399. PMC 12743250. PMID 41458144.
  5. ^ Shattuck, Steven O. "Hypoponera". AntWiki. antwiki.org. Retrieved 27 February 2026.