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Taxonomic List of Ant Genera Galleries

Directory of Ant Genera by Subfamily : Directory of Ant Genera, listed by subfamily

Directory of Ant Genera by Subfamily

Acanthognathus : Acanthognathus is a small genus of rarely encountered myrmicine trap-jaw ants from the tropical forests of Central and South America. The elongate build and shiny red coloration of these ants render Acanthognathus among the most attractive of all the trap-jaw species.

Acromyrmex : Acromyrmex is the more diverse of the two leafcutting ant genera (the other is Atta). These distinctive spiny insects cut fresh vegetation to feed to a specialized fungus that grows only in ant nests. The fungus serves as the ants' food source and in return is cultivated and dispersed by the ants. Like all fungus-growing ants, Acromyrmex is found only in the new world tropics and subtropics.

Acropyga : Acropyga is a small subterranean formicine ant known for specialized relationships with hemipterans that feed on plant roots. Species are found in warmer regions around the world.

Adetomyrma : Adetomyrmais an unusual amblyoponine genus known only from Madagascar, where it was first discovered in the 1990s. The genus contains several poorly-known species of small, blind subterranean ants; all are likely predators of soil-dwelling arthropods. Adetomyrma is sometimes called "the dracula ant" for its habit of feeding on the hemolymph of its own larvae, although this trait is also shared among the other amblyoponines.

Aenictus : Aenictus is an army ant found in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Most species are specialist predators on the brood of other ant species.

Amblyopone : Amblyopone is an ancient group of predaceous ants found worldwide, sometimes called "dracula ants" for the adults' habit of feeding on larval hemolymph. These subterranean ants have elongate mandibles and a characteristic broad posterior attachment of the petiole. Many species are specialist predators of centipedes.

Anochetus : Anochetus is a diverse genus of ponerine trap-jaw ants found in tropical climates around the world.

Anonychomyrma : Anonychomyrma is a forest-dwelling dolichoderine genus found from Malaysia to southern Australia. These medium-sized ants release a distinctive acrid odor when disturbed.

Aphaenogaster : Aphaenogaster is a heterogeneous assemblage of slender myrmicine ants found worldwide. A number of species are seed harvesters, while other species, such as A. tennesseensis, are social parasites of other Aphaenogaster. A few Australian species build extensive soil mounds and are regarded as pests of lawns and pastures.

Apterostigma : Apterostigma is one of several genera of small Neotropical fungus-growing ants. These leggy, slow-moving insects typically have small nests in the soil, but some species may construct their fungus gardens on the undersides of leaves above the forest floor.

Arnoldius : Arnoldius is a small genus of tiny dolichoderine ants found only in Australia. Little is known about the biology of these insects, but they might be temporary nest-founding parasites of other ant species.

Atopomyrmex : Atopomyrmex is a myrmicine genus found throughout forested habitats in Africa. The three species in the group are big, attractive ants that nest in the dead wood of mature trees.

Atta : Atta is the most conspicuous leaf-cutting ant of the new world tropics and subtropics. These large, spiny insects are farmers- they use freshly cut vegetation to cultivate a fungus in subterranean gardens. Colonies are among the most complex insect societies known: nests can persist for decades and contain over a million individuals.

Azteca : Azteca is a genus of aggressive, tree-dwelling dolichoderine ants found throughout the new world tropics. Some species have evolved specialized relationships with the plants that house them.

Brachymyrmex : Brachymyrmex is a formicine genus comprising some of the world's smallest ants. These diminutive ants- sometimes called "rover ants"- are native throughout the Americas, but several species have traveled to other parts of the world with human trade.

Calomyrmex : Calomyrmex is a medium-sized and often colorful formicine genus found in Indonesia, New Guinea, and Australia.

Camponotus : Camponotus is abundant and diverse nearly everywhere in the world. This ubiquitous formicine genus contains our familiar carpenter ants, as well as some tropical weaver ants and desert honeypot ants.

Cardiocondyla : Cardiocondyla is a genus of small myrmicine ants originating in the old world. Several species have been transported by commerce to tropical areas worldwide.

Cataulacus : Cataulacus is a genus of small, heavily-armored arboreal ants found in Africa and Asia.

Centromyrmex : Centromyrmex is a poorly known pantropical ponerine genus. These subterranean insects are only rarely seen and are presumed to predators of termites.

Cephalotes : Cephalotes is a diverse genus of heavily-armored, tree-dwelling myrmicine ants found in forested regions of the new world tropics and subptropics. A number of rainforest canopy species show the unusual habit of controlled gliding flight when they are knocked from tree branches. Most species are polymorphic, having a "soldier" caste with an enlarged head used for blocking the nest entrances.

Cerapachys : Cerapachys is a heterogenous assemblage of tropical ants that prey on the brood of other ant species. New world species like C. augustae (pictured below) are small, subterranean, and rarely-encountered. Old world species can be either small and cryptic like the new world forms or epigaeic and conspicuous like the Australian species C. ruficornis (also below).

Crematogaster : Crematogaster is an abundant, ecologically diverse myrmicine genus found worldwide. These ants- sometimes called "Acrobat Ants"- are easily recognized by their unusual heart-shaped gasters.

Cyphomyrmex : Cyphomyrmex is a heterogenous genus of small, cryptic fungus-growing ants. It is among the most commonly encountered of the attines in warmer regions throughout the Americas. Unusually among attines, some Cyphomyrmex cultivate their fungus as a yeast.

Dinoponera : Dinoponera contains the largest ants in the Neotropics, and the largest stinging ants in the world. These giant hunting ants are found in tropical lowland habitats from Colombia to Argentina, living in small colonies comprising a few dozen individuals. Unlike most ants, Dinoponera does not have a morphologically differentiated queen caste. Reproduction is carried out instead by a subset of workers.

Dolichoderus : Dolichoderus is a diverse genus of heavily-armored dolichoderine ants found worldwide. Colonies can be large and are often associated with honeydew-producing insects.

Dorylus : Dorylus is an African and Asian genus of nomadic predatory ants. The surface-foraging species conduct spectacular raids and are often referred to as driver or safari ants. Other species, such as D. helvolus pictured here, exhibit the specialized subterranean predation that is typical of most other army ants.

Dorymyrmex : Dorymyrmex is a soil-nesting dolichoderine ant abundant in the warmer climates of the New World, particularly in open and arid habitats. Nests of these active, alert insects are usually marked by a characteristic volcano-shaped nest entrance.

Echinopla : Echinopla is an arboreal genus of formicine ants found in Indo-Australian rainforests. They are not commonly encountered, and little is known about their biology.

Eciton : Eciton is a large, conspicuous army ant with a highly modified soldier caste bearing ice-tong shaped mandibles. The genus is endemic to the neotropics. One rain forest species, E. burchellii, is known for its expansive epigaeic swarm raids.

Ectatomma : Ectatomma is one of the most conspicuous insects of lowland Neotropical habitats. These large, attractive ants are abundant in the forest understory where they tend nectaries and honeydew-secreting insects.

Epopostruma : Epopostruma is a genus of myrmicine trap-jaw ant found only in Australia, where it is commonly seen foraging on low vegetation at night. These colorful predators are distinguished from other trap-jaw species by the wide spacing of the mandibles.

Eurhopalothrix : Eurhopalothrix is a predaceous myrmicine genus found in soil and leaf litter in tropical wet forests around the world. Little is known about the biology of these cryptic ants.

Forelius : Forelius is a genus of thermophilic ants that occur in warm, open habitats throughout the Americas. These small, active insects nest in soil and are often the only ants out during the hottest parts of the day.

Formica : Formica is an ubiquitous formicine genus across temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. These large, alert ants are diverse in behavior and ecology. Formica includes some slave-raiders as well as less extreme forms of social parasitism.

Formicoxenus : Formicoxenus is a small holarctic genus of myrmicine ants that live within the nests of larger Formica ants. Males, like the ant pictured below, are often worker-like in appearance and are commonly seen walking along the surface of their host Formica mounds.

Gnamptogenys : Gnamptogenys is an ectatommine ant found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. Some species are specialist millipede predators.

Harpegnathos : Harpegnathos is a south Asian genus of slender, large-eyed ponerine ants. These charismatic insects are capable of jumping several times their body length. Both workers and gynes can mate and lay fertilized eggs, leading to internal power struggles within the nest that are an active subject of research.

Heteroponera : Heteroponera is a genus of rarely seen heteroponerine ants found in Central and South America, Australia, and New Zealand. These poorly known insects live in small colonies in soil and leaf litter.

Hypoponera : Hypoponera is one of the most abundant subterranean ants in tropical regions around the world. These small ponerines show considerable variation in life history, with some species having multiple mating strategies associated with unusual male and female forms.

Iridomyrmex : Iridomyrmex is a diverse group of Indo-Australian dolichoderine ants. These alert, aggressive insects can be abundant, particularly in open habitats, and they play ecologially important roles as predators, scavengers, and symbionts of honeydew-producing insects.

Kalathomyrmex : Kalathomyrmex is a small South American fungus-growing ant. The single species, K. emeryi, is common in habitats with open sandy soil.

Labidus : Labidus is among the most commonly seen army ant in the new world tropics and subtropics. The genus contains several species, but only two are encountered in frequency. Labidus coecus tends to be more subterranean and lighter in color, while the darker, more slender Labidus praedator holds massive swarm raids both above and below ground.

Lasius : Lasius is among the most abundant ants across the north temperate zone in North America and Eurasia. These small, robust formicines tend to be either dark in color and surface-foraging, or pale in color and subterranean. Lasius includes a number of temporary parasites that start colonies by invading nests of free-living ants. Among these parasites are the endemic North American citronella ants in the subgenus Acanthomyops.

Lepisiota : Lepisiota is a widespread formicine ant genus in Africa and Eurasia comprised of mostly small, inconspicuous ants. They are recognizable by a pair of protrusions at the end of the middle body section.

Leptogenys : Leptogenys is a diverse genus of slender, long-legged ponerine ants found in warmer climates worldwide. These ants live in moderate to large colonies that nest in rotting wood and soil. Some species have developed a nomadic, army-ant like life cycle, and many are specialist predators on different groups of arthropods.

Leptomyrmex : Leptomyrmex is a large, leggy, often colorful genus restricted to eastern Australia, New Guinea, and New Caledonia. The skittish movements and long legs of these distinctive insects give them the common name "spider ants". Some workers in each nest specialize as living storage containers called repletes, their abdomens greatly distended.

Leptothorax : Leptothorax is a Holarctic genus of small myrmicine ants.

Liometopum : Liometopum is a dolichoderine ant genus found in Asia and North America. Colonies of these aggressive insects are large and are often found nesting in the dead interior of mature living trees. The three North American species are restricted to the western part of the continent.

Manica : Manica is a holarctic genus of mostly generalist surface-foraging myrmicine ants. The four North American species all occur in the mountain west.

Megalomyrmex : Megalomyrmex is a genus of slender myrmicine ants found in wet Neotropical forests. Some species, such as M. symmetochus pictured below, are specialist predators or parasites of fungus-growing ants.

Melophorus : Melophorus is a diverse Australian genus of heat-loving formicine ants. These ubiquitous insects are found in open habitats and are often the only ants active during the hottest parts of the day.

Meranoplus : Meranoplus is a diverse genus of distinctive myrmicine ants found from Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia to Indonesia and Australia. These soil-nesting ants are common in open habitats, and some species are seed harvesters.

Messor : Messor is a heterogenous genus of myrmicine harvester ants found in arid regions in North America, Africa, and Eurasia.

Monomorium : Monomorium is a genus of small myrmicine ants with a worldwide distribution. The group is particularly diverse in the old world tropics. Some species, including M. floricola and M. pharaonis pictured below, have spread extensively with human commerce.

Mycetarotes : Mycetarotes is one of several small, inconspicuous fungus-growing ant genera in the Neotropics. These myrmicine ants are true agriculturalists, cultivating an edible fungus on a substrate of collected detritus.

Mycetosoritis : Mycetosoritis is one of several small fungus-cultivating ant genera in the Neotropics. Colonies are subterranean and contain only a few hundred workers.

Mycocepurus : Mycocepurus is one of several small, inconspicuous fungus-cultivating ant genera in the Neotropics. One species, M. smithii, has parthenogenetic populations that are entirely female.

Myopias : Myopias is a soil and rotting wood-dwelling ponerine genus found from southeast Asia to Australia.

Myrmecia : Myrmecia is a large, active, and conspicuous element of the Australian fauna, and with the exception of a rare New Caledonian species it is found nowhere else. Commonly known as bull ants and jack jumpers, these insects are well known by Australians for the aggressive defense of their nests and their painful stings.

Myrmecina : Myrmecina is a specialist predator of mites. The single North American species, M. americana, is usually found under stones in moist, shady forests.

Myrmecocystus : Myrmecocystus is a formicine genus endemic to the arid regions of western North America. Some members of each colony become living storage containers and hang from the ceilings of nest chambers deep underground, their abdomens greatly swollen with food. They are sometimes referred to as "honeypot ants".

Myrmecorhynchus : Myrmecorhynchus is a formicine genus endemic to forested regions in Australia. These small insects are commonly seen foraging on low vegetation.

Myrmecorhynchus

Myrmica : Myrmica is a common ant in north temperate, boreal, and high elevation sites throughout the northern hemisphere. These ubiquitous myrmicines are generalist predators and scavengers. Both Eurasia and North America contain dozens of morphologically similar species that are very difficult to identify.

Myrmicaria : Myrmicaria is a commonly encountered genus of African and Asian myrmicine ants. The unique petiolar arrangement and reduced number of antennal segments render these insects instantly recognizeable.

Mystrium : Mystrium is a poorly known amblyoponine ant that is sporadically encountered in the old world tropics and subtropics. These strange insects are probably specialist predators of other arthropods.

Neivamyrmex : Neivamyrmex is the most diverse and widely-distributed of the new world army ant genera, and the only army ant found in the temperate regions of North America. Although these insects are not uncommon, they are not often encountered because of their partly subterranean habits. Most species are specialized predators of other ant species.

Nesomyrmex : Nesomyrmex is a small genus of arboreal ants found in warmer climates worldwide. Although they are close relatives of the well-studied temperate group Temnothorax, almost nothing is known about the biology of these charismatic little ants.

Nomamyrmex : Nomamyrmex is the most heavily armored of the army ants. This genus is found from south Texas to northern Argentina, and like all army ants is nomadic and without permanent nests. Nomamyrmex preys on the brood of other ant species, and is the only ant that attacks mature colonies of Atta leafcutters.

Nothomyrmecia : Nothomyrmecia is a famously rare nocturnal ant found only in mallee habitat in South Australia. This predatory insect is very similar to a group of previously widespread but now extinct Cretaceous ants.

Notoncus : Notoncus is a small genus of soil-nesting formicine ants found in Australia and New Guinea. Most species are generalist nocturnal foragers.

Nylanderia : Nylanderia is a genus of small formicine ants with a worldwide distribution. Most species are generalist foragers that nest opportunistically in soil, leaf litter, and rotting wood. Human commerce has spread several pest species around the globe.

Ochetellus : Ochetellus is a small dolichoderine ant genus native from east Asia south to Australia. Some species have spread more widely with commerce.

Odontomachus : Odontomachus is a large, conspicuous ponerine ant found in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. Often called "trap-jaw ants", these predatory insects are noted for their unusual mandibles that are held open at 180º and snap shut on a hair trigger.

Oecophylla : Oecophylla is a genus of large arboreal ants of the African, Asian, and Australian tropics. These conspicuous insects are weaver ants, creating nests by pulling living tree leaves together and securing them with silk produced by the ants' larvae. Colonies are territorial, covering several trees and containing dozens of nests.

Onychomyrmex : Onychomyrmex is a rare amblyoponine ant found only in the rainforests of northeastern Australia. It is unusual among amblyoponines in having a life cycle similar to that of army ants.

Opisthopsis : Opisthopsis is an Indo-Australian formicine ant genus with distinctive large eyes. These alert, active insects are commonly called "strobe ants" and are found in many terrestrial habitats.

Orectognathus : Orectognathus is a genus of myrmicine trap-jaw ants found in Australia, New Guinea, and New Caledonia.

Pachycondyla : Pachycondyla is a heterogenous assemblage of predatory ponerine ants. These large, attractive insects are found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

Papyrius : Papyrius is a dolichoderine genus found in Australia and New Guinea. These smooth, shiny ants are often associated with honeydew-producing insects.

Paratrechina : Paratrechina is a formicine genus known for a single species, the black crazy ant Paratrechina longicornis, that has become a pest in warmer regions worldwide.

Pheidole : Pheidole is the world's most species-rich ant genus. These myrmicine ants have a cosmopolitan distribution but are particularly diverse in the tropics, filling a number of niches from seed-harvesting to ant-plant symbionts. The genus is marked by a pronounced worker caste polymorphism; major workers are considerably larger than minors and have disproportionately large heads.

Pheidologeton : Pheidologeton is a conspicuous myrmicine genus of the African, Asian, and Australian tropics. The enormous colonies conduct raids similar to those of the nomadic army ants, earning these insects the name "marauder ant".

Philidris : Philidris is a genus of small, aggressive dolichoderine ants found in tropical Asia and Australia. Some species inhabit the specialized epiphytic ant-plants Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia (pictured below), providing nutrients and defense to the plants in return for shelter.

Platythyrea : Platythyrea is an ancient lineage of predaceous ponerine ants. These sleek, quick-moving ants occur in warmer climates around the world.

Plectroctena : Plectroctena is one of Africa's most conspicuous insects. These glossy, intricately sculptured hunting ants are specialized predators of millipedes. They are sometimes called "snapping ants" for the unique way they use their mandibles during prey capture. Colonies are small and typically nest in soil.

Podomyrma : Podomyrma is a genus of large, robust myrmicine ants found from Indonesia to Australia. These muscular insects nest in dead wood and are often seen foraging on tree trunks and branches.

Pogonomyrmex : Pogonomyrmex is an iconic ant of deserts and other arid habitats in North and South America. These conspicuous insects are normally granivorous, playing ecologically important roles as scavengers and seed dispersers. Pogonomyrmex is also known for having a uniquely painful sting.

Polyergus : Polyergus is a Holarctic genus of obligate social parasites that attack the closely-related genus Formica. They are commonly called 'Amazon ants' or 'slave-raiding ants'. Polyergus workers are apparently unable to perform the tasks involved in nest construction, foraging, and brood care. Work is instead carried out by the host Formica, who are captured as larvae and pupae during spectacular afternoon raids.

Polyrhachis : Polyrhachis is one of the largest and most diverse ant genera in the old world tropics. These attractive insects are closely related to the cosmopolitan genus Camponotus but are often ornamented with protective spines. Polyrhachis is found in many different habitat types and show a wide variety of nesting behaviors. Species in the subgenus Cyrtomyrma are weaver ants, nesting in folded leaves held together with larval silk. Others nest in the soil, in rotting wood, or arboreally. One Australian species even inhabits intertidal mud flats and can swim.

Ponera : Ponera is a genus of small, cryptic ponerine ants whose diversity is centered in the Indo-Australian region. A few species of these soil- and rotting-wood nesting ants are found in the temperate regions of Eurasia and eastern North America, including the common P. pennsylvanica pictured below.

Prenolepis : Prenolepis is a small genus of Asian and North American formicine ants. The single North American species, P. imparis, is common in natural and urban settings across the continent. It is sometimes called the "winter ant" because it can forage at temperatures close to freezing.

Proceratium : Proceratium is an ancient lineage of rarely-encountered subterranean ants found in warmer climates worldwide. These insects are recognizable by their unusually curved abdomens, a trait thought to be related to a predatory specialization for hunting spider eggs.

Procryptocerus : Procryptocerus is a Neotropical genus of heavily-armored arboreal ants.

Pseudomyrmex : Pseudomyrmex is a largely tropical genus of elongate ants, usually arboreal, found throughout the warmer regions of the new world. Several Central American species have evolved complex and specialized relationships with the Acacia plants they inhabit.

Rhytidoponera : Rhytidoponera is a common, conspicuous, and often strikingly-colored ectatommine ant found from Indonesia to Australia and New Caledonia.

Sericomyrmex : Sericomyrmex is a small genus of fungus-growing ants found in the New World tropics. These insects are close relatives of Trachymyrmex but tend to have a denser covering of fine hairs on the body. Colonies of Sericomyrmex can be relatively large, with more than a thousand individuals.

Simopelta : Simopelta is genus of poorly known ponerine ants that inhabit Neotropical cloud forests. The dozen or so species are specialized predators of other ants, showing a remarkable convergence in behavior and morphology to the better-known ecitonine army ants.

Solenopsis : Solenopsis is a speciose myrmicine genus with a worldwide distribution. The group is best known for some of its larger members, the fire ants, but most of the diversity in Solenopsis is found in small subterranean species. Several species of fire ants- most notably Solenopsis invicta- have become economically important pests where introduced by human commerce.

Sphinctomyrmex : Sphinctomyrmex is a cerapachyine genus recognized by a distinctive series of constrictions between the abdominal segments. These rarely seen ants are specialist predators of other ant species. Sphinctomyrmex is found in tropical regions worldwide but is most diverse in Australia.

Stenamma : Stenamma is a primarily Holarctic genus of small, cryptic ants that inhabit leaf litter, soil and rotting wood. A few species are Neotropical. Despite being common in moist forest habitats, the small colonies of this genus are not often encountered except through specialized collecting techniques.

Stigmacros : Stigmacros is an Australian genus of small, attractive formicine ants usually bearing spines or teeth towards the rear of their middle body section.

Strumigenys : Strumigenys is a diverse group of tiny predators with oddly-shaped mandibles specialized for capturing various arthropod prey. The hundreds of Strumigenys species show considerable variation in mandible morphology and body sculpture, as well as extreme modification of body hairs. Little is known about the biology of most species. They are common in warmer climates around the world but are not often seen because of their small size, slow movements, and cryptic habits.

Tapinoma : Tapinoma is a small dolichoderine genus with a worldwide distribution. The group includes a number of pest species that enter houses or travel around with human commerce.

Technomyrmex : Technomyrmex is a genus of generalist dolichoderine ants found primarily in the tropics and subtropics of the old world, although a pair of species are native to tropical America. Some species, including the white-footed ants T. albipes and T. difficilis, have spread to warmer climates around the world with human commerce.

Temnothorax : Temnothorax is a morphologically diverse genus of small myrmicine ants found worldwide. Colonies often live in tight spaces and can survive long periods of dearth. Some species are known as acorn ants or rock ants for their nesting habits.

Tetramorium : Tetramorium is a diverse genus of small- to medium-sized myrmicine ants whose considerable diversity is centered in the old world. Several species have been transported extensively with human commerce, including the common European pavement ant that is now one of the most abundant insects in temperate North American cities.

Tetraponera : Tetraponera is a pseudomyrmecine genus of conspicuous, often arboreal ants in the warmer regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Thaumatomyrmex : Thaumatomyrmex is a rarely seen spider-like ponerine ant of Neotropical forests. These beguiling insects are specialized predators of spiny polyxenid millipedes, and their pitch-fork jaws allow the ants to keep prey at a distance while carefully stripping away the spines.

Trachymyrmex : Trachymyrmex is a fungus-growing ant intermediate in behavior and morphology between the smaller attines (such as Cyphomyrmex) and the leaf-cutting genera Atta and Acromyrmex. They feed on a subterranean fungus that they cultivate with bits of plant debris and other detritus. Like the other fungus-growers, Trachymyrmex is found only in the Americas.

Turneria : Turneria is a small arboreal dolichoderine ant. These distinctive insects are found only in Australia, New Guinea, and associated islands. Little is known of their biology.

Wasmannia : Wasmannia is a genus of tiny myrmicine ants native to forests of Central and South America. The group contains several poorly-known species and one major pest, the little fire ant W. auropunctata. Human commerce has introduced the little fire ant to warmer regions around the globe, and the species has been particularly damaging on oceanic islands.

Xenomyrmex : Xenomyrmex is a rarely seen myrmicine ant of tropical and subtropical American forests. These secretive ants nest in pre-existing cavities in the forest canopy.

all images and text © Alex Wild 2010

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