Ponerine
Guides
Cryptopone
Pit-jawed Ants
Cryptopone is a genus of small to medium-sized ponerine ants with a pantropical to worldwide distribution, with highest diversity in East and Southeast Asia. The genus contains approximately 23-25 extant species. Workers range from 1.7–6.1 mm in length. Many species exhibit an endogeic (underground-dwelling) lifestyle, making them difficult to detect and historically under-recorded. The genus was taxonomically revised in 2010 and again in 2022, with species previously synonymized under Wadeura separated out.
Hypoponera
Crypt Ants
Hypoponera is a genus of ponerine ants characterized by simplified morphology lacking clear autapomorphies. The genus exhibits cosmopolitan distribution across all continents except Antarctica, with notable absence from taiga, tundra, New Zealand, and central Asia. Multiple species display remarkable reproductive polymorphism, including winged and wingless (ergatoid) morphs in both sexes. Workers typically lack eyes or possess only very small eyes, while queens and males usually have well-developed eyes with interommatidial setae.
Hypoponera punctatissima
Roger's ant
Hypoponera punctatissima, commonly known as Roger's ant, is a small ponerine ant native to Africa that has become a globally distributed tramp species. The species is strongly associated with human-modified environments, particularly heated buildings, greenhouses, and animal waste. Colonies are small, typically containing approximately 200 workers, and are often polydomous. The species is frequently encountered through alate gynes that appear above ground.
Neoponera
Neoponera Panther Ants
Neoponera is a genus of ponerine ants restricted to the Neotropics, ranging from southern Texas to southern Brazil. Workers are slender and medium to large in size (6.5–19 mm), while queens are larger and winged. The genus exhibits diverse nesting behaviors, including ground nests in soil and decaying wood, as well as arboreal ant gardens. Some species, such as those in the N. laevigata species-group, are specialized termite predators.
Pachycondyla harpax
rapacious panther ant
Pachycondyla harpax is a widespread New World ponerine ant known from South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and the southern United States. It is a conspicuous ground-nesting species that forages singly rather than in trails. The species has been documented from over 1,500 collection sites and shows a broad latitudinal range from approximately 32°N in Texas to 32°S in southern Brazil.
Ponera exotica
Southern Porthole Ant
Ponera exotica is a small ant species in the subfamily Ponerinae, native to North America. Despite its species epithet suggesting foreign origin, it is now interpreted as a native species rather than an introduced exotic. It exhibits a patchy distribution across the conterminous United States and has been collected primarily through subterranean sampling methods.
Ponera pennsylvanica
Common Porthole Ant
Ponera pennsylvanica is a small ant species inhabiting mesic forests of the Eastern United States. Colonies are notably small, typically containing fewer than 100 workers. Nests occur in diverse microhabitats including decaying wood, soil, acorns, and leaf litter. The species belongs to the ponerine ant subfamily, characterized by relatively primitive social organization compared to more derived ant groups.
Pseudoponera
Pseudoponera Wolf Ants
Pseudoponera is a small genus of ponerine ants established by Emery in 1900. The genus comprises five species, all native to the Neotropics. Pseudoponera stigma has been introduced to Oceania and parts of east and Southeast Asia. The genus is commonly referred to as "Pseudoponera Wolf Ants."