Weaver-ants
Guides
Formicinae
formicine ants
Formicinae is a large and diverse subfamily of ants characterized by a single-segmented petiole in the form of a vertical scale, reduced stings, and the production of formic acid as a defensive compound. Members retain several primitive features including cocoons around pupae and ocelli in workers. The subfamily includes familiar ants such as carpenter ants (Camponotus), weaver ants (Oecophylla), and honeypot ants (Myrmecocystus). Formicines exhibit diverse ecological strategies including mutualism with sap-feeding hemipterans and specialized slave-making behaviors in some lineages.