Paraponera
Genus of ants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paraponera is a genus of ants and the only genus in the subfamily Paraponerinae.[2] The name means "near-Ponera".[3]
| Paraponera | |
|---|---|
| |
| P. clavata, or bullet ant, the sole extant member of the subfamily | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Clade: | Poneria |
| Subfamily: | Paraponerinae Emery, 1901 |
| Tribe: | Paraponerini Emery, 1901 |
| Genus: | Paraponera F. Smith, 1858 |
| Type species | |
| Formica clavata | |
| Diversity[1] | |
| 2 species | |
It consists of two species: the extant Paraponera clavata, also known as a bullet ant, found in the Neotropics, and the very small[4] fossil species Paraponera dieteri known from Dominican amber (Early Miocene; 16-19 million years ago).[5] Bullet ants are so named for the pain caused by their venomous stings. The intensely painful sting is toxic to invertebrates as well as vertebrates and a major component is the neurotoxic peptide poneratoxin.[6]
Species
- Paraponera clavata (Fabricius, 1775)
- †Paraponera dieteri Baroni Urbani, 1994
