Genus Ponera (Ponerinae)

• Ponera Latreille, 1804: 179. Type species: Formica coarctata Latreille, by subsequent designation of Westwood, 1840a: 83. Note that the original citation is not Latreille, 1805 (see Taylor, R.W. 1967a: 6).
• Pomera Buckley, S.B. 1866: 171. Incorrect subsequent spelling of Ponera Latreille, 1804.
• Pseudocryptopone Wheeler, W.M. 1933g: 12. Type species: Cryptopone tenuis Emery, by original designation. Synonymy: Wilson, 1957b: 356.
• Selenopone Wheeler, W.M. 1933g: 19. Type species: Ponera selenophora Emery, by original designation. Synonymy: Wilson, 1957b: 356.
• Pteroponera Bernard, 1950a: 3. Type species: Pteroponera sysphinctoides Bernard, by monotypy. Synonymy: Brown, W.L. 1973b: 184 (Pteroponera provisional junior synonym of Ponera) ; Bolton, 1995b: 45 (Pteroponera junior synonym of Ponera) .

• OVERVIEW.   Taylor (1967a) treated 28 world species and divided the genus into several species groups. Most species are found in the Indo-Australian area. The two New World species are found only in North American. Most forms are found in forested areas where they nest in small colonies in rotten wood or stumps or in the soil beneath cover. The workers forage singly and are carnivorous (Smith, D.R. 1979: 1341).
• DISTRIBUTION.   Throughout USA (except far west) plus eastern Canada and northern Mexico.
• ZOOGEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS.  Nearctic, Palearctic, Oriental, Indo-Australian, Australasian.
• NOMENCLATURE.   Prior to 1967, this genus included those species now assigned to genus Hypoponera.


      
Photo of Ponera pennsylvanica Buckley from NC, Macon Co.. Courtesy of Ant Web, U. of Calif. Davis


• RECOGNITION.   Length 2-4 mm. Palpal formula 2,2 (this is often very hard to see). Eye very small; located distinctly anterior to the midlength of the head. (Nests sometimes contain ergatoid (worker-like) queens that do not have wings. They will have large eyes and ocelli.) Antennae 12 segmented the last 4 or 5 segments enlarged forming an indistinct club. Mesosoma with promesonotal and mesopropodeal sutures visible from above. Subpetiolar process (the structure below the petiole) with anterior fenestra (circular translucent window) and a pair of small teeth pointing rearward. Tarsal segments of mid legs without short, stout bristles. Mid and hind tibia with a single pectinate (comb-like) spur. Tarsal claw simple.
• SIMILAR GENERA.   The genera Cryptopone, Hypoponera, Pachycondyla, and Ponera have the same overall body shape, and they are often confused with each other. Genus Ponera is most similar to Hypoponera but Hypoponera has a subpetiolar process simple: without a fenestra (circular translucent window) and without pair of teeth that point to the rear. Cryptopone has its tibia of the mid leg with spine-like bristles on outer surface, and mandible with a small, oval, pit-like depression on the dorsolateral surface near the insertion into the head. Pachycondyla has 2 tibial spurs on its mid and hind legs.
• SPECIES IDENTIFICATION.   Use the descriptions in Taylor, 1967a to separate the two Nearctic species.
• TRIBE.  Ponerini.
• Literature Overview.   See Taylor's 1967 revision for taxonomy, distribution, and natural history.
• REVISIONS.   Smith, M.R. 1936d: 420–430 (USA) .— Taylor, R.W. 1967a: 1–112 (world) .
• TAXONOMY.   Smith, M.R. 1943e: 286 (description m.) .— Creighton, 1950a: 46–49, pl. 8, figs. 1–4 (includes genus Hypoponera) .— Wilson, 1957b: 356–357 (tenuis and selenophora species groups) .— Brown, W.L. 1958h: 22–23 (New Zealand) .— Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1964b: 453 (larva) .— Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1208 (larva) .— Bolton, 1994: figs. 499, 500 (SEM (full face and lateral view) of w.) .— Terayama, 1996: 1–8 (Japan) .—Shattuck, 1999: 199–200.— Xu, Z. 2001: 51–59 (key to species in China) .—Bolton, 2003: 44, 170, 281.
• MISCELLANEOUS.   Hölldobler, B. & Wilson, 1990: 155, 273, 280 (tandem running, colony movement) .
• ALL REFERENCES

• exotica. Ponera exotica Smith, M.R. 1962b: 378, fig. 1 (figure (lateral & full face view) of w.) (w.q.) [USA, NC, Craven Co.; MCZ, USNM]

• DISTRIBUTION. Southern USA.
• TAXONOMY. Taylor, R.W. 1967a: 96–97 .
• MISCELLANEOUS. Carter, 1962b: 170 (habitat, nest sites, distribution in NC) .— Johnson, C. 1987: 358 (distribution) .
• ALL REFERENCES
• PHOTOS.

• pennsylvanica. Ponera pennsylvanica Buckley, S.B. 1866: 171 (w.) . [USA, PA, Philadelphia Co.; No types known to exist.] Emery, 1895d: 267 (q.m.) . Subspecies of coarctata: Emery, 1895d: 267; Dennis, 1938: 277; Creighton, 1950a: 48. Revived status as species: Taylor, R.W. 1967a: 29.

• DISTRIBUTION. Most abundant in the eastern deciduous forests from Quebec south to the Gulf Coast, and west to the 97th meridian, with only scattered records in the western states (Smith, D.R. 1979: 1342).
• TAXONOMY. Wheeler, W.M. 1900c: 44–56, figs. 1–4 (figures (lateral view) of w.q.m., larva, natural history, distribution) .— Smith, M.R. 1936d: 422, 426–428 (description w.q., distribution) .— Smith, M.R. 1947f: pl. 4, fig. 14 (figure (lateral view) of w. (as Ponera coarctata pennsylvanica)) .— Creighton, 1950a: 48 (as Ponera coarctata pennsylvanica) .— Taylor, R.W. 1967a: 29–38, figs. 1–3, 5, 9–14, 18–20, 22 (description w.q.m., figure (lateral view) w.m., figure (full face view) w., wing, natural history, distribution) .— Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1210 (larva) .— Francoeur, 1979a: 31, 38, 43–46, figs. 18, 26–28 (description w.q.m. (in French), figure (lateral view) of w., SEMs: top and full face view of w., lateral view of m., distribution, natural history) .
• MISCELLANEOUS. Dennis, 1938: 277 (habitat, distribution in TN) .— Cole, A.C. 1940b: 37–38 (habitat, nest sites) .— Buren, 1944a: 280 (distribution in IA) .— Carter, 1962b: 169–170 (habitat, nest sites, distribution in NC) .— Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1963: 91–92 (occurrence in ND, habitat) .— Warren & Rouse, 1969: 15 (brief natural history, distribution in AR, as P. coarctata pennsylvanica) .— Cokendolpher & Francke, 1990: 16 (occurrence in TX) .— Pratt, Carlin & Calabi, 1994: 43–61 (division of labor reported, evidence for polyethism) .
• ALL REFERENCES
• PHOTOS.