FAUNA PARAGUAY AMBLYOPONINAE

FORMICIDAE - ANTS
SUBFAMILY AMBLYOPONINAE
Long considered as the tribe Amblyoponini of the family Ponerinae, the group was raised to subfamily level by Bolton 2003, a decision later supported by molecular evidence.
Habitat: This subfamily is typically found in humid areas. Species in this subfamily are most easily captured by sifting through leaf litter, their small size rendering them difficult to see on the ground.
Distribution: The subfamily has a worldwide distribution. The genus Amblyopone reaches its greatest diversity in Australia. Prionopelta is distributed predominately in the southern hemisphere.
Characteristics: Members of this subfamily have dentiform setae present on the clypeus and/or the labrum. The petiole is broadly attached to abdominal segment 3 and lacks a descending posterior face. Workers lack ocelli and the compound eyes are usually reduced to one ommatidium or may be entirely absent. The mesosome often lacks parallel sides and is slightly thinner than the pronotum. Promesonotal suture is complete and mobile. Peciole possesses a poorly-developed peduncle.
Genera: Two genera occur in Paraguay Amblyopone, Erichson and Prionopelta, Mayr.
Amblyopone (3 species) - More than three teeth on the mandible extending beyond the anterior border of the clypeum when closed. Mandibles are slender and when closed cross only at the apices. Form small colonies in leaf litter and rotten wood on the ground. Apparently specialist predators of Chilopoda.
Prionopelta (2 species) - Three teeth on the mandibles, which close against the head. Extremely small ants providing complex identification challenges. Colonies are large, terrestrial and located in leaf litter or rotten wood.
Species: Five species of this subfamily are documented as occurring in Paraguay.
REFERENCES
Lattke JE 2003 - Subfamilia Ponerinae in Introducción a las Hormigas de la Région Neotropical - Von Humboldt Institute, Bogota, Colombia.

The following is a list of the species so far documented as occurring in Paraguay taken from the online resource Ant Web.
Species for which we have live images taken in Paraguay are marked with a *.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO LIVE IMAGES OF SPECIES IN THIS SUBFAMILY
Click the species link for access to Ant Web specimen images and FAUNA Paraguay species accounts.
Specimen images of 5 species (100% of family total) are currently available.
Click the AntWebsp link for access to the species page on Ant Web.

This list should be cited as:
Wild A - Amblyoponinae Ant Web List of the Ants of Paraguay, taken from www.faunaparaguay.com.

Amblyopone armigera Mayr 1887                                                                                           AntWebsp
Amblyopone elongata (Santschi 1912)                                                                                  AntWebsp
Amblyopone lurilabes Lattke 1991                                                                                          AntWebsp
Prionopelta antillana Forel 1909                                                                                              AntWebsp
Prionopelta punctulata Mayr 1866                                                                                         AntWebsp

Relevant Resources
For people interested in Formicidae the following electronic resources are highly recommended.
Ant Web Everything you need to know about ants of the world.
Myrmecos.net High quality photography of the world´s ants.