Superfamily FORMICOIDEA 1341 



Ponera pedunculata Smith, 1858. Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus., v. 6, p. 96. 5 . 



Taxonomy: Roger, 1861. Berlin Ent. Ztschr. 5: 1 (worker, male). —Wheeler and Wheeler, 

 1952. Amer. Midland Nat. 48: 615 (larva). —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1971. Ent. Soc. Amer., 

 Ann. 64: 1205 (larva). 



Biology: Wheeler, 1908. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Bui. 24: 404. 



Genus BRACHYPONERA Emery 



Euponera subg. Brachyponera Emery, 1901. Soc. Ent. Belg., Ann. 45: 43. 

 Type-species: Ponera sennaarensis Mayr. Orig. desig. 



A small genus found in the Old World. The one species in North America is adventive. 



Taxonomy: Wilson, 1958. Harvard Univ., Mus. Comp. Zool., Bui. 119: 346 (not a subgenus of 

 Euponera). — Brown, 1958. Acta Hym. 1: 21. 

 solitaria (Smith). Va., N. C, Ga.; Japan, China, and adjacent areas. Ecology: The small colonies 

 are found in moist, rotten wood or in soil beneath objects; they prefer dark, damp 

 places. Food consists of small arthropods. Accidentally introduced into N. Amer. 

 Ponera solitaria Smith, 1874. Ent. Soc. London, Trans., p. 404. 5. 



Taxonomy: Smith, 1934. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 27: 558-561 (description; first record for N. 

 Amer.). —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1952. Amer. Midland Nat. 49: 629 (larva). —Wheeler and 

 Wheeler, 1971. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 64: 1207 (larva). 



Biology: Smith, 1934. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 27: 560-561. 



Genus CRYPTOPONE Emery 



Cryptopone Emery, 1892. Soc. Ent. France, Bui. 61: CCLXXV. 



Type-species: Amblyopone^ testacea Motschulsky. Monotypic. 



Most species of this genus are found in Southeast Asia and vicinity; only one, apparently en- 

 demic species occurs in the United States. 



Taxonomy: Wilson, 1958. Harvard Univ., Mus. Comp. Zool, Bui. 119: 357-361. —Brown, 1963. 

 Breviora 190: 6. 

 gilva (Roger). Ga., Tenn., Ala., Miss., Ark., La., Tex. Ecology: The smaU colonies nest in moist 

 dead logs or stumps, preferring loose frass under bark. 

 Ponera gilva Roger, 1863. Berlin. Ent. Ztschr. 7: 170. 5 . 

 Euponera (Trachymesopus) gilva hamedi Smith, 1929. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 22: 543. 5 . 



Taxonomy: Smith, 1934. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 27: 561-563. — Creighton and Tulloch, 1930. 

 Psyche 37: 73-79 (each caste). —Wheeler and Wheeler, 1952. Amer. Midland Nat. 48: 

 625-627 Garva). —Brown, 1963. Breviora 190: 6. 



Biology: Haskins, 1931. N. Y. Ent. Soc., Jour. 39: 507-521. —Dennis, 1938. Ent. Soc. Amer., 

 Ann. 31: 277, 304. 



Genus PONERA Latreille 



Ponera Latreille, 1804. Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat. 24: 179. 



Type-species: Formica contractu Latreille. Desig. by Latreille, 1805. 

 Pseudocryptopone Wheeler, 1933. Amer. Mus. Novitates 672: 12-13. 



Type-sf)ecies: Cryptopone tenuis Emery. Orig. desig. 

 Selenopane Wheeler, 1933. Amer. Mus. Novitates 672: 19. 



Type-species: Ponera selenophora Emery. Orig. desig. 



Taylor (1967) treated 28 world species and divided the genus into several species groups. Most 

 species are found in the Indo-Australian area The only two New World species are 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 are carnivorous. 



Revision: Smith, 1936. Ent. Soc. Amer., Ann. 29: 420-430 (in part; U. S.). —Taylor, 1967. 

 Pacific Ins. Monog. 13: 1-112 (world). 



