Paraponera | |
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P. clavata, or bullet ant, the sole extant member of the subfamily | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: |
Paraponerinae Emery, 1901 |
Tribe: |
Paraponerini Emery, 1901 |
Genus: |
Paraponera F. Smith, 1858 |
Type species | |
Formica clavata | |
Diversity [1] | |
2 species |
Paraponera is a genus of ants and the only genus in the subfamily Paraponerinae. [2] The name means "near- Ponera". [3]
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]