Ants (family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera) are the most species-rich of all social insects, with more than 12,000 described species and many others awaiting description. Formicidae is divided into 21 subfamilies, of which 17 are extant and four subfamilies are extinct, described from fossils. In total more than 300 genera have been described. Ants have come to occupy virtually all major terrestrial habitats, with the exception of tundra and cold ever-wet forests. They display a wide range of social behaviors, foraging habits and associations with other organisms, which has generated scientific and public interest.
The following is a list of worldwide ant genera organised by subfamily.
Key Genus nameThe scientific name of the genus.Binomial authorityThe binomial authority—the person who first described the species using an available scientific name. ClassifiedThe year the genus was formally described and classified. No. of speciesThe number of species, both extant and extinct, that are members of the genus.Type speciesThe type species that was designated by the original author, unless noted otherwise. Extinct taxa are indicated by a †.Example imageAn image (if available) of a species who is a member of the genus.ReferencesMost citations provided are the first publications that describe the genus; additional citations are added if the original source does not contain all provided information.
Subfamilies
Agroecomyrmecinae The subfamily Agroecomyrmecinae represents two extant genera and two fossil genera, once widespread in both hemispheres during the early Tertiary. The subfamily was originally classified as Agroecomyrmecini, a Myrmicinae tribe until English myrmecologist Barry Bolton raised the tribe to subfamily status in 2003. Most specimens collected are from Central America and Mexico, although one type specimen of an Agroecomyrmecinae species was collected from Ghana.
Agroecomyrmecinae Carpenter, 1930Genus nameBinomial authorityClassified No. of species Type species Example imageWheeler19101AnkylomyrmaBolton19731Ankylomyrma coronacanthaCarpenter19352 TatuidrisBrown & Kempf19681Tatuidris tatusia
Amblyoponinae The subfamily Amblyoponinae represents nine extant genera and one fossil genus. Established by Swiss myrmecologist Auguste Forel in 1893, these ants are specialist predators, distributed worldwide in the tropics.
Subfamily Amblyoponinae Forel, 1893 – 10 genera, 146 speciesGenus nameBinomial authorityClassifiedNo. of speciesType speciesExample imageAdetomyrmaWard19949Adetomyrma venatrixAdetomyrma venatrixAmblyoponeErichson184210Amblyopone australisAmblyopone australisPagliano & Scaramozzino19904†Casaleia eocenicaFulakoraMann191925Stigmatomma celataFulakora celataMyopoponeRoger18612Myopopone maculataMyopopone castaneaMystriumRoger186214Mystrium mysticumMystrium mysticumOnychomyrmexEmery18954Onychomyrmex hedleyiOnychomyrmex hedleyiPrionopeltaMayr186622Prionopelta punctulataPrionopelta punctulataStigmatommaRoger185954Stigmatomma denticulatumStigmatomma denticulatumXymmerSantschi19141Stigmatomma muticumXymmer muticus
Aneuretinae The subfamily Aneuretinae represents one extant genus and eight fossil genera established by Italian entomologist Carlo Emery in 1913. Only a single species of this subfamily is extant, the Sri Lankan relict ant (Aneuretus simoni), endemic to Sri Lanka.
Subfamily Aneuretinae Emery, 1913 – nine genera, 12 speciesGenus nameBinomial authorityClassifiedNo. of speciesType speciesExample imageDlussky 19881AneuretusEmery18931Aneuretus simoniAneuretus simoniDlussky & Perfilieva20141Dlussky19961†Burmomyrma rossiEngel & Grimaldi20051Carpenter19302†Mianeuretus mirabilisWheeler19153†Paraneuretus tornquistiWheeler19151†Pityomyrmex tornquistiWheeler19151†Protaneuretus succineus
Apomyrminae The subfamily Apomyrminae contains the single genus Apomyrma which only has one species, the rare subterranean ant Apomyrma stygia from West Africa. Several undescribed species are known to exist, all from tropical Africa.
Subfamily Apomyrminae Dlussky & Fedoseeva, 1988 – one genus, one speciesGenus nameBinomial authorityClassifiedNo. of speciesType speciesExample imageApomyrmaBrown, Gotwald & Levieux19701Apomyrma stygiaApomyrma stygia
Brownimeciinae The subfamily Brownimeciinae contains the single genus Brownimecia which only has one species, Brownimecia clavata. It was described in 1997 after a fossilised specimen was collected from Cretaceous amber from New Jersey, and was initially placed in the subfamily Ponerinae. The species was later classified into its own subfamily in 2003 by Barry Bolton.
Subfamily †Brownimeciinae Bolton, 2003 – one genus, one speciesGenus nameBinomial authorityClassifiedNo. of speciesType speciesExample imageGrimaldi, Agosti & Carpenter19971†Brownimecia clavata
Dolichoderinae The subfamily Dolichoderinae was established by Forel in 1878, which represents 28 extant genera and 20 fossil genera. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the world, mainly in the tropics. Most species are generalised scavengers, but some are predacious.
Subfamily Dolichoderinae Forel, 1878 – 48 genera, 843 speciesGenus nameBinomial authorityClassifiedNo. of speciesType speciesExample imageZhang19892AnillidrisSantschi19361Anillidris bruchiAnillidris bruchiAnonychomyrmaDonisthorpe194726Anonychomyrma myrmexAnonychomyrma gilbertiAptinomaFisher20092Aptinoma mangabeAptinoma mangabeArnoldiusDubovikoff20053Bothriomyrmex flavusArnoldius flavusWheeler19151†Asymphylomyrmex balticusAxinidrisWeber194121Axinidris acholliAxinidris acholliAztecaForel 187886Liometopum xanthochroumAzteca xanthochroumBothriomyrmexEmery186924Bothriomyrmex costaeBothriomyrmex costaeMcKellar, Glasier & Engel20131†Chronomyrmex medicinehatensisChronoxenusSantschi19196Bothriomyrmex myopsChronoxenus myopsBrues19391†Ctenobethylus goeppertiDoleromyrmaForel19072Tapinoma darwinianumDoleromyrma darwiniana DolichoderusLund1831181Formica attelaboidesDolichoderus attelaboidesDorymyrmexMayr186660Dorymyrmex flavescensDorymyrmex flavescensEcphorellaForel19091Tapinoma wellmaniEcphorella wellmaniCarpenter19302†Elaeomyrmex gracilisZhang19892Heterick & Shattuck20111†Eldermyrmex oblongicepsDonisthorpe192012†Emplastus britannicusDlussky19883Zhang, Sun & Zhang19941ForeliusEmery188818Iridomyrmex mccookiForelius mccookiFroggattellaForel19022Froggattella kirbiiGracilidrisWild & Cuezzo20062Gracilidris pomberoGracilidris pomberoIridomyrmexMayr186284Formica detectaIridomyrmex purpureusDlussky19811Lapolla & Greenwalt20151†Ktunaxia jucundaLeptomyrmexMayr186229Formica erythrocephalaLeptomyrmex erythrocephalusEmery19131†Leptomyrmula maravignaeLinepithemaMayr186620Linepithema fuscumLinepithema fuscumLiometopumMayr186128Liometopum microcephalumLiometopum microcephalumLoweriellaShattuck19921Loweriella boltoniLoweriella boltoniCarpenter19302†Miomyrmex impactusNebothriomyrmexDubovikov20041Nebothriomyrmex majeriNebothriomyrmex majeriOchetellusShattuck19927Ochetellus glaberOchetellus glaberPapyriusShattuck19922Papyrius nitidusPapyrius nitidusCarpenter19301†Petraeomyrmex minimusPhilidrisShattuck19929Philidris cordataPhilidris cordataDlussky & Rasnitsyn20032†Proiridomyrmex rotundatusCarpenter19305†Protazteca elongataRavavyFisher20091Ravavy miafinaRavavy miafinaTapinomaFörster185074Tapinoma erraticumTapinoma erraticumTechnomyrmexMayr187297Technomyrmex strenuusTechnomyrmex strenuusTurneriaForel18958Turneria bidentataTurneria bidentataDlussky et al.20141†Usomyrma mirabilisDlussky & Dubovikoff20135†Yantaromyrmex geinitziDlussky19882†Zherichinius horribilis
Dorylinae The subfamily Dorylinae was established by Leach in 1815, which represents 27 extant genera and one fossil genus. Many species of ant in this subfamily are known as army ants that are distributed in the Old World and New World.
Subfamily Dorylinae Leach, 1815 – 28 genera, 693 speciesGenus nameBinomial authorityClassifiedNo. of speciesType speciesExample imageAcanthostichusMayr 188724Acanthostichus serratulusAcanthostichus serratulusAenictogitonEmery19017Aenictogiton fossicepsAenictogiton fossicepsAenictusShuckard1840184Aenictus ambiguusAenictus ambiguusCerapachysSmith18575Cerapachys antennatusCerapachys antennatusCheliomyrmexMayr18704Cheliomyrmex morosusCheliomyrmex morosusChrysapaceCrawley19243Chrysapace jacobsoniiChrysapace jacobsoniiCylindromyrmexMayr187013Cylindromyrmex striatusCylindromyrmex striatusDorylusFabricius179360Dorylus helvolusDorylus helvolusEburoponeBorowiec20161Cerapachys wroughtoniEburopone wroughtoniEcitonLatreille180412Eciton hamatumEciton hamatumEusphinctusEmery18932Eusphinctus furcatusEusphinctus furcatusLabidusJurine18077Labidus coecusLabidus coecusLeptanilloidesMann192319Leptanilloides biconstrictaLeptanilloides biconstrictaLioponeraMayr187973Lioponera longitarsusLioponera longitarsusLividoponeBolton & Fisher20161Cerapachys lividusLividopone lividaNeivamyrmexBorgmeier1940128Neivamyrmex nigrescensNeivamyrmex nigrescensNeocerapachysBorowiec20162Cerapachys neotropicusNeocerapachys neotropicusNomamyrmexBorgmeier19362Nomamyrmex esenbeckiiNomamyrmex esenbeckiiOoceraeaRoger186211Ooceraea fragosaOoceraea fragosaParasysciaEmery, in André188250Parasyscia piochardiParasyscia piochardiWheeler19153†Procerapachys annosusSimoponeForel189139Simopone grandidieriSimopone grandidieriSphinctomyrmexMayr18663Sphinctomyrmex staliSphinctomyrmex staliSysciaRoger18615Syscia typhlaSyscia typhlaTaniponeBolton & Fisher201210Tanipone hirsutaTanipone hirsutaVicinoponeBolton & Fisher20121Vicinopone conciliatrixVicinopone conciliatrixYunodorylusXu20004Yunodorylus sexspinusYunodorylus sexspinusZasphinctusWheeler191820Sphinctomyrmex turneriZasphinctus turneri
Ectatomminae The subfamily Ectatomminae represents four extant genera and three fossil genera, established in 1895 by Carlo Emery. They are distributed in tropical and warm climates in the New World and Old World, as well as the Indo-Australian regions.
Subfamily Ectatomminae Emery, 1895 – seven genera, 278 speciesGenus nameBinomial authorityClassifiedNo. of speciesType speciesExample imageDlussky 19991EctatommaSmith185816Ectatomma tuberculatumEctatomma tuberculatumWheeler19151†Electroponera dubiaGnamptogenysRoger1863143Gnamptogenys sulcataGnamptogenys sulcata Dlussky & Wedman20122†Pseudectatomma eocenicaRhytidoponeraMayr1862108Rhytidoponera araneoidesRhytidoponera araneoidesTyphlomyrmexMayr18627Scyphodon anomalumScyphodon anomalum
Formiciinae The subfamily Formiciinae represents one extinct genus of ants dating back to the Eocene. Ants of the genus Titanomyrma are the largest ants ever known, with queen specimens the size of small hummingbirds. Fossils have been collected from the state of Wyoming and in Germany.
Subfamily †Formiciinae Lutz, 1986 – one, six speciesGenus nameBinomial authorityClassifiedNo. of speciesType speciesExample imageWestwood18543NoneArchibald, Johnson, Mathewes & Greenwood20113†Titanomyrma gigantea
Formicinae The subfamily Formicinae represents 51 extant genera and 30 fossil genera that are globally distributed. Established by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1809, the subfamily has more than 3,000 described species, placing it as the second largest ant subfamily. Despite this, the hyperdiverse genus Camponotus is the most diverse group of ants in the world, with more than 1,100 species described.