Anochetus

Worker.-Small ants with monomorphic workers. Head irregularly hexagonal. Mandibles inserted close together at the middle of its anterior border, linear, flattened, with three large terminal teeth bent inward at a right angle and with the inner border toothless or furnished with a row of minute denticles. Eyes usually well developed, rarely vestigial, in front of the middle of the sides of the head. Clypeus small, subtriangular, anteriorly projecting over the insertions of the mandibles and extending backward as a narrow process between the short frontal carinae, which are lobularly expended in front and more or less convergent posteriorly. Antennal foveae not confluent behind; head without an oblique welt or swelling on each side starting from the eye and bounding the antennal fovea; sides of head without a marked impression behind the antennal fovea. Antennae slender, 12-jointed; funiculi long, filiform, not enlarged apically. Thorax long and narrow, with distinct premesonotal and sometimes also mesoepinotal sutures; epinotum usually dentate. Petiole with a node or scale which may be conical and may terminate in a spine, or in two teeth or spines. Gaster oval, convex above, without a constriction between the postpetiole and the succeeding segment. Legs slender; middle and hind tibia; each with a single pectinated spur; claws simple.

Female very similar to the worker; usually winged, but in some species wingless am. ergatoid.

Male with the head of the usual shape, large eyes and ocelli and very small mandibles; antenna: very long; scape short, first funicular joint, broader than long. Petiole above more or less pointed or bidentate. No constriction between the postpetiole and the succeeding segment. Pygidium usually not terminating in a spine.

Map 16. Distribution of the genus Anochetus .

The genus comprises numerous species which form small colonies that nest in the ground under stones or in vegetable mould. Little is known of their habits. They range over the tropics of both hemispheres(Map 1G), one species, A. ghilianii (Spinola) , even entering Spain from Morocco. The subgenus Stenomyrmex , of which only two species are known, is confined to the Neotropical Region.

(Fig. 5)

All males winged. Antennal scrobe absent. Mandible reduced. Basal cavity of the mandible extending to its front face, visible in full-face view. Notauli absent. Mesepimeron bearing distinct posterodorsal (epimeral) lobe that covers mesothoracic spiracle and forms a seemingly isolated plate. In most cases, each dorsolateral corner of petiole in anterior view with distinct projection. Dorsal margin of petiole, in anterior view, usually showing two apices. Apical margin of abdominal tergum VIII not projecting into sharp spine. Jugal lobe of hind wing present. Each middle and hind tibia with two spurs. Claws simple, not multidentate or pectinate.

Remarks. Five species are recognized in this region (B.L. Fisher and M.A. Smith, unpublished); four were examined in the present study. Species known from the Malagasy region have a distinct spine or tooth on each dorsolateral petiolar margin, and are easily separated from other genera by this character. However, males of a species (morphospecies A. blf-pat ) from Aldabra do not have lateral teeth on the petiole. In addition, the male of a species (morphospecies A. blf-goo ) from Madagascar is not yet known; given the morphology of workers, males might also lack lateral teeth on the petiole.

Males in the genus Anochetus are similar to those in Odontomachus and Pachycondyla , but can be separated from them by a combination of two characters: 1) absence of terminal spine of abdominal tergum VIII; and 2) absence of notauli on the mesoscutum.

Les caracteres que Mayr (Novara Reise p. 11) donne pour distinguer son genre Stenomyrmex du genre Anochetus se reduisent a une faible impression oblongue sur le vertex et a une impression oblique sur les cotes de la tete qui se trouvent chez le premier et font defaut au second. Des lors plusieurs especes d' Anochetus ont ete decrites par Mayr et Emery. L'examen de plusieurs types de ces especes ( rectangularis et graeffei Mayr, Sedilloti , et mayri Emery) ainsi que d'un Anochetus recu en nombre de Nossi be pres Madagascar par M. le Dr. Keller me demontre que ces caracteres qui paraissaient distinctits ne le sont pas, qu'ils varient insensiblement d'une espece a' l'autre. M. Mayr auquel j'ai envoye mon Anochetus de Nossi-be le trouve presque identique a son Stenomyrmex africanus . Malgre certains Stenomyrmex aberrants, tels que le S. emarginatus , je me crois donc en droit de fondre les deux genres.

[[ male ]]. Indeterminable sans l'ouvriere. Peut-etre africanus Mayr, var. madagascariensis Forel. Seychelles: Mahe.

[[ worker ]] Die Fuehlergruben vereinigen sich nicht auf der Stirne, sondern ziehen zu den Augen und enden daselbst. Das zweite Geisselglied ist etwas kuerzer als das erste. Der schiefe Eindruck beiderseits hinter den Augen, so wie die Scheitelfurche fehlen. Das Stielchen oben mit einer abgerundeten, ovalen, dicken Schuppe ohne Dorn,

Hieher gehoert nur eine europaeische Art, naemlich A. Ghiliani Spin., welche in Andalusien lebt.

Anochetus is a genus of small, carnivorous ants found in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world.

This genus is present in both the Old and New World and is certainly native to all continents except Antarctica and Europe. In Europe only a single species, Anochetus ghilianii, has been found, and it is not certain it is native to its European range (Province of Cadiz and Gibraltar). However A. ghilianii is native to Morocco.

Anochetus is of some note due to it being one of the relatively few genera that possess trap-jaws, or specialized long mandibles that have a rapid closing mechanism. However, it is the only other genus, other than Odontomachus that uses the mandibles for predator evasion as well as prey capture.