Parvaponera Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014

Eguchi, Katsuyuki, Viet, Bui Tuan & Yamane, Seiki, 2014, Generic Synopsis of the Formicidae of Vietnam (Insecta: Hymenoptera), Part II — Cerapachyinae, Aenictinae, Dorylinae, Leptanillinae, Amblyoponinae, Ponerinae, Ectatomminae and Proceratiinae, Zootaxa 3860 (1), pp. 1-46 : 38-39

Parvaponera Schmidt & Shattuck, 2014

Taxonomy. The genus Parvaponera was established by Shattuck & Schmidt (2014) under the Ponera genus group of the tribe Ponerini .

Morphology. According to Schmidt & Shattuck (2014), the worker of the Vietnamese species may show the following features:

Worker monomorphic; body small and slender, finely punctate, covered with dense pubescence, and sparsely with standing hairs; mandibles triangular, lacking a basal groove or pit; clypeus with a central tooth or short projection; frontal lobes moderately small; eyes small in size (consisting of 2–4 ommatidia) or absent, located fairly anterior on head; mesopleuron lacking a transverse groove; metanotal groove present or absent; propodeum not narrowed dorsally; orifice of propodeal spiracle elongate or slit-like; apicoventral part of hind tibiae with a simple spur in front of a large pectinate spur; outer surface of middle tibia with normal pilosity only; petiolar node squamiform; subpetiolar process triangular, with an anterior fenestra and/or a pair of teeth; girdling constriction between abdominal segments III and IV distinct; abdominal sternite III usually with a distinct anteroventral flange or ridge below helcium.

Differentiation. The worker of Parvaponera is most similar in general appearance to that of Cryptopone , but in the latter the outer surface of middle tibia bears thickened peg-like setae, and the subpetiolar process lacks an anterior fenestra and a pair of posteroventral teeth. It is also similar to that of Ponera , but in the latter the apex of metatibia ventrally has a large pectinate spur only.

Vietnamese species (1 sp.).

P. darwinii (Forel, 1893) . Zry (Cat Tien).

Bionomics. Unknown.