Ponerinae Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835

Boudinot, Brendon E., Richter, Adrian K., Hammel, Jörg U., Szwedo, Jacek, Bojarski, Błażej & Perrichot, Vincent, 2022, Genomic-Phenomic Reciprocal Illumination: Desyopone hereon gen. et sp. nov., an Exceptional Aneuretine-like Fossil Ant from Ethiopian Amber (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae), Insects 73 (796), pp. 1-19 : 7

Subfamily Ponerinae Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835 .

Type genus. Ponera Latreille, 1804 .

Male diagnosis. Males of Ponerinae are best identified at the tribal level as there are as yet no clear male-based synapomorphies for the subfamily. Male Ponerinae share the following key diagnostic plesiomorphies: (1) wing venation complete or nearly complete, with at least four closed cells present; (2) petiole without tergosternal fusion; (3) abdominal segment III not petiolated; and (4) abdominal sternum IX without prongs or teeth.

Remarks. The diagnosis provided for Ponerinae above and Platythyreini and Ponerini below collectively represent a revision of the global diagnosis for the subfamily of Boudinot [ 42]. Male Ponerinae have previously been diagnosed for the Malagasy region [ 47] and Japan [ 48, 49]. No single character has been discovered yet that uniquely identifies all male Ponerinae . Presence of posterolateral processes on the petiolar sternum which contact the outer margins of the helcial tergite, recognized as a ponerine synapomorphy for the female castes [ 46], are either poorly developed in males or obscured by the petiolar tergite, thus necessitating focused study. Notably, whereas female Ponerinae display a high degree of specialization with respect to mandibular and leg characters, these are universally lacking in the conspecific male.