The Ants of Africa
SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Metapone
Contents - Myrmicinae - MYRMICINAE Introduction

Genus Metapone Forel (1911h: 447)

{short description of image}In Tribe MYRMICINI: Metaponini.

Review of Genus -Wheeler (1919h: 175), also Kusnezov (1960a: 119).

Diagnostic Features - Antennae with 11 segments ... Antennal scrobes above the eyes (which may be very small) ... Frontal lobes present, covering most or all of antennal articulations; anterior clypeal margin unarmed or with a pair of small teeth .... Eyes (often very small!) located behind mid-length of head and at upper, often lower end of scrobe. Median clypeus raised and produced forwards as a large shield-like lobe, projecting over the mandibles. Tibiae and basitarsi of middle and hind legs terminating in a number of peg-like stout spines; legs very short with femora and tibiae flattened and wide. Forel's (1911h) genus definition is at {original description}; with the illustration at {original description}.

In Bolton's (1994) key to Afrotropical and Malagasy Myrmicinae the relevant couplets lead to -

Generally termitophagic and living in tunnels in wood.

There now is known to be a single unnamed species - Metapone new species from Gabon from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Contents MYRMICINAE Introduction
© 2007, 2008 - Brian Taylor CBiol FIBiol FRES
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