Myrmoteras

Myrmoteras is unique among the Formicinae in having the mandibles specialized as trap-jaws. This feature has evolved independently several times in ants and is also found in Odontomachus, Anochetus and the tribe Dacetini. Species are found largely in forested areas where they forage singly on the surface of the ground and in leaf litter. These ants are relatively rare, or at least uncommonly encountered. The genus is primarily Oriental, occurring from India to the Philippines, Sulawesi and Lombok but is especially rich in Borneo and Sulawesi.

Identification

 * Key to Myrmoteras of the Indo-Chinese peninsula

Distribution
China, India, Sri Lanka, Borneo, Indonesia, Philippines

Species richness
Species richness by country based on regional taxon lists (countries with darker colours are more species-rich). View Data



Nomenclature
Bui et al 2013 - Myrmoteras is in the tribe Myrmoteratini Emery, 1895 (Bolton, 2003). Its geographical range is the Oriental region and the Austro-Malayan subregion of the Australian region (Moffett, 1985; Xu, 1998; Agosti, 1992; Zettel & Sorger, 2011). Creighton (1930) revised the genus for the first time, listing six species including two new species. Moffett (1985) recognised a total of 18 species including 10 new species in two morphologically distinct subgenera: Myrmoteras with seven species and the new subgenus Myagroteras with eleven species. Later Agosti (1992) revised the species in the Malay archipelago including the Malay peninsula south of the Kra isthmus, the Philippines, New Guinea, the Islands of New Britain and New Ireland, and added 13 new species. Xu (1998) described one new species from Yunnan province, southwestern China, and recently Zettel & Sorger (2011) revised the Philippine taxa, adding 2 new species, and gave a list of 34 valid species names from the whole range of the genus.

Additional References

 * Bingham, 1903: 313 (diagnosis); Emery, 1925b: 36 (diagnosis, catalogue); Creighton, 1930a: 184 (all species key); Wheeler, W.M. 1933e: 75 (all species key); Chapman & Capco, 1951: 209 (Asia checklist); Gregg, 1954: 25 (all species key); Moffett, 1985b: 17 (diagnosis, all species revision, key); Dlussky & Fedoseeva, 1988: 77 (synoptic classification); Agosti, 1992: 405 (diagnosis, review of genus, Malesian species key); Bolton, 1994: 51 (synoptic classification); Bolton, 1995a: 1051 (census); Bolton, 1995b: 287 (catalogue); Bolton, 2003: 23, 107 (diagnosis, synopsis).