Prionomyrmex

There are two species in this genus from the Baltic Amber (Eocene). This genus appears to be ancestral to the genus Myrmecia from Australia.

Identification
Worker. - First funicular joint of antennae about half as long as the second, the second the longest, and the succeeding joints gradually decreasing in length to the pentultimate, which is a little shorter than the last joint. Surface of body smooth, very finely shagreened, but not punctate or rugulose. Hairs moderately abundant, erect or suberect, short on the head, thorax, legs and scapes, somewhat longer on the abdomen. Pubescence indistinct, execept in one specimen (B 259), in which it seems to be abundant but glued to the body by a white film.

Biology
The long legs, strong claws and remarkable mandibles of the worker indicate that P. longiceps was predaceous, and in all probability, an arboreal ant.

Castes
Worker, Male, Queen

Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's New General Catalogue, a catalogue of the world's ants. Barry continually updates his Catalogue and thus the following information reflects an up-to-date accounting of ant taxonomy. We are indebted to Barry for making this information available.

Genus *PRIONOMYRMEX Taxonomic history Genus *Prionomyrmex references Baroni Urbani, 2000: 478 (diagnosis, revision, phylogeny); Dlussky & Rasnitsyn, 2002: 418 (*fossil taxa, notes); Ward & Brady, 2003: 375 (phylogeny, classification).
 * Prionomyrmex Mayr, 1868c: 77. Type-species: *Prionomyrmex longiceps, by monotypy.
 * Prionomyrmex in Myrmicidae, Myrmeciidae: Emery, 1877a: 81.
 * Prionomyrmex in Ponerinae: Mayr, 1868c: 77 [Poneridae]; Dalla Torre, 1893: 22.
 * Prionomyrmex in Ponerinae, Prionomyrmecini: Wheeler, 1915e: 25.
 * Prionomyrmex in Myrmeciinae, Prionomyrmecini: Brown, 1954e: 22; Bolton, 1994: 73; Ward & Brady, 2003: 375; Bolton, 2003: 133.
 * Prionomyrmex in Prionomyrmecinae: Baroni Urbani, 2000: 479; Baroni Urbani, 2005: 590.