Hypoponera punctatissima

Identification
Reddish yellow to dark brown; alitrunk and gaster thickly pubescent, finely and closely punctured. Antennae with 12 segments gradually broadening to an indefinite club; scapes do not reach posterior border of head. Frontal furrow continued as a fine line to near occipital margin. Eyes minute, set forward close to mandibular insertions. Mandibles with 3-4 strong teeth towards apex and numerous smaller denticles posteriorly. Ventral lobe of petiole simple without tooth-like process: Length: 2.5-3.2 mm. (Collingwood 1979)

Distribution
A cosmopolitan species found in the tropics and subtropics. It has also been established in a variety of locales.

It is found in the United States, New Caledonia, and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It has been introduced into New Zealand. It is also found in Philippines, Norfolk Island, New Guinea, Paraguay, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Canada, United States, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Bahamas, South Africa, Israel, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Comoros, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Seychelles, Réunion, Mayotte, Mauritius, Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Morocco, Sudan, Botswana, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Togo, Japan, Armenia and Bulgaria.

Fennoscandia, Denmark and the British Isles
This species is often imported with plant material. However, it has long been resident in North Europe and head capsules presumed to be of this species have been recorded from sewage mud deposited about 1500 years ago in North England. Most recorded occurrences are from heated premises such as bakehouses and conservatories. However, colonies have been recorded outside in England, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Finland from fermenting rubbish dumps, waste tips, sawdust heaps and deep mines away from buildings. Queens and sometimes workers have also been captured individually by general herbage sweeping or in woodlands. Occurrences in Denmark and Fennoscandia have been summarised by Skott (1971). Colonies are often populous and many alate queens may be produced to fly out during August and September. The apterous males remain in the nest. This species, as with most Ponerini, is mainly carnivorous on small arthropods (Collingwood 1979).

Nomenclature

 *  punctatissima. Ponera punctatissima Roger, 1859: 246, pl. 7, fig. 7 (w.q.) POLAND and GERMANY. Combination in Hypoponera: Taylor, 1967a: 12. Senior synonym of androgyna: Emery & Forel, 1879: 455, Seifert, 2003c: 69; of tarda: Dalla Torre, 1893: 41, Seifert, 2003c: 69; of kalakauae, mina, mumfordi: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 29 (in text); of ergatandria: Smith, D.R. 1979: 1343; of mina: Taylor, 1987a: 30; of exacta: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 71, Seifert, 2003c: 69; of jugata: Seifert, 2003c: 69; of aemula, argonautorum, bondroiti, breviceps, brevis, cognata, durbanensis, incisa, mesoepinotalis, petri, schauinslandi, sordida, sulcitana, ursoidea: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87. Current subspecies: nominal plus indifferens. See also: Emery, 1916b: 110; Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 59; Collingwood, 1979: 30.
 * androgyna. Ponera androgyna Roger, 1859: 246 (footnote) (ergatoid m.) GERMANY. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Emery & Forel, 1879: 455; Seifert, 2003c: 69.
 * argonautorum. Ponera argonautorum Arnol'di, 1932b: 66, figs. 6, 7 (q.) RUSSIA. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 213. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * breviceps. Ponera breviceps Bernard, 1953b: 202, fig. 3 (q.) (m. excluded, see Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 88) GUINEA. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 213. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * brevis. Ponera brevis Santschi, 1921c: 113, fig. 1 (w.) BENIN. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 213. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * ergatandria. Ponera ergatandria Forel, 1893g: 365 (w.q. ergatoid m.) WEST INDIES. Combination in Hypoponera: Kempf, 1972a: 122. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Taylor, 1968a: 65. Revived status as species: Kempf, 1972a: 122. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Smith, D.R. 1979: 1343; Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 86. See also: Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 59.
 * bondroiti. Ponera ergatandria subsp. bondroiti Forel, 1911c: 285 (w.q. ergatoid m.) BELGIUM. Combination in Hypoponera: Onoyama, 1989b: 2. Raised to species: Santschi, 1937h: 364. Junior synonym of schauinslandi: Seifert, 2003c: 69; of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * cognata. Ponera ergatandria st. cognata Santschi, 1912b: 153 (w.) ANGOLA. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of Ponera cognata Emery, 1896g: 56 (now in Pachycondyla).] Bernard, 1953b: 202 (q.). Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 213. Raised to species: Bernard, 1953b: 202. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87. See also: Arnold, 1915: 81.
 * petri. Ponera ergatandria r. petri Forel, 1916: 397 (ergatoid q., not w.) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 216. Raised to species: Santschi, 1938b: 78. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * aemula. Ponera dulcis var. aemula Santschi, 1911c: 351 (w.) TANZANIA. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 213. Junior synonym of schauinslandi: Seifert, 2003c: 69; of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * incisa. Ponera incisa Santschi, 1914d: 320, fig. 8 (ergatoid m., not w.) NIGERIA. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 214. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * kalakauae. Ponera kalakauae Forel, 1899a: 115 (ergatoid q. (not w.), q.) HAWAII. Junior synonym of gleadowi: Wilson, 1958d: 328; of punctatissima: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 29 (in text).
 * mina. Ponera mina Wheeler, W.M. 1927i: 131, fig. 2 (w.q. ergatoid m.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in Hypoponera: Taylor & Brown, D.R. 1985: 31. Junior synonym of gleadowi: Wilson, 1958d: 329. Revived from synonymy: Taylor & Brown, D.R. 1985: 31. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 29 (in text); Taylor, 1987a: 30. See also: Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 59.
 * mesoepinotalis. Ponera mesoepinotalis Weber, 1942a: 44, fig. 4 (w.) SUDAN. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 215. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * mumfordi. Ponera mumfordi Wheeler, W.M. 1933f: 141 (w.) FRENCH POLYNESIA (Marquesas Is). Wheeler, W.M. 1936f: 4 (q.). Junior synonym of gleadowi: Wilson, 1958d: 328; of punctatissima: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 29 (in text).
 * exacta. Ponera punctatissima var. exacta Santschi, 1923a: 134 (w.) TUNISIA. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 71; Seifert, 2003c: 69.
 * jugata. Ponera punctatissima r. jugata Forel, 1892l: 251 (q.) MADAGASCAR. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 215. Raised to species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 39. Subspecies of punctatissima: Emery, 1899f: 268. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Seifert, 2003c: 69.
 * schauinslandi. Ponera punctatissima subsp. schauinslandi Emery, 1899d: 439 (q.) HAWAII. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Wilson & Taylor, 1967: 28. Revived from synonymy and raised to species: Seifert, 2003c: 69. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * sordida. Ponera ragusai var. sordida Santschi, 1914b: 54 (w.) KENYA. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 216. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * durbanensis. Ponera sulcatinasis r. durbanensis Forel, 1914d: 213 (w.) SOUTH AFRICA. Arnold, 1926: 206 (q.). Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 214. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * sulcitana. Ponera sulcitana Stefani, 1970: 1, figs. 1-12 (w.q. ergatoid m., l.) ITALY. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 216. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.
 * tarda. Ponera tarda Charsley, 1877: 162 (w.q.) GREAT BRITAIN. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Dalla Torre, 1893: 41; Seifert, 2003c: 69.
 * ursoidea. Ponera ursoidea Bernard, 1953b: 203, fig. 3 (ergatoid q., not w.) GUINEA. Combination in Hypoponera: Bolton, 1995b: 216. Junior synonym of punctatissima: Bolton & Fisher, 2011: 87.