Bannapone

This rarely encountered genus is known from only a handful of collections from China. It has been collected from a soil sample in semi-evergreen monsoon forest and a leaf litter sample in a tropical rainforest.

Identification
Zu (2000) - Bannapone is distinctly a genus of the tribe Amblyoponini of the subfamily Ponerinae based on the articulation way of the petiole and the first gastral segment although known only from the dealate female caste. The 11-segmented antennae, the special mandible and the extremely small body size indicate the genus displays an isolate evolutionary way in the tribe. According to the features of the mandibles, the new genus is close to Prionopelta, but the 2 genera can be distinguished by the characters of mandibles, clypeus, antennae, and gaster. The new genus becomes the fifth living genera of the tribe Amblyoponini in Oriental and Indo-Australian Regions.

Distribution
Known only from Yunnan Province, China.

Castes
Males have not been collected.

Nomenclature

 *  BANNAPONE [Amblyoponinae]
 * Bannapone Xu, 2000b: 299. Type-species: Bannapone mulanae, by original designation.

Queen
Dealate female: Body small. Head relatively depressed. Mandibles narrow, long triangular, inner margin shorter than masticatory margin. Masticatory margin with 3 teeth, the apical tooth very long and bifid at most apex, followed by 2 blunt finger-like basal teeth. Clypeus narrow and transverse. Frontal lobes horizontal, closely approximated and partially covered the antennal sockets. Eyes of moderate size, at the midlength of the sides of the head. Ocelli present. Antennae 11-segmented, with a gradually incrassate strong club. Alitrunk with full complement of flight sclerites and certainly winged when virgin, dorsum evenly arched in profile view. Propodeum unarmed, declivity depressed vertically, propodeal spiracles small, about in the middle of the sclerite.Metapleural gland bulla small and horizontal. Metapleural lobes absent. Middle legs without tibial spurs, basitarsus curved; hind legs with only a pectinate spur. Petiole roughly rectangular, broadly attached to first gastral segment, subpetiolar process narrow and cuneiform. Gaster large and elongate, with similar segments, constriction between the 2 basal segments indistinct. Sting strong and functional. Hairs sparse, pubescences abundant.