Cerapachys

Cerapachys augustae, copyright Alex Wild.

Belongs within: Formicidae.

Cerapachys is a genus of ants that are specialist predators of the brood of other ants (Heterick 2009). The molecular phylogenetic analysis presented by Brady et al. (2006) suggests this genus may be paraphyletic to Sphinctomyrmex, previously distinguished by from Cerapachys by the present of constrictions between the gastral segments giving the gaster an uneven outline (Heterick 2009).

Characters (from Heterick 2009): Abdominal segments III–VII with divisions smoothly joined, so abdominal outline is even; abdominal segments V–VII with spiracles visible; dorsum of pygidium flattened, margins of flattened area armed with a series of denticles or short spines.

<==Cerapachys Smith 1857 (see below for synonymy) Z01
    |--+--C. augustae BS06
    |  `--Simopone BS06
    |       |--S. emeryi (Forel 1892) [=Cerapachys (Simopone) emeryi] TB85
    |       `--S. marleyi BS06
    `--+--C. larvatus (Wheeler 1918) BS06, TB85 [=Phyracaces larvatus TB85]
       `--Sphinctomyrmex Mayr 1866 BS06, TB85 [incl. Nothosphinctus Wheeler 1918 TB85, Zasphinctus Wheeler 1918 TB85]
            |--*S. stali Mayr 1866 TB85
            |--S. asper Brown 1975 TB85
            |--S. cedaris Forel 1915 [=S. (Eusphinctus) fallax cedaris] TB85
            |--S. clarus (Forel 1893) [=Cerapachys emeryi clarus] TB85
            |--S. duchaussoyi (André 1905) [=Eusphinctus duchaussoyi; incl. E. hackeri Wheeler 1918] TB85
            |--S. froggatti Forel 1900 [=Eusphinctus (*Nothosphinctus) froggatti] TB85
            |--S. furcatus (Emery 1894) [=Eusphinctus furcatus] B03
            |--S. imbecilis Forel 1907 (see below for synonymy) TB85
            |--S. mjobergi Forel 1915 [=S. clarus mjobergi] TB85
            |--S. myops Forel 1895 [=S. emeryi myops] TB85
            |--S. nigricans (Clark 1926) [=Eusphinctus (Nothosphinctus) nigricans] TB85
            |--S. occidentalis (Clark 1923) [=Eusphinctus occidentalis] TB85
            |--S. perstictus Brown 1975 TB85 [=Cerapachys emeryi Forel 1893 non Forel 1892 TB85, S. emeryi H09]
            |--S. septentrionalis (Crawley 1925) [=Eusphinctus (Nothosphinctus) septentrionalis] TB85
            |--S. stenheili Forel 1900 (see below for synonymy) TB85
            |--S. taylori Forel 1900 B03
            |--S. trux Brown 1975 TB85
            `--S. turneri Forel 1900 [=Eusphinctus (*Zasphinctus) turneri] TB85

Cerapachys incertae sedis:
  *C. antennatus Smith 1857 TB85
  C. aberrans (Clark 1934) [=Phyracaces aberrans] TB85
  C. adamus Forel 1910 [=C. (Phyracaces) adamus] TB85
  C. aitkeni Forel 1900 B03
  C. angustatus (Clark 1924) [=Phyracaces angustatus] TB85
  C. bicolor (Clark 1924) [=Phyracaces bicolor] TB85
  C. binodis Forel 1910 [=C. (Phyracaces) binodis] TB85
  C. biroi Forel 1907 FT08
  C. brevicollis (Clark 1923) [=Phyracaces brevicollis] TB85
  C. brevis (Clark 1924) [=Phyracaces brevis] TB85
  C. clarki (Crawley 1922) [=Phyracaces clarki; incl. P. castaneus Clark 1924] TB85
  C. constrictus (Clark 1923) [=Phyracaces constricta] TB85
  C. crassus (Clark 1941) [=Phyracaces crassus] TB85
  C. crawleyi N-ZLI11
  C. davisi WW90
  C. edentatus (Forel 1900) (see below for synonymy) TB85
  C. elegans (Wheeler 1918) [=Phyracaces elegans] TB85
  C. emeryi (Viehmeyer 1913) (see below for synonymy) TB85
  C. fervidus (Wheeler 1918) (see below for synonymy) TB85
  C. ficosus (Wheeler 1918) [=Phyracaces ficosus] TB85
  C. flammeus (Clark 1930) [=Phyracaces flammeus] TB85
  C. fossulatus Forel 1895 B03
  ‘*Ooceraea’ fragosa Roger 1862 B03
  C. gilesi (Clark 1923) [=Phyracaces gilesi] TB85
  C. grandis (Clark 1934) [=Phyracaces grandis] TB85
  C. greavesi (Clark 1934) [=Phyracaces greavesi] TB85
  C. gwynethae (Clark 1941) [=Neophyracaces gwynethae] TB85
  C. heros (Wheeler 1918) [=Phyracaces heros] TB85
  C. incontentus Brown 1975 [=Phyracaces inconspicuus Clark 1924 non C. inconspicuus Emery 1902] TB85
  C. jovis Forel 1915 [=C. (Phyracaces) jovis] TB85
  C. latus Brown 1975 [=Phyracaces reticulatus Clark 1926 non C. reticulatus Emery 1893] TB85
  C. longitarsus (Mayr 1879) FT08 (see below for synonymy)
  C. macrops (Clark 1941) [=Neophyracaces macrops] TB85
  C. mjobergi Forel 1915 [=C. (Phyracaces) mjobergi] TB85
  C. mullewanus (Wheeler 1918) [=Phyracaces mullewanus] TB85
  C. nigriventris (Clark 1924) [=Phyracaces nigriventris] TB85
  ‘Lioponera’ parva Forel 1900 B03
  C. picipes (Clark 1924) [=Phyracaces picipes] TB85
  C. pictus (Clark 1934) [=Phyracaces pictus] TB85
  C. piliventris (Clark 1941) [=Neophyracaces piliventris] TB85
  C. potteri (Clark 1941) [=Neophyracaces potteri] TB85
  C. princeps (Clark 1934) (see below for synonymy) TB85
  C. punctatissimus (Clark 1923) [=Phyracaces punctatissimus] TB85
  C. ruficornis (Clark 1923) [=Phyracaces ruficornis] TB85
  C. rugulinodis (Wheeler 1918) [=Phyracaces rugulinodis] TB85
  C. senescens (Wheeler 1918) [=Phyracaces senescens] TB85
  C. simmonsae (Clark 1923) [=Phyracaces simmonsae] TB85
  C. singularis Forel 1900 [incl. C. (Phyracaces) singularis rotula Forel 1910] TB85
  C. sjostedti Forel 1915 [=C. (Phyracaces) sjostedti] TB85
  C. sulcinodis Emery 1889 [incl. C. butteli Forel 1913, C. risii Forel 1892] Z01
  C. turneri Forel 1902 [=C. (Phyracaces) turneri] TB85
  ‘*Syscia’ typhla Roger 1861 B03
  C. varians (Clark 1924) [=Phyracaces varians] TB85

Cerapachys Smith 1857 [=Ceratopachys Schultz 1906; incl. Chrysapace Crawley 1924, Lioponera Mayr 1879, Neophyracaces Clark 1941, Ooceraea Roger 1862, Parasyscia Emery 1882, Phyracaces Emery 1902, Procerapachys Wheeler 1915, Syscia Roger 1861] Z01

Cerapachys edentatus (Forel 1900) [=Syscia australis edentata; incl. S. australis Forel 1900 non Lioponera longitarsus australis Forel 1895] TB85

Cerapachys emeryi (Viehmeyer 1913) [=Phyracaces emeryi nec C. emeryi Forel 1892 nec C. emeryi Forel 1893 (not preoc. if in dif. gen.)] TB85

Cerapachys fervidus (Wheeler 1918) [=Phyracaces fervidus; incl. P. dromus Clark 1941, P. fici Viehmeyer 1924, P. flavescens Clark 1930, P. leae Wheeler 1918, P. newmani Clark 1923, P. scrutator Wheeler 1918] TB85

Cerapachys longitarsus (Mayr 1879) FT08 [=*Lioponera longitarsus B03, H09; incl. L. longitarsus australis Forel 1895 TB85, Phyracaces pygmaeus Clark 1934 TB85]

Cerapachys princeps (Clark 1934) [=Phyracaces princeps; incl. P. clarus Clark 1930 non Cerapachys emeryi clarus Forel 1893, *Neophyracaces clarus] TB85

Sphinctomyrmex imbecilis Forel 1907 [=S. froggatti imbecilis; incl. Eusphinctus (Nothosphinctus) brunnicornis Clark 1930, E. (N.) fulvidus Clark 1923, E. (N.) manni Wheeler 1918, E. (N.) silaceus Clark 1923] TB85

Sphinctomyrmex stenheili Forel 1900 [=S. (Eusphinctus) stenheili; incl. S. (E.) fallax Forel 1900, Eusphinctus fulvipes Clark 1934, S. (E.) fallax hedwigae Forel 1910, E. hirsutus Clark 1929] TB85

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B03] Bingham, C. T. 1903. The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera vol. 2. Ants and Cuckoo-Wasps. Taylor and Francis: London.

[BS06] Brady, S. G., T. R. Schultz, B. L. Fisher & P. S. Ward. 2006. Evaluating alternative hypotheses for the early evolution and diversification of ants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 103 (48): 18172–18177.

[FT08] Framenau, V. W., & M. L. Thomas. 2008. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean): identification and distribution. Records of the Western Australian Museum 25 (1): 45–85.

[H09] Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 76: 1–206.

[N-ZLI11] Nur-Zati A. M., G. T. Lim & A. B. Idris. 2011. Checklist of ants of selected hill dipterocarp forests of peninsular Malaysia. Serangga 16 (1): 91–105.

[TB85] Taylor, R. W., & D. R. Brown. 1985. Formicoidea. In: Walton, D. W. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 2. Hymenoptera: Formicoidea, Vespoidea and Sphecoidea pp. 1–149. Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.

[WW90] Wheeler, G. C., & J. Wheeler. 1990. Insecta: Hymenoptera Formicidae. In: Dindal, D. L. (ed.) Soil Biology Guide pp. 1277–1294. John Wiley & Sones: New York.

[Z01] Zhou, S. 2001. Ants of Guangxi. Guangxi Normal University Press: Guilin (China).

Last updated: 14 June 2020.