Epopostrumiti

Epopostruma natalae, copyright April Nobile.

Belongs within: Myrmicinae.

The Epopostrumiti are a group of small predatory ants found in Africa and Australasia bearing lateral outgrowths on the petiole and postpetiole.

See also: Trap-jaw ants of Australia (and a couple from Africa).

Characters (from Bolton 1983): Eyes dorsolateral, placed above scrobes when latter are present. Antennae 4- or 6-segmented, second funicular segment not the longest. Palp formula 5,3 or 3,2.

<==Epopostrumiti B83
    |--Microdaceton Santschi 1913 B83
    |    |--*M. exornatum Santschi 1913 [incl. M. exornatum var. laevior Arnold 1948, M. leakeyi Patrizi 1947] B83
    |    `--M. tibialis Weber 1952 B83
    |--Mesostruma Brown 1948 B83, TB85
    |    |--*M. turneri (Forel 1895) [=Strumigenys (Epopostruma) turneri] TB85
    |    |--M. browni Taylor 1962 TB85
    |    |--M. eccentrica Taylor 1973 TB85
    |    |--M. exolympica Taylor 1973 TB85
    |    |--M. inornata H09
    |    |--M. laevigata Brown 1952 TB85
    |    |--M. loweryi Taylor 1973 TB85
    |    `--M. spinosa H09
    |--Colobostruma Wheeler 1927 B83, TB85 [incl. Alistruma B83, Clarkistruma Brown 1948 TB85]
    |    |--*C. leae (Wheeler 1927) [=Epopostruma (*Colobostruma) leae] TB85
    |    |--C. alinodis (Forel 1913) [=Epopostruma alinodis, *Clarkistruma alinodis] TB85
    |    |--C. australis Brown 1959 TB85
    |    |--C. cerornata Brown 1959 TB85
    |    |--C. elliotti (Clark 1928) [=Epitritus elliotti] TB85
    |    |--C. froggatti (Forel 1913) [=Epopostruma froggatti] TB85
    |    |--C. mellea H09
    |    |--C. nancyae Brown 1965 TB85
    |    `--C. papulata Brown 1965 TB85
    `--Epopostruma Forel 1895 [incl. Hexadaceton Brown 1948] TB85
         |--*E. quadrispinosa (Forel 1895) [=Strumigenys (*Epopostruma) quadrispinosa] TB85
         |--E. frosti (Brown 1948) [=*Hexadaceton frosti] TB85
         |--E. inornata H09
         |--E. kangarooensis H09
         |--E. lattini H09
         |--E. mercurii H09
         |--E. monstrosa Viehmeyer 1925 TB85
         |--E. natalae H09
         `--E. sowestensis H09

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B83] Bolton, B. 1983. The Afrotropical dacetine ants (Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Entomology series 46 (4): 267–416.

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

[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.