Anochetus

Wheeler, W. M., 1922, The ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition., Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45, pp. 39-269 : 96-97

Anochetus Mayr

Worker.-Small ants with monomorphic workers. Head irregularly hexagonal. Mandibles inserted close together at the middle of its anterior border, linear, flattened, with three large terminal teeth bent inward at a right angle and with the inner border toothless or furnished with a row of minute denticles. Eyes usually well developed, rarely vestigial, in front of the middle of the sides of the head. Clypeus small, subtriangular, anteriorly projecting over the insertions of the mandibles and extending backward as a narrow process between the short frontal carinae, which are lobularly expended in front and more or less convergent posteriorly. Antennal foveae not confluent behind; head without an oblique welt or swelling on each side starting from the eye and bounding the antennal fovea; sides of head without a marked impression behind the antennal fovea. Antennae slender, 12-jointed; funiculi long, filiform, not enlarged apically. Thorax long and narrow, with distinct premesonotal and sometimes also mesoepinotal sutures; epinotum usually dentate. Petiole with a node or scale which may be conical and may terminate in a spine, or in two teeth or spines. Gaster oval, convex above, without a constriction between the postpetiole and the succeeding segment. Legs slender; middle and hind tibia; each with a single pectinated spur; claws simple.

Female very similar to the worker; usually winged, but in some species wingless am. ergatoid.

Male with the head of the usual shape, large eyes and ocelli and very small mandibles; antenna: very long; scape short, first funicular joint, broader than long. Petiole above more or less pointed or bidentate. No constriction between the postpetiole and the succeeding segment. Pygidium usually not terminating in a spine.

Map 16. Distribution of the genus Anochetus .

The genus comprises numerous species which form small colonies that nest in the ground under stones or in vegetable mould. Little is known of their habits. They range over the tropics of both hemispheres(Map 1G), one species, A. ghilianii (Spinola) , even entering Spain from Morocco. The subgenus Stenomyrmex , of which only two species are known, is confined to the Neotropical Region.