| Adetomyrma venatrix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A blind worker | |
 | |
| A winged male | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Genus: | Adetomyrma |
| Species: | A. venatrix |
| Binomial name | |
| Adetomyrma venatrix | |
Adetomyrma venatrix, more commonly known as the "Dracula ant" due to its habit of drinking the blood of its young,[citation needed] is anendangered species ofantsendemic toMadagascar. Workers of this species are blind. The species was described as thetype species ofAdetomyrma in 1994, with the genus being an atypical member of itstribe.
Adetomyrma venatrix was described on the basis of specimens belonging to the worker caste collected from Zombitse Forest, in western Madagascar. The key characteristics of the species was the absence of a clear petiole when viewed from above due to the third abdominal tergite (the sclerite on the dorsal side) lacking a differentiated pretergite. The gaster is large and without constrictions. The ant is blind and has a long sting. It was placed with reservations in the tribeAmblyoponini as it lacks the typical characters of the group.[3] Later studies considered them as being close to theancestral members of theAmblyoponinae and they share certain morphological features withAmblyopone pluto such as the presence of laterosclerite.[4][5]
Media related toAdetomyrma venatrix at Wikimedia Commons
