| Simopelta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Simopelta pergandei worker | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Ponerinae |
| Tribe: | Ponerini |
| Genus: | Simopelta Mann, 1922 |
| Type species | |
| Belonopelta jeckylli Mann, 1916 | |
| Diversity[1] | |
| 21 species | |
Simopelta is aNeotropicalgenus ofants in thesubfamilyPonerinae.[2]
The genus is known from central and northern South America, where they are primarily found in mid-elevation moist forests.[3]
Workers are slender, small in size (2.1–4.9 mm), and black to orange in color. Queens are dichthadiiform (wingless and with enlargedgasters) and "morphologically simplified" relative to workers. Males remain unknown.[3]
Species have anarmy-ant life style, including group predation and nomadism. However, belonging to thetribePonerini, they are evidently ponerines and the army-ant like characters are deemed to have evolved throughconvergent evolution. Compared to other ponerines, colonies are large, consisting of 1,000 to 2,000 individuals.[3]
Media related toSimopelta at Wikimedia Commons