Ants. Formicas. Formicidae

Ants Ant

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For other uses, see Ant (disambiguation).

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their geniculate (elbowed) antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.

Ants

Temporal range: 100–0 Ma[1] 

PreꞒ

Ꞓ

O

S

D

C

P

T

J

K

Pg

N

Late Albian – Present

Fire antsScientific classificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ArthropodaClass:InsectaOrder:HymenopteraInfraorder:AculeataSuperfamily:FormicoideaFamily:Formicidae
Latreille, 1809Type speciesFormica rufa

Linnaeus, 1761

Subfamilies

Agroecomyrmecinae

Amblyoponinae (incl. "Apomyrminae")

Aneuretinae

†Brownimeciinae

Dolichoderinae

Dorylinae

Ectatomminae

†Formiciinae

Formicinae

†Haidomyrmecinae

Heteroponerinae

Leptanillinae

Martialinae

Myrmeciinae (incl. "Nothomyrmeciinae")

Myrmicinae

Paraponerinae

Ponerinae

Proceratiinae

Pseudomyrmecinae

†Sphecomyrminae

†Zigrasimeciinae

Cladogram of
subfamilies

Martialinae

Leptanillinae

Amblyoponinae

Paraponerinae

Agroecomyrmecinae

Ponerinae

Proceratiinae

Ecitoninae‡

Aenictinae‡

Dorylini‡

Aenictogitoninae‡

Cerapachyinae‡*

Leptanilloidinae‡

Dolichoderinae

Aneuretinae

Pseudomyrmecinae

Myrmeciinae

Ectatomminae

Heteroponerinae

Myrmicinae

Formicinae

A phylogeny of the extant ant subfamilies.[2][3]
*Cerapachyinae is paraphyletic
‡ The previous dorylomorph subfamilies were synonymized under Dorylinae by Brady et al. in 2014[4]

Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals. Larger colonies consist of various castes of sterile, wingless females, most of which are workers (ergates), as well as soldiers (dinergates) and other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens" (gynes). The colonies are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony.