Taxonomy of Afrotropical and West Palaearctic ants of the ponerine genus Hypoponera Santschi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract

The taxonomy of the ponerine ants of the genus Hypoponera is revised for the Afrotropical and West Palaearctic regions. A combined key to both faunae is presented, and the West Palaearctic species are also keyed separately. Fifty-six species are recognised in total, of which 51 are Afrotropical endemics and two are restricted to the West Palaearctic; three tramp species occur in both regions. Thirty-four Afrotropical species are described as new while 33 names, including a number of infraspecific taxa and extralimital forms, are relegated to synonymy. Two previously described Afrotropical Hypoponera names are regarded as species inquirendae (lea, petiolata). Two extralimital species are mentioned with respect to the studied fauna: gibbinota, described from a casual introduction in a Palaearctic hothouse, and the Oriental assmuthi, which is provisionally raised to species to dissociate it from the Palaearctic abeillei, to which it was previously linked as an infraspecific taxon.