Simopone is a genus of predominantly arboreal ants in the subfamily Dorylinae. The genus is widely distributed in the Old World tropics, with the majority of species in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa.
Taxonomy The genus was first described by Forel (1891), based on a Simopone grandidier specimen. Brown (1975) revised the genus and recognized 13 species altogether. The number of species was raised to 15 by Kutter (1976, 1977) and to 38 by Bolton & Fisher (2012). Bolton & Fisher considered one of the African species described by Brown (1975), S. conciliatrix, so different from all the others in the genus that it is transferred to its own monotypic genus, Vicinopone.
Description Simopone species are almost entirely arboreal, but on occasion foraging workers are found on the ground or in rotten logs. Prey records are extremely sparse for this genus, consisting only of Crematogaster brood by S. vepres, and the brood of Terataner by S. sicaria. Nevertheless, these two records support the general supposition by Brown (1975) that most or all members of tribe Cerapachyini prey on other ants, or more probably the brood of other ants, but actual records are extremely rare.
Known queens are entirely worker-like except that the mesosoma has a full complement of flight sclerites. No queen recognizable by external morphology has been seen in any Malagasy species, the queens of which are suspected to be remarkably ergatoid, or perhaps even replaced by gamergates. Workers of most (perhaps all) species exhibit considerable size variation.
Species
Simopone amana Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone annettae Kutter, 1976 Simopone bakeri Menozzi, 1926 Simopone brunnea Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone chapmani Taylor, 1966 Simopone conradti Emery, 1899 Simopone consimilis Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone dignita Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone dryas Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone dux Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone elegans Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone emeryi Forel, 1892 Simopone fera Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone fulvinodis Santschi, 1923 Simopone grandidieri Forel, 1891 Simopone grandis Santschi, 1923 Simopone gressitti Taylor, 1965 Simopone inculta Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone laevissima Arnold, 1954 Simopone latiscapa Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone marleyi Arnold, 1915 Simopone matthiasi Kutter, 1977 Simopone mayri Emery, 1911 Simopone merita Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone miniflava Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone nonnihil Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone occulta Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone oculata Radchenko, 1993 Simopone persculpta Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone rabula Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone rex Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone schoutedeni Santschi, 1923 Simopone sicaria Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone silens Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone trita Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone vepres Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone victrix Bolton & Fisher, 2012 Simopone wilburi Weber, 1949
References
Brown, W.L., Jr. (1975) Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. 5. Ponerinae, tribes Platythyreini, Cerapachyini, Cylindromyrmecini, Acanthostichini, and Aenictogitini. Search Agriculture 5, Entomology (Ithaca) 15, 1–115.
Kutter, H. (1976) Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Gattung Simopone Forel. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 49, 273–276. Kutter, H. (1977) Zweiter Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Gattung Simopone Forel. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 50, 173–176.
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