A revision of the New World Hypoponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) a neglected ant genus

Ants are integral components of ecosystems, shaping abiotic and biotic components of communities. These insects’ significance is a result of their richness and abundance. Neotropical species of Hypoponera are one of the top ten most commonly collected ant genera; making them good metrics in evaluating ecosystem function and health. However, the taxonomy of the genus is unresolved and in a confused state, making any determinations uncertain. Such a state results in a cornucopia of morphospecies and surrogate species codes. Lacking any universality of species determination the autecology for taxa is greatly impaired. No taxonomic revision has been attempted for the New World species of this important genus. Reasons contributing to this unresolved taxonomy include: vague species limits, unclear character variability, inherent complexities based on relatively homogeneous morphologies, nebulous subspecies and varieties and the presence of intercastes. Addressing taxonomic and systematic trends of this genus is not only long overdue, but is crucial in understanding myrmecology and biodiversity. Production of usable taxonomic keys and notes on natural history will facilitate the study of not only Hypoponera but the entire community of which they are members. We present here the results of a contemporary revision that investigated the alpha taxonomy of the New World Hypoponera; reporting on clarification of previous taxa, novel species and a workable classification system.