Meranoplus
Meranoplus is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the Meranoplus diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification Meranoplus is a unique and charismatic myrmicine genus of hairy, slow-moving, and armored ants. The genus was previously classified in its own tribe, the Meranoplini, with one fossil genus, Parameranoplus, from Baltic amber (44.1 ± 1.1 mya), but was moved to Crematogastrini by Ward et al. (2015). The historic shuffling of Meranoplus through higher taxa — Cryptoceridae, Cataulacinae, Tetramoriini, Meranoplini — reflects our poor understanding of the phylogenetic position of Meranoplus within the Formicidae. Brady et al. (2006) recovered a clade of Meranoplus and Cataulacus, although this relationship was not supported in Moreau et al. (2006). Distribution The extant species of Meranoplus are distributed throughout the Old World, absent only from the Palearctic and Oceania regions but with the exception of M. levellei, from New Caledonia. Biology Species of this genus are predominantly ground-nesting and, when disturbed, will display thanatosis enhanced by crypsis, i.e., individuals will accumulate dirt in their pilosity and play dead. With respect to diet, most species are omnivores and facultative granivores, while others, including the whole M. diversus species group, are specialist granivores. At least one species, the Malaysian rainforest-dwelling M. mucronatus is known to have a trophobiotic relationship with hemipterans. Meranoplus species are known to be active both day and night, and to recruit via pheromone trails laid from the base of the sting using secretions from their extremely large Dufour glands. The function of the spatulate sting is still unknown. The only species of Meranoplus for which mating has been reported is M. peringuiyi, in which mating swarms occurred after a rain and where males patrolled for the outnumbered females in a zig-zag manner. Species Meranoplus affinis Baroni Urbani, 1971 Meranoplus ajax Forel, 1915 Meranoplus angustinodis Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus arcuatus Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus armatus Smith, 1862 Meranoplus astericus Donisthorpe, 1947 Meranoplus aureolus Crawley, 1921 Meranoplus barretti Santschi, 1928 Meranoplus beatoni Taylor, 2006 Meranoplus bellii Forel, 1902 Meranoplus berrimah Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus bicolor (Guérin-Méneville, 1844) Meranoplus biliran Schödl, 1998 Meranoplus birmanus Schödl, 1999 Meranoplus boltoni Schödl, 1998 Meranoplus borneensis Schödl, 1998 Meranoplus castaneus Smith, 1857 Meranoplus christinae Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus clypeatus Bernard, 1953 Meranoplus convexius Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus crassispina Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus cryptomys Boudinot & Fisher, 2013 Meranoplus curvispina Forel, 1910 Meranoplus deserticola Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus dichrous Forel, 1907 Meranoplus digitatus Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus dimidiatus Smith, 1867 Meranoplus discalis Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus diversoides Schödl, 2007 Meranoplus diversus Smith, 1867 Meranoplus doddi Santschi, 1928 Meranoplus duyfkeni Forel, 1915 Meranoplus excavatus Clark, 1938 Meranoplus fenestratus Smith, 1867 Meranoplus ferrugineus Crawley, 1922 Meranoplus froggatti Forel, 1913 Meranoplus glaber Arnold, 1926 Meranoplus hilli Crawley, 1922 Meranoplus hirsutus Mayr, 1876 Meranoplus hoplites Taylor, 2006 Meranoplus hospes Forel, 1910 Meranoplus inermis Emery, 1895 Meranoplus laeviventris Emery, 1889 Meranoplus leveillei Emery, 1883 Meranoplus levis Donisthorpe, 1942 Meranoplus linae Santschi, 1928 Meranoplus loebli Schödl, 1998 Meranoplus magrettii André,