Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Social Insects pp 1–7Cite as

Aneuretus simoni

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 220 Accesses

Aneuretus simoni, commonly known as the Sri Lankan Relict Ant, is the only known extant member of the subfamily Aneuretinae. Several other genera are described from Tertiary fossils found in Baltic amber, Russia and the USA, indicating a previous much wider distribution and diversity [11].

Physical Features

In major and minor workers, body color varies from light yellow to medium yellowish orange. Antennae 12-segmented. Clypeus broad and flat. Three segmented maxillary palp and four segmented labial palp present. Mandibles triangular, with three prominent teeth and several denticles; their size gradually decreases from apex to the base. A pair of spike-like, posterior, propodeal spines taper abruptly towards the tips. Anterior peduncle of the petiole is long and slender, somewhat narrowed towards its anterior attachment. The petiolar node is well differentiated from the anterior peduncle by dorsal and lateral swellings. Sting at the tip of the gaster is well developed and sclerotized....

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  1. Billen, J. (2017). The exocrine system of Aneuretus simoni (Formicidae, Aneuretinae). Asian Myrmecology, 9, 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Dias, R. K. S. (2014a). Aneuretus simoni Emery occurrence and the ant community observed by multiple methods and repeated sampling in “Pompekelle”, Sri Lanka. International Journal of Entomological Research, 2, 181–186.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dias, R. K. S. (2014b). Ants of Sri Lanka. Colombo: Biodiversity Secretariat of Ministry of Environment and Renewable Resources. 273.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Dias, R. K. S., & Udayakantha, W. S. (2016a). Discovery of the Sri Lankan Relict Ant, Aneuretus simoni Emery (Formicidae, Aneuretinae) and the nest density of the species in a selected region of Meethirigala Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka. Asian Myrmecology, 8, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dias, R. K. S., & Udayakantha, W. S. (2016b). Nest density and other observations on a population of Aneuretus simoni Emery, 1893 (Formicidae, Aneuretinae) and other ants in Indikada Mukalana Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka. Journal of Insect Biodiversity, 4(12), 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Jayasuriya, A. K., & Traniello, J. F. A. (1985). The biology of primitive ant Aneuretus simoni Emery (Formicidae: Aneuretinae) I, distribution, abundance, colony structure and foraging ecology. Insectes Sociaux, Paris, 32, 363–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Perera, K. A. M., Dias, R. K. S., & Yamane, S. (2006). The first record of Aneuretus simoni Emery (Sri Lankan Relict ant) from Sinharaja Forest and its relative abundance estimated by several sampling methods. Proceedings of the Annual Sessions of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, 62, 74.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Traniello, J. F. A., & Jayasuriya, A. K. (1981). Chemical communication in the primitive ant Aneuretus simoni: The role of the sternal and pygidial glands. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 7, 1023.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Udayakantha, W. S., & Dias, R. K. S. (2017). Life history of Sri Lankan relict ant, Aneuretus simoni Emery, 1893 (Formicidae, Aneuretinae) under laboratory conditions. In Proceedings of the international conference in zoological sciences. Patiala: University of Punjabi, 53.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Udayakantha, W. S., & Dias, R. K. S. (2019). Nest density dynamics and worker occurrence of Aneuretus simoni Emery, 1893 (Formicidae: Aneuretinae) and associated ant taxa in a Forest Reserve in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka. Caucasian Entomological Bulletin, 15 (1), 177–185.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Wilson, E. O., Eisner, T., Wheeler, G. C., & Wheeler, J. (1956). Aneuretus simoni Emery, a major link in ant evolution. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 115, 81–105.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

    R. K. Sriyani Dias

Authors
  1. R. K. Sriyani Dias
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. K. Sriyani Dias .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of the West Indies, Department of Life Sciences University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    Christopher Starr

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Dias, R.K.S. (2020). Aneuretus simoni. In: Starr, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_6-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_6-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90306-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90306-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation