Paraponera

Paraponera is a genus of ants and the only genus in the subfamily Paraponerinae.^[2] The name means "near-Ponera".^[3]

Paraponera
P. clavata, or bullet ant, the sole extant member of the subfamily
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Paraponerinae Emery, 1901
Tribe:	Paraponerini Emery, 1901
Genus:	Paraponera F. Smith, 1858
Type species
Formica clavata
Diversity[1]
2 species

It consists of two species: the extant Paraponera clavata, also known as a bullet ant, found in the Neotropics, and the very small^[4] fossil species Paraponera dieteri known from Dominican amber (Early Miocene; 16-19 million years ago).^[5] Bullet ants are so named for the pain caused by their venomous stings. The intensely painful sting is toxic to invertebrates as well as vertebrates and a major component is the neurotoxic peptide poneratoxin.^[6]

Species

• Paraponera clavata (Fabricius, 1775)
• †Paraponera dieteri Baroni Urbani, 1994