Anochetus
| Anochetus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Anochetus faurei worker | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Ponerinae |
| Tribe: | Ponerini |
| Genus: | Anochetus Mayr, 1861 |
| Type species | |
| Odontomachus ghilianii | |
| Diversity | |
| 122 species | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Myrmapatetes Wheeler, 1929 | |
Anochetus is a genus of small, carnivorous ants found in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world.
This genus is present in both the Old and New World and is certainly native to all continents except Antarctica and Europe. In Europe only a single species, Anochetus ghilianii, has been found, and it is not certain it is native to its European range (Province of Cadiz and Gibraltar). However A. ghilianii is native to Morocco.
Anochetus is of some note due to it being one of the relatively few genera that possess trap-jaws, or specialized long mandibles that have a rapid closing mechanism. However, it is the only other genus, other than Odontomachus that uses the mandibles for predator evasion as well as prey capture.