Other Species
Apart from Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis richteri, serious allergic reactions are known from ants belonging to 6 different subfamilies (Formicinae, Myrmeciinae, Ponerinae, Ectatomminae, Myrmicinae, and Pseudomyrmecinae) and 10 genera (Solenopsis, Formica, Myrmecia, Tetramorium, Pogonomyrmex, Pachycondyla, Odontomachus, Rhytidoponera, Pseudomyrmex, and Hypoponera).
The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile is found in Argentina, Southern Europe, Southern USA and California. They are small and are found in human habitations. They often kill other ant species. They have been noted as having the potential to carry pathogens in hospital environments.
The Pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis is found around the world. It is not known for its sting, but has been involved in respiratory allergies.
Bulldog ants, genus Myrmecia are found in Australia and belong to the ant subfamily Myrmeciinae, and are among the most primitive extant ants. All but one of the sixty or so species are found in Australia. This species is known to cause some fatalities in sensitive humans.
Bullet ants, genus Paraponera found from Nicaragua southward to the Amazon Basin and their close relatives of the genus Dinoponera are New World ponerines known for their painful stings.
Driver ants, genus Dorylus are found in the Old world, esp. West Africa and the Congo Basin. Unlike the army ants of the New World, Old World army ants have a functional sting, but rarely use it; this is more than compensated for by their razor-sharp, falcate mandibles. Dorylus spp. colonies also reach larger sizes than Eciton. The Siafu ants on Mount Meru in Tanzania were implicated in the death of a missing tourist to the Congo.
Red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus found in Western USA are bright red myrmicine ants whose venom is the most potent of any ants species.
Read more about this topic: Ants Of Medical Importance
Famous quotes containing the word species:
“Genius detects through the fly, through the caterpillar, through the grub, through the egg, the constant individual; through countless individuals the fixed species; through many species the genus; through all genera the steadfast type; through all the kingdoms of organized life the eternal unity. Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The French manner of hunting is gentlemanlike; ours is only for bumpkins and bodies. The poor beasts here are pursued and run down by much greater beasts than themselves; and the true British fox-hunter is most undoubtedly a species appropriated and peculiar to this country, which no other part of the globe produces.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)