Poneracantha Emery, 1897

Camacho, G. P., Franco, W., Branstetter, M. G., Pie, M. R. & Longino, J. T., 2022, UCE Phylogenomics Resolves Major Relationships Among Ectaheteromorph Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ectatomminae, Heteroponerinae): A New Classification, Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1), pp. 1-20 : 11-12

Poneracantha Emery status revived

= Barbourella Wheeler

= Parectatomma Emery

Type Species: Poneracantha bispinosa (Emery)

Diagnosis (Females): Head subquadrate or wider anterad than posterad in frontal view; anterior clypeal margin usually straight; frontal surface of mandible usually striate or rugulose; scape usually surpassing vertex; promesonotal suture feebly impressed to absent, never interrupting dorsal mesosomal sculpture; metanotal suture well impressed; propodeum usually armed with denticles or spines; petiolar node low; subpetiolar process shape variable, usually projecting anterad but sometimes subquadrate; metacoxal teeth generally present, usually acicular; second gastric segment slightly arched ventrally.

Species: banksi new combination, bispinosa revived combination, †brunoi, cuneiforma new combination, enodis new combination, ingeborgae new combination, insularis new combination, lanei new combination, laticephala new combination, lineolata new combination, lucaris new combination, mecotyle new combination, mediatrix new combination, menozzii revived combination, perspicax new combination, rastrata new combination, semiferox new combination, triangularis new combination, and wilsoni new combination (and the junior synonyms schubarti new combination, trigona new combination, aculeaticoxae new combination, and triangularis richteri new combination).

Distribution: Exclusively Neotropical, occurring from Guatemala to Uruguay, and in the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola and Lesser Antilles.

Notes: Here we revive the name Poneracantha from synonymy under Gnamptogenys to include all the species representing the previous rastrata group sensu Lattke (1995). All Poneracantha species can be identified using the work of Camacho et. al. (2020) under the previous combination in Gnamptogenys .