Leptanillinae
| Leptanillinae | |
|---|---|
| Leptanilla swani gyne and worker | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Leptanillinae Emery, 1910 |
| Type genus | |
| Leptanilla Emery, 1870 | |
| Diversity | |
| 3 genera (50-60 species) | |
Leptanillinae is a subfamily of primitive ants consisting of three genera.
Ants of this subfamily have larvae that feed their hemolymph to the queen through specialized processes on their prothoraces and third abdominal segments. This behavior resembles that of the distantly related Adetomyrma, also called the Dracula ant, which pierces their larvae to obtain body fluids.
Members of Leptanilla are minute, yellow, blind ants that live below the surface.