Meranoplus
Meranoplus is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. With over 80 valid species, it is predicted that over half of the "Meranoplus" diversity remains undescribed, most of these from Australia. Classification. "Meranoplus" is a unique and charismatic myrmicine genus of hairy, slow-moving, and armored ants. The genus was previously classified in its own tribe, the Meranoplini, with one fossil genus, "Parameranoplus", from Baltic amber (44.1 ± 1.1 mya), but was moved to Crematogastrini by Ward "et al." (2015). The historic shuffling of "Meranoplus" through higher taxa — Cryptoceridae, Cataulacinae, Tetramoriini, Meranoplini — reflects our poor understanding  of the phylogenetic position of "Meranoplus" within the Formicidae. Brady et "al". (2006) recovered a clade of "Meranoplus" and "Cataulacus", although this relationship was not supported in Moreau "et al". (2006). Distribution. The extant species of "Meranoplus" are distributed throughout the Old World, absent only from the Palearctic and Oceania regions but with the exception of "M. levellei", from New Caledonia. Biology. Species of this genus are predominantly ground-nesting and, when disturbed, will display thanatosis enhanced by crypsis, i.e., individuals will accumulate dirt in their pilosity and play dead. With respect to diet, most species are omnivores and facultative  granivores, while others, including the whole "M. diversus" species group, are specialist granivores. At least one species, the Malaysian rainforest-dwelling "M. mucronatus" is known to have a trophobiotic relationship with hemipterans. "Meranoplus" species are known to be active both day and night, and to recruit via pheromone trails laid from the base of the sting using secretions from their extremely large Dufour glands. The function of the spatulate sting is still unknown. The only species of "Meranoplus" for which mating has been reported is "M. peringuiyi", in which mating swarms occurred after a rain and where males patrolled for  the outnumbered females in a zig-zag manner.