Evolutionary trends in the reproductive biology of ponerine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Abstract
The colony sizes and ovariole numbers of eight ponerine, one cerapachyine and one doryline species are reported. The ergatoid queens of five of these species are described briefly. Workers of the Hypoponera, Leptogenys and Anochetus species entirely lack ovaries, the first report of obligate sterility in this subfamily. Three evolutionary trends in the reproductive biology of the Poneriae are discussed: an increase in ovariole numbers and specialization for reproduction in the queen caste; worker sterility and increasing reproductive differentiation between the castes; and the evolutionary loss of specialization for dispersal in ergatoid queens.