This is the famous "bala" ant, reknowned for its large size and powerful sting; workers forage arboreally at all heights in the canopy; nests are subterranean at the bases of trees, or occasionally in humus accumulations in the canopy; workers forage on live prey and extrafloral nectar; males are frequent at blacklights. There is a growing literature of behavioral and ecological studies of Paraponera.
Throughout the wet Neotropics. Costa Rica: Atlantic slope wet forest, low elevations; extending to just west of Santa Cecilia in northern Guanacaste Province (Janzen, pers. comm.); absent from wet forest of southern Pacific slopes and Osa.
Taxonomic history
Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835 PDF: 189 (w.q.); Smith, 1858a PDF: 101 (m.); Mayr, 1862 PDF: 731 (q.m.); Wheeler & Wheeler, 1952a PDF: 117 (l.).Combination in Ponera: Latreille, 1809 PDF: 128; Latreille, 1818b PDF: 570.Combination in Paraponera: Smith, 1858a PDF: 100.[Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1884 PDF: 30 (error).].Status as species: Christ, 1791 PDF: 507; Fabricius, 1793 PDF: 360; Fabricius, 1804 PDF: 410; Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835 PDF: 188; Smith, 1858a PDF: 100; Roger, 1861a PDF: 19; Mayr, 1862 PDF: 731; Roger, 1863b PDF: 18; Mayr, 1863a PDF: 440; Emery, 1890c PDF: 42; Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 18; Emery, 1894l PDF: 47; Forel, 1895b PDF: 111; Forel, 1899b PDF: 10; Emery, 1904b PDF: 599; Wheeler, 1905c PDF: 120; Forel, 1907h PDF: 1; Forel, 1908 PDF: 340; Forel, 1909b PDF: 58; Emery, 1911e PDF: 27; Santschi, 1913h PDF: 33; Mann, 1916 PDF: 402; Wheeler, 1916c PDF: 2; Crawley, 1916b PDF: 377; Luederwaldt, 1918 PDF: 34; Wheeler, 1923a PDF: 2; Borgmeier, 1923: 52; Wheeler, 1925a: 2; Menozzi, 1935b PDF: 190; Santschi, 1939f PDF: 160; Brown, 1958g PDF: 205; Kempf, 1970c PDF: 324; Kempf, 1972b PDF: 181; Fernández, 1993: 253; Bolton, 1995b: 312; Wild, 2007b PDF: 38; Arias-Penna, 2008c PDF: 120; Bezděčková et al., 2015 PDF: 122; Feitosa, 2015c: 98; Delsinne et al., 2019 PDF: 637.Senior synonym of Paraponera aculeata: Latreille, 1802a PDF: 207; Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835 PDF: 188; Mayr, 1863a PDF: 440; Roger, 1863b PDF: 18; Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 19; Forel, 1895b PDF: 111; Forel, 1899b PDF: 10; Emery, 1911e PDF: 28; Santschi, 1913h PDF: 33; Borgmeier, 1923: 52; Kempf, 1972b PDF: 181; Bolton, 1995b: 312.Senior synonym of Paraponera tarsalis: Smith, 1858a PDF: 100; Mayr, 1863a PDF: 440; Roger, 1863b PDF: 18; Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 19; Forel, 1895b PDF: 111; Forel, 1899b PDF: 10; Emery, 1911e PDF: 28; Santschi, 1913h PDF: 33; Borgmeier, 1923: 52; Kempf, 1972b PDF: 181; Bolton, 1995b: 312.Material of the unavailable name Paraponera spininoda referred here by Latreille, 1802a PDF: 207; Fabricius, 1804 PDF: 410; Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835 PDF: 188; Smith, 1858a PDF: 100; Mayr, 1863a PDF: 440; Roger, 1863b PDF: 18; Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 19; Forel, 1895b PDF: 111; Forel, 1899b PDF: 10; Emery, 1911e PDF: 28; Borgmeier, 1923: 52; Kempf, 1972b PDF: 181; Bolton, 1995b: 312.
