gaster armed with sting

The tip of the gaster is armed with a stinging apparatus. Occasionally the sting is withdrawn inside the gaster making it difficult to see. Subfamilies with stings include Amblyoponinae, Cerapachyinae, Ectatomminae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae and Pseudomyrmecinae. However, the character state is used in Antkey primarily to separate subfamilies with one waist segment (Amblyoponinae, Ectatomminae, Ponerinae) from Formicinae and Dolichoderinae.