Ocymyrmex
Ocymyrmex ankhu ergatoid queen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Crematogastrini
Genus: Ocymyrmex
Emery, 1886
Type species
Ocymyrmex barbiger
Emery, 1886
Diversity[1]
37 species

Ocymyrmex is an African genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae, also commonly known as hotrod ants.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Species are thermophilic (thrives at relatively high temperatures) and live in dry savanna to extreme desert conditions in parts of the Afrotropics.[3] They seem to be restricted to Southern and Eastern Africa, with no species occurring in West and Central Africa, or the sub-Saharan Sahelian Zone.[4] Their nests are located deep in the ground, usually in sandy soil, with colonies consisting of 200 to 1000 individuals.[3][4] Adapted to arid climates, they move remarkably fast during the day. They feed mainly on corpses of heat-stricken animals, living termites and seeds.[4]

Species

  • Ocymyrmex afradu Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex alacer Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex ankhu Bolton, 1981
  • Ocymyrmex barbiger Emery, 1886
  • Ocymyrmex cavatodorsatus Prins, 1965
  • Ocymyrmex celer Weber, 1943
  • Ocymyrmex cilliei Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex cursor Bolton, 1981
  • Ocymyrmex dekerus Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex engytachys Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex flavescens Stitz, 1923
  • Ocymyrmex flaviventris Santschi, 1914
  • Ocymyrmex foreli Arnold, 1916
  • Ocymyrmex fortior Santschi, 1911
  • Ocymyrmex gariepensis Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex gordoni Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex hirsutus Forel, 1910
  • Ocymyrmex ignotus Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex kahas Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex laticeps Forel, 1901
  • Ocymyrmex micans Forel, 1910
  • Ocymyrmex monardi Santschi, 1930
  • Ocymyrmex nitidulus Emery, 1892
  • Ocymyrmex okys Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex phraxus Bolton, 1981
  • Ocymyrmex picardi Forel, 1901
  • Ocymyrmex resekhes Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex robecchii Emery, 1892
  • Ocymyrmex robustior Stitz, 1923
  • Ocymyrmex shushan Bolton, 1981
  • Ocymyrmex sobek Bolton, 1981
  • Ocymyrmex sphinx Bolton, 1981
  • Ocymyrmex tachys Bolton & Marsh, 1989
  • Ocymyrmex turneri Donisthorpe, 1931
  • Ocymyrmex velox Santschi, 1932
  • Ocymyrmex weitzeckeri Emery, 1892
  • Ocymyrmex zekhem Bolton, 1981

References

  1. Bolton, B. (2014). "Ocymyrmex". AntCat. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  2. "Genus: Ocymyrmex". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 Bolton, B.; Marsh, A. C. (1989). "The Afrotropical thermophilic ant genus Ocymyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Journal of Natural History. 23 (6): 1267–1308. doi:10.1080/00222938900770681.
  4. 1 2 3 Hita Garcia, F.; Wiesel, E.; Fischer, G. (2013). "The Ants of Kenya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)—Faunal Overview, First Species Checklist, Bibliography, Accounts for All Genera, and Discussion on Taxonomy and Zoogeography". Journal of East African Natural History. 101 (2): 127. doi:10.2982/028.101.0201. S2CID 84797311.
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