Ocymyrmex is an African genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae, also commonly known as hotrod ants.[2]
| Ocymyrmex | |
|---|---|
| |
| Ocymyrmex ankhu ergatoid queen | |
Scientific 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 | |
Distribution and habitat
editSpecies 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
edit- 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
edit- ^ Bolton, B. (2014). "Ocymyrmex". AntCat. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ "Genus: Ocymyrmex". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ^ a b Bolton, B.; Marsh, A. C. (1989). "The Afrotropical thermophilic ant genus Ocymyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Journal of Natural History. 23 (6): 1267–1308. Bibcode:1989JNatH..23.1267B. doi:10.1080/00222938900770681.
- ^ a b c 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.
External links
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Media related to Ocymyrmex at Wikimedia Commons
