Ocymyrmex | |
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Ocymyrmex ankhu ergatoid queen | |
Scientific classification
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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]
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]
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 |
Ocymyrmex is an African genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae, also commonly known as hotrod ants. [2]
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]