''Dicroaspis'' is an African

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...

s in the subfamily

Myrmicinae Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent an ...

Distribution

Known from central Africa, the genus contains two species. However, due to the little material available, they may represent variations the same species. A third hitherto undescribed species is known from

Kakamega Forest Kakamega Forest is a tropical rainforest situated in the Kakamega and Nandi County of Kenya, northwest of the capital Nairobi, and near to the border with Uganda. It is Kenya's only tropical rainforest and is said to be Kenya's last remnant of th ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Description

The genus was first described by Emery (1908), but was reclassified a few years later as a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed betw ...

of '' Calyptomyrmex'' by Emery (1915). The

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

was finally raised to genus rank by Bolton (1981). Workers are about 2.5–3 mm long and have small eyes. Their antennae with 11 segments can be used to separate ''Dicroaspis'' from the related and similar genus ''Calyptomyrmex''. Little is known about their biology, but they appear to live in the

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfo ...

Species

* ''

Dicroaspis cryptocera ''Dicroaspis'' is an African genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Distribution Known from central Africa, the genus contains two species. However, due to the little material available, they may represent variations the same species. A t ...

'' Emery, 1908 * ''

Dicroaspis laevidens ''Dicroaspis'' is an African genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Distribution Known from central Africa, the genus contains two species. However, due to the little material available, they may represent variations the same species. A t ...

'' (

Santschi Felix Santschi (1 December 1872 – 20 November 1940) was a Swiss entomologist known for discovering that ants use the sun as a compass and for describing about 2000 taxa of ants. Santschi is known for his pioneering work on the navigational abi ...

, 1919)

References

*Emery, C. (1908). "Descriptions d'une genre nouveau et de plusieurs formes nouvelles de fourmis du Congo". ''Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique'' 52: 184–189. *Emery, C. (1915). "Formiche raccolte nell'Eritrea dal Prof. F. Silvestri". ''Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici'' 10: 3-26.

External links

* Myrmicinae Ant genera Hymenoptera of Africa {{myrmicinae-stub