''Dicroaspis'' is an African
genus of
ants in the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
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 and ...
.
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,
Kenya.
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 between t ...
of ''
Calyptomyrmex'' by Emery (1915). The
taxon 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 of
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 rainfores ...
s.
Species
* ''
Dicroaspis cryptocera''
Emery, 1908
* ''
Dicroaspis laevidens''
(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