Onychomyrmex is an Australian genus of in the subfamily Amblyoponinae.
Distribution
The genus is known from
Queensland, Australia, where it is found living mainly in rotten logs in the
along the eastern coast. Their distribution may range into the northeastern New South Wales.
The type localities of the three species are: Kuranda (
O. doddi), Mount Bellenden Ker (
O. hedleyi) and Herberton (
O. mjobergi).
Description
Species have an
army ant life style, including group predation and nomadism.
Queens are similar to the true army ants (subfamily
Dorylinae). That is,
Onychomyrmex queens are dichthadiiform, having a broadened head, very small eyes, worker-like
alitrunk without wings or
, and an elongated bulky gaster. However, belonging to the tribe
Amblyoponini, they are evidently amblyoponines and the army-ant like characters are deemed to have evolved through convergent evolution. Workers are more slender and have longer
than
Amblyopone.
Workers of O. hedleyi and O. doddi have been reported to forage in small groups en masse, like the true army ants.
Species
External links
