Oxyepoecus

Oxyepoecus is a Neotropical genus of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus is a member of the tribe Solenopsidini and currently includes 20 species.[2]

Oxyepoecus
O. bruchi worker from Paraguay
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Family:
Formicidae
Subfamily:
Myrmicinae
Tribe:
Solenopsidini
Genus:
Oxyepoecus

Santschi, 1926
Type species
Oxyepoecus bruchi
Santschi, 1926
Diversity[1]
20 species
Synonyms

Forelifidis Smith, 1954
Martia Forel, 1907

Distribution

The genus of is known from the Neotropics, from Colombia to Chile, where it is collected infrequently.[3]

Identification

Oxyepoecus is differentiated from other Solenopsidini by the 11-segmented antennae with a three-segmented apical club, the clypeus with four teeth, and the dentate propodeum. In addition, the petiole and postpetiole nodes are high and often anteroposteriorly compressed.[3]

Biology

The biology of the genus is poorly known, but three species (O. inquilinus, O. daguerrei, and O. bruchi) are suspected to be inquilines of Pheidole or Solenopsis, although the exact nature of the relationship is unclear. These three species are considered as "Vulnerable D2" by IUCN, meaning they are suspected to be "facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future" because "their populations are characterized by an acute restriction in their area of occupancy (typically less than 100 km2) or in the number of locations (typically fewer than five)."[3]

Species
  • Oxyepoecus bidentatus Delsinne & Mackay, 2011
  • Oxyepoecus browni Albuquerque & Brandão, 2004
  • Oxyepoecus bruchi Santschi, 1926
  • Oxyepoecus crassinodus Kempf, 1974
  • Oxyepoecus daguerrei (Santschi, 1933)
  • Oxyepoecus ephippiatus Albuquerque & Brandão, 2004
  • Oxyepoecus inquilinus (Kusnezov, 1952)
  • Oxyepoecus kempfi Albuquerque & Brandão, 2004
  • Oxyepoecus longicephalus Albuquerque & Brandão, 2004
  • Oxyepoecus mandibularis (Emery, 1913)
  • Oxyepoecus myops Albuquerque & Brandão, 2009
  • Oxyepoecus plaumanni Kempf, 1974
  • Oxyepoecus punctifrons (Borgmeier, 1927)
  • Oxyepoecus quadratus Albuquerque & Brandão, 2004
  • Oxyepoecus rastratus (Mayr, 1887)
  • Oxyepoecus reticulatus Kempf, 1974
  • Oxyepoecus rosai Albuquerque & Brandão, 2009
  • Oxyepoecus striatus Mackay & Delsinne, 2011
  • Oxyepoecus vezenyii (Forel, 1907)
  • Oxyepoecus vivax Kempf, 1974


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References
  1. Bolton, B. (2014). "Oxyepoecus". AntCat. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  2. "Genus: Oxyepoecus". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  3. Delsinne, T.; MacKay, W.; Wild, A.; Roisin, Y.; Leponce, M. (2012). "Distribution and Diversity of the Cryptic Ant Genus Oxyepoecus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Paraguay with Descriptions of Two New Species". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 2012: 1. doi:10.1155/2012/594302.


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