Onychomyrmex facts for kids
Onychomyrmex is a special group of ants found only in Australia. There are three known species of these ants. They live in the eastern part of Queensland. Even though they aren't "true" army ants, they act a lot like them! This means they hunt for food in big groups and move around a lot.
Quick facts for kids Onychomyrmex |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| O. hedleyi worker from Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: |
Amblyoponinae
|
| Tribe: |
Amblyoponini
|
| Genus: |
Onychomyrmex
Emery, 1895
|
| Type species | |
| Onychomyrmex hedleyi Emery, 1895
|
|
| Diversity | |
| 3 species | |
Contents
Where Onychomyrmex Ants Live
These ants are found in Queensland, Australia. They mostly live in old, rotten logs. You can find them in the rainforests along the eastern coast. They might also live in the northeastern part of New South Wales.
The places where each of the three species was first found are:
- Kuranda (for O. doddi)
- Mount Bellenden Ker (for O. hedleyi)
- Herberton (for O. mjobergi)
What Onychomyrmex Ants Are Like
Onychomyrmex ants act a lot like army ants. This means they hunt for food in groups. They also move their homes often, instead of staying in one place.
Queens and Workers
The queen ants of Onychomyrmex look similar to true army ant queens. They have a wide head and very tiny eyes. Their body (called an alitrunk) is like a worker's body. It doesn't have wings or hard plates. Their back part (called a gaster) is long and bulky.
Even though they look like army ants, Onychomyrmex ants belong to a different group. Scientists believe they developed these army-ant features on their own. This is called convergent evolution. It means different animals can develop similar traits if they live in similar ways.
The worker ants are thinner than other ants in their group. They also have longer legs and feelers.
Hunting and Moving Habits
Workers of O. hedleyi and O. doddi hunt together in large groups. This is just like true army ants. O. hedleyi ants mainly hunt other insects, especially centipedes.
When they catch large prey, they don't break it apart right away. Instead, they call other ants from their group to help. Together, they carry the prey back to their home. If the prey is too big to carry, the ants will move their entire home! Their home is called a bivouac. It's a temporary nest made from the bodies of living ants. They can move their bivouac up to 150 meters to be closer to their large meal.
Species of Onychomyrmex
- Onychomyrmex doddi Wheeler, 1916
- Onychomyrmex hedleyi Emery, 1895
- Onychomyrmex mjobergi Forel, 1915
See also
In Spanish: Onychomyrmex para niños
