Ocymyrmex velox

Marsh (1986b) notes that velox is restricted to the eastern gravel plains in the Namib Desert. Nests of the species are inconspicuous and normally have only one entrance hole. A semilunar crater of excavated material may occur near the nest entrance. He adds that velox is a diurnal insectivore which scavenges dead arthropods, but it will also prey on termites of the genus Hodotermes when eruptions of the latter occur.

Identification
The type-material and few samples of velox earlier available for examination (Bolton, 1981) all showed the same colour pattern. The alitrunk was dull red to blackish red, the head a lighter red, and the gaster lighter still, orange or even yellow in some individuals. Collections made by Alan Marsh in the Namib Desert at Etosha, in the Naukluft Mountains, and at 23 deg. 23 min. S., 15 deg. 32 min. E., show some velox with this colour pattern but others darker. In the latter the head is red but the remainder of the body is uniformly reddish black to black. Specimens collected by Hamish Robertson in the Namib Naukluft Park are the same as this dark material of Marsh's, but an even darker specimen, collected by H. Schlagbauer in the Brandburg Mountains, also has the head reddish black. Cephalic sculpture is also variable in intensity. It is usually quite faint but in some individuals it may be more strongly developed and conspicuous.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe.

Nomenclature

 *  velox. Ocymyrmex velox Santschi, 1932a: 387 (w.) NAMIBIA. Bolton, 1981b: 261 (q.). See also: Bolton, 1981b: 280; Bolton & Marsh, 1989: 1306.