Ooceraea

Ooceraea is an Old World lineage that contains a species emerging as the only model organism among dorylines, the clonal O. biroi.

Identification
Diagnosis. Worker. The workers of Ooceraea can be distinguished by a combination of propodeal spiracle positioned low on the sclerite and pygidium armed with modified setae, antennae with 11 or fewer segments, pronotomesopleural suture developed, two-segmented waist with abdominal segment III strongly tubulated, and no constrictions between abdominal segments IV, V, and VI. The abdominal segment IV is conspicuously the largest and its tergite does not fold over the sternite anteriorly. The habitus of Ooceraea is distinctive, with conspicuously differentiated abdominal segment III forming a postpetiole, eyes small or absent, and coarse cuticular sculpturing. Among the non-army ant dorylines that exhibit reduction in antennomere count Ooceraea can only be confused with Syscia and Parasyscia. The former exhibits a conspicuous folding of the anterior portion of abdominal tergite IV and possesses a unique mid-tibial gland (see below). The few Parasyscia species that have 11 antennal segments can be distinguished from Ooceraea by fused pronotomesopleural suture and larger abdominal segment III.

Distribution
Ooceraea is a lineage confined to the Indomalayan and Australasian regions, including the Fijian archipelago. O. biroi is a tramp species that has been more widely introduced across tropical regions of the world.

Species richness
Species richness by country based on regional taxon lists (countries with darker colours are more species-rich). View Data



Biology
The members of this lineage are found primarily in leaf litter and soil core samples. Worker morphology (eyes often very small or absent) is also suggestive of subterranean habits.

Nomenclature

 *  OOCERAEA  [Dorylinae]
 * Ooceraea Roger, 1862a: 248. Type-species: Ooceraea fragosa, by monotypy.
 * Ooceraea subgenus of Cerapachys: Emery, 1902d: 24; Wheeler, W.M. 1902d: 185; Emery, 1911d: 10.
 * Ooceraea junior synonym of Cerapachys: Brown, 1975: 19.
 * Ooceraea as genus: Borowiec, 2016: 191.
 * CYSIAS [junior synonym of Ooceraea]
 * Cysias Emery, 1902c: 24 [as subgenus of Cerapachys]. Type-species: Ooceraea papuana, by original designation.
 * Cysias raised to genus: Ashmead, 1905b: 382.
 * Cysias subgenus of Cerapachys: Wheeler, W.M. 1910g: 137.
 * Cysias junior synonym of Syscia: Emery, 1911d: 10.
 * Cysias junior synonym of Cerapachys: Kempf, 1972a: 76; see also Brown, 1975: 19.
 * Cysias junior synonym of Ooceraea: Borowiec, 2016: 191.