Phyracaces Emery 1901

Phyracaces Emery

Closely related to Cerapachys. The worker and female have 12-jointed antenna. The terminal funicular joint, however, is not enlarged but tapers from the base to the tip and is not longer or scarcely longer than the two preceding joints together. The eyes of the worker are much larger than in Cerapachys and the sides of the petiole and often also of the postpetiole are strongly marginate. The female is winged or apterous and ergatoid; the male is known in certain Australian species.

1 1902, -'An American Cerapachys, with remarks on the affinities of the Cerapachyinae' Biol. Bull.. III. pp. 181-191, 5 figs.

This genus is known only from the Ethiopian, Malagasy, Indomalayan, Papuan, and Australian Regions (Map 6) and is represented by the greatest number of species in Australia. The little that is known concerning the habits of the species is recorded in my paper entitled 'The Australian ants of the ponerine tribe Cerapachyini." The workers forage in small armies on the surface of the soil, like many Dorylinae, and prey on other ants or possibly on any small insects they may encounter.