Hypogeous
Guides
Cryptopone
Pit-jawed Ants
Cryptopone is a genus of small to medium-sized ponerine ants with a pantropical to worldwide distribution, with highest diversity in East and Southeast Asia. The genus contains approximately 23-25 extant species. Workers range from 1.7–6.1 mm in length. Many species exhibit an endogeic (underground-dwelling) lifestyle, making them difficult to detect and historically under-recorded. The genus was taxonomically revised in 2010 and again in 2022, with species previously synonymized under Wadeura separated out.
Omalonomus
Omalonomus is a genus of blind, wingless, lightly pigmented subterranean rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. The type species Omalonomus relictus was described in 1990 from the Cypress Hills of Alberta-Saskatchewan, Canada. Its highly modified morphology reflects adaptation to a hypogeous lifestyle. The genus is considered a preglacial relict, supporting evidence for ice-free refugia in the Cypress Hills during Pleistocene glaciation.