Oecophylla

Taxonomy

Oecophylla (subfamily Formicinae) is one group of weaver ants containing two closely related living species: O. longinoda and O. smaragdina. They are placed in a tribe of their own, Oecophyllini with the extinct genus Eoecophylla. The weaver ant genus Oecophylla is relatively old, and 15 fossil species have been described from Eocene to Miocene deposits. The oldest members of both Oecophyllini and Oecophylla are fossils described from the mid-YpresianEocene Okanagan Highlands of Northwestern North America. Two other genera of weaving ants, Polyrhachis and Camponotus, also use larval silk in nest construction, but the construction and architecture of their nests are simpler than those of Oecophylla.