Oryctocheiridae

## Taxonomy

Polypodia

Sarcopodia

Neopoda

Osteopoda

Polyschia

Platydontia

Edaphotheria

Eurycheiridae

Lystrocheiridae

Trypanocheiridae

Rhamphodontia

**Oryctocheiridae**

**Oryctocheiridae** (lit. "burrowing hands") is a clade within **Rhamphodontia** that have evolved eusociality.

## Description

They create huge tunnel complexes around sparse patches of vegetation in arid areas, each colony comprising anywhere from 30-100 members that feed on whatever food they can find, including plant tubers, tylophyte or cryptophyte bulbs, and malacoformes. Since they live entirely in their underground colonies, their eyes have shrunk and the acute vision of their ancestors has diminished. Their primary sense comes from their enlarged whisker-like mechanoreceptors on their pedipalps that helps them feel their way across their colonies.

They have also evolved a caste system with phenotypic plasticity to help them specialize for the role they play in the colony. The **workers** have broad spade-shaped claws for digging. **Soldiers** have sharp blade-like claws and teeth to repel any threat that tries to attack the nest. Both the workers and the soldiers spend their lives tending to and protecting the enormous **queen**, whose reproduction represents their only means of gaining fitness.

Very few young will develop into **dispersers**, who are the only members of the colony alongside the queen to reproduce. The dispersers leave the colony once they reach maturity to found new colonies, and have timed their dispersal to coincide with the wet season where resources are most abundant. The male dispersers will mate with as many female dispersers from other colonies as possible. The males who are lucky enough to evade predators will die naturally once the breeding season ends, and the females will find a suitable spot to dig a burrow to begin producing new colonies.

## Navigation

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							+ *unspecified*
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										+ *Vitapatatoria aspiana*
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* **Polypodia**
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				+ *Argyroderma piacentini*
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					- Platydontia
						* Archeplatydontia
							+ Archeplatydontidae
								- *unspecified*
									* Archeplatydontinae
										+ *Dendronomus vasquezi*
									* Xenodontia†
										+ Brachiocephalia†
										+ Euxenodontia†
											- Streptotarsi†
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								- Neoplatydontia
									* Pleuroptera
										+ Archepleuroptera
											- Archepleuropteridae†
												* *Anthonomos qbelocki*†
											- Platyptera
												* *Sphenorhynchus sullivanae*
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											- Chlamyptera†
												* Hypsirhynchidae†
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														- *Charcharonyx mackrethi*†
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												* *Cephalocarcinus elvari*†
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										+ *Pycnothrix dicksoni*†
									* Allobrachidae†
										+ Euallobrachidae†
											- Corythobrachidae†
												* Archecorythobrachidae†
												* Camarabrachidae†
													+ *Cyanolophus mcgyveri*†
											- Archeallobrachidae†
												* Archeallobrachinae†
													+ *Melanothrix oneiropolos*†
												* Ceratobrachidae†
													+ *Thyreocephalus cryarchon*†
										+ Teleobrachidae†
											- *Therizinyx elliotti†*
							+ Eurycheridae
								- Archeurycheridae†
									* Archeurycheirinae†
										+ *Prolestes solysti*†
									* *Teratocheirus*†
										+ *Teratocheuirus philipi*†
								- Lystrocheiridae
									* Lystrocheirinae
										+ *Psammonyx deschaini*
									* Trypanocheiridae
										+ Archetrypanocheiridae†
										+ Rhamphodontia
											- Eurhamphodontia
												* Archeramphodontia
													+ Apodomorpha
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														- Archeramphodontinae
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														- Archeacrocheiridae
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																		* Hadronychidae
																		* Daptodontia
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																	- Thaumatotheriidae
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																	- Archethrinaxorhynchidae
																	- Dictyorhynchidae
													+ Apatocheiridae†
											- **Oryctocheiridae**
					- Dromaeopoda
						* Archedromaepoda†
							+ *Rhomaleopus*†
							+ Archedromaeopodidae†
								- *Dromovenator setnovi*†
						* Onychodontia
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								- Euonychodontidae†
									* Ensidontia†
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										+ Prionodontia†
									* Euonychodontinae†
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							+ Allodontia
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									* Archallodontia†
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								- Thecopoda
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										+ *Leucothrix caliburi*†
									* Amphidontia
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										+ Xenopsidae
											- *polylophodon thomasi*
											- Archexenopsidae
												* Archexenopsinae
												* Euxenopsidae
													+ Ankistrobrachidae
													+ Neoxenopsidae
														- Teleopsidae
														- Chelaphora
															* Stenochelaphora
															* Pachychelaphora
											- Stenopsidae
												* File:StenopsidaeEvo.pngArchestenopsidae
												* Neostenopsidae
													+ Peloropsidae
														- Archepeloropsidae
														- Anaxotheriidae
													+ Ceratodontia
														- Archeceratodontia
														- Neoceratodontia
															* Aratrodontia
															* Isodontia
																+ Kophodontidae
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																	- Archelaphrodontia
																	- Neoelaphrodontia
																		* Spathodontia
																		* Xyrodontia
				+ Synischia
					- Megalobrachidae†
						* Archemegalobrachia†
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							+ Prenobrachidae†
						* Titanopoda†
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								- Euprocerapoda†
									* *Megaphagus matti*†
								- Stylopoda†
									* *Hybotitan bluenoti*†
							+ Baropoda†
								- Eubaropoda†
									* *Nanopus proximensis*†
									* Eubaropodidae†
								- Pachypoda†
					- Deinognatha
						* Eudeinognatha†
							+ Eudeinognathidae†
								- *Euoplos gulielmi*†
							+ Malleognatha†
						* Odontognatha
							+ Trachygnatha†
								- *Telmarchos krisi*†
							+ Dolichognatha
								- Eudolichognatha
									* Archedolichognatha†
									* Hybognatha
								- Pelagotheria†
									* Actatheria†
										+ *Eurypus geberi*†
									* Thalattotheria†
										+ Isopterygia†
										+ Anisopterygia†
											- *Pontodrakon nicholsi*†

* **Chemophyta**
	+ Archaeophyta
	+ Xenophyta
		- Caulophyta
			* Neocaulophyta
				+ Eucaulophyta
					- Eucaulophytaceae
						* Eucaulophytoideae
						* Nothodendrales†
					- Reptophyta
				+ Brachyphyta
					- Archebrachyphyta
						* Eubrachyphyta
							+ Eubrachyphytaceae
							+ Desmophyta
								- Carnophyta†
								- Chromatophyta
									* Archechromatophyta
										+ Archechromatophytacea
										+ Aphyllophyta
									* Zygophyta
										+ Zygophytacea
											- Zygodendrales
											- Archezygophytacea
										+ Harpactophyta†
						* Tylophyta
					- Cryptophyta
						* Eucryptophyta
						* Pagophyta
			* Necrophyta
		- Xylophyta
			* Euxylophyta
				+ Archexylophyta
					- Archexylophytacaea
					- Coelophyta
				+ Nodophyta
			* Altiphyta†
				+ *Trilobophyllus axidenti*†

 † = Extinct