Discothyrea are extremely small, cryptobiotic inhabitatants of forest leaf litter (see Genus Overview).

Discothyrea horni is the most common species in Costa Rica. It occurs in a wide variety of habitats: lowland wet or dry forest and montane cloud forest. It is more abundant in montane and cloud forest than in lowland forest. Workers and queens are relatively common in Berlese and Winkler samples of soil and litter. I have never found a nest.