Dolichoderinae

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Dolichoderinae
Meat eater ant feeding on honey.jpg
Iridomyrmex purpureus feeding on honey
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Forel, 1878
Type genus
Dolichoderus
Lund, 1831
Diversity [1]
48 genera

Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the cone ant. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the world, distributed in different biogeographic realms, from the Palearctic, Nearctic, Afrotropical region and Malaysia, to the Middle East, Australian, and Neotropical regions. [2]

Contents

This subfamily is distinguished by having a single petiole (no post-petiole) and a slit-like orifice, from which chemical compounds are released. Dolichoderine ants do not possess a sting, unlike ants in some other subfamilies, such as Ponerinae and Myrmicinae, instead relying on the chemical defensive compounds produced from the anal gland. [3]

Of the compounds produced by dolichoderine ants, several terpenoids were identified including the previously unknown iridomyrmecin, isoiridomyrmecin, and iridodial. [4] Such compounds are responsible for the smell given off by ants of this subfamily when crushed or disturbed.[ citation needed ]


Tribes and genera

Usomyrma mirabilis Usomyrma mirabilis holotype male profile view.jpg
Usomyrma mirabilis


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Formicinae</span> Subfamily of ants

The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponerinae</span> Subfamily of ants

Ponerinae is a subfamily of ants in the Poneromorph subfamilies group, with about 1,600 species in 47 extant genera, including Dinoponera gigantea - one of the world's largest species of ant. Mated workers have replaced the queen as the functional egg-layers in several species of ponerine ants. In such queenless species, the reproductive status of workers can only be determined through ovarian dissections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrmicinae</span> Subfamily of ants with cosmopolitan distribution whose pupae do not create cocoons

Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent and in soil, rotting wood, under stones, or in trees.

<i>Tapinoma</i> Genus of ants

Tapinoma is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus currently comprises 74 described species distributed worldwide in tropical and temperate regions. Members of are generalized foragers, nesting in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from grasslands, open fields, woodlands, to inside buildings. The majority of species nest in the ground under objects such as stones or tree logs, other species build nests under bark of logs and stumps, in plant cavities, insect galls or refuse piles.

<i>Aphaenogaster</i> Genus of ants

Aphaenogaster is a genus of myrmicine ants. About 200 species have been described, including 18 fossil species. They occur worldwide except in South America south of Colombia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Antarctica.

<i>Hypoponera</i> Genus of ants

Hypoponera is a genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. The genus has a worldwide distribution and is found in all continents except Antarctica.

<i>Dolichoderus</i> Genus of ants

Dolichoderus is a genus of ants found worldwide.

<i>Azteca</i> (ant) Genus

Azteca is a strictly Neotropical genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus is very diverse and contains around 84 extant species and two fossil species. They are essentially arboreal and many species have mutualistic associations with particular plant species, where the genus Cecropia presents the most conspicuous association. In the Brazilian Amazonia, Azteca species are associated with species of Codonanthopsis.

<i>Linepithema</i> Genus of ants

Linepithema is a genus of small ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae.

<i>Bothriomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Bothriomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae.

<i>Technomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Technomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. With 98 species, it is one of the largest and most diverse ant genera in the Dolichoderinae. The genus distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical zones with most species occurring in the Oriental-Malesian and Afrotropical regions. One species, Technomyrmex albipes is a tramp ant now widespread throughout the tropics due to human activities.

<i>Carebara</i> Genus of ants

Carebara is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is one of the largest myrmicine genera with more than 200 species distributed worldwide in the tropics and the Afrotropical region. Many of them are very tiny cryptic soil and leaf litter inhabitants. They nest in rotten wood to which the bark is still adherent in the Afrotropical region, or may be lestobiotic nesting near other ant species. Some species are known to exist parasitically within termite nests. Little is known about the biology of the species. However, they are notable for the vast difference in size between queens and workers.

<i>Nylanderia</i> Genus of ants

Nylanderia is a large genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution with species inhabiting a wide array of habitats in almost all geographic regions. Nylanderia, currently containing over 110 species, is an ecologically important genus, with some species reported as being invasive. The ants are small to medium in size and range in color from pale yellow to black.

<i>Bothroponera</i> Genus of ants

Bothroponera is a genus of ants in the subfamily Ponerinae. It is distributed in Africa and Asia.

<i>Lioponera</i> Genus of ants

Lioponera is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dorylinae containing approximately 74 described species. The genus is distributed widely across the Afrotropical, Australasia, Indomalaya, Malagasy, and Palearctic bioregions. Lioponera was described by Mayr (1879) and later placed as a junior synonym of Cerapachys by Brown (1975). Lioponera was resurrected as a valid genus by Borowiec (2016) during redescription of the doryline genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leptomyrmecini</span> Tribe of ants

Leptomyrmecini is a tribe of Dolichoderinae ants with 16 genera and two extinct genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponerini</span> Tribe of ants

Ponerini is a tribe of Ponerinae ants with 46 genera and 6 extinct genera.

References

  1. Bolton, B. (2015). "Dolichoderinae". AntCat. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  2. Cardoso, D.; Cristiano, M. P.; Barros, L. S.; Lopes, D.; Pompolo, S. (2012). "First cytogenetic characterization of a species of the arboreal ant genus Azteca Forel, 1978 (Dolichoderinae, Formicidae)". Comparative Cytogenetics. 6 (2): 107–14. doi:10.3897/CompCytogen.v6i2.2397. PMC   3833797 . PMID   24260655.
  3. Fisher, Brian L. and Stefan P. Cover (2007) Ants of North America: a guide to the genera
  4. Wilson, E. O.; Pavan, M. (1959). "Glandular Sources and Specificity of Some Chemical Releasers of Social Behavior in Dolichoderine Ants". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 66 (4): 70. doi: 10.1155/1959/45675 .