Iridomyrmex curvifrons

Iridomyrmex curvifrons
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Genus:	Iridomyrmex
Species:	I. curvifrons
Binomial name
	Iridomyrmex curvifrons; Heterick & Shattuck, 2011

Last updated October 20, 2019

Iridomyrmex curvifrons is a species of ant in the genus Iridomyrmex . Described in 2011, all known specimens have been collected in south-east Queensland.^[1]

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 140 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.

Iridomyrmex, or the rainbow ant is a genus of ant first described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. He placed it in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicidae. There are 79 described species and five fossil species. Most of these ants are native to Australia; others are found in several countries and islands in Asia and other areas in Oceania, and they have been introduced to Brazil, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. Fossil species are known from China, France and the United States.

Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi).

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Iridomyrmex sanguineus is a species of ant in the genus Iridomyrmex. The ant is endemic to Australia and was described by Forel in 1910.

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Iridomyrmex viridiaeneus is a species of ant in the genus Iridomyrmex. Described by Viehmeyer in 1914, the species is among the most widespread species in Australia of the genus.

References

↑ Shattuck, Brian E. Heterick & Steve (2011). Revision of the ant genus Iridomyrmex (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) (PDF). Auckland, N.Z.: Magnolia Press. ISBN 978-1-86977-676-3 . Retrieved 2 January 2015.

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[Shattuck-1] Shattuck, Brian E. Heterick & Steve (2011). Revision of the ant genus Iridomyrmex (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) (PDF). Auckland, N.Z.: Magnolia Press. ISBN 978-1-86977-676-3 . Retrieved 2 January 2015.