| Iridomyrmex dromus | |
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| Species: | I. dromus |
| Binomial name | |
| Iridomyrmex dromus Clark, 1938 | |
Iridomyrmex dromus is a species of ant in the genus Iridomyrmex . Described by John S. Clark in 1938, the ant is a nocturnal species that is distributed nationwide in Australia, commonly found in habitats such as desert, dry sclerophyll and rainforests in Tasmania. [1] [2]
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.
John S. Clark was a Scottish-born Australian entomologist and myrmecologist known for his study of Australian ants. Born in Glasgow, he developed an interest in entomology at a young age. Clark first arrived in Australia in 1905 and originally worked for the state railways in Queensland. He developed an interest in ants shortly afterwards, collecting his first specimens in North Queensland. He married his first wife, Maggie Forbes in 1908, bearing four children, until her death in 1935. He married his second wife, Phyllis Marjorie Claringbulls in 1939 and had two daughters with her until she committed suicide in 1943. As a result, Clark sent his daughters to an orphanage.
