Anonychomyrma dimorpha

Anonychomyrma dimorpha
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Tribe:	Leptomyrmecini
Genus:	Anonychomyrma
Species:	A. dimorpha
Binomial name
Anonychomyrma dimorpha (Viehmeyer, 1912) Specimen Labels
Subspecies
Anonychomyrma dimorpha contenta Viehmeyer, 1913

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -1.833° to -9°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea (type locality), Solomon Islands.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Anonychomyrma species are common in moist to semi-arid forested areas (and are less common in rain forests). They nest either in soil with or without coverings, or arboreally in living or dead wood. Workers forage in conspicuous trails on the ground and on tree trunks. Although not studied in detail, they seem to be general predators and also collect plant juices. Some species are associated with the caterpillars of selected butterflies. Nest sizes are moderate to large, ranging from 500 to tens of thousands of workers. When disturbed, most species elevate their gasters and release strong, acrid smelling chemicals as a defensive measure. While similar to Iridomyrmex in general habitat preferences and ecology, most Anonychomyrma prefer moister sites and are predominately arboreal. Iridomyrmex species occur in drier sites and are predominantly terrestrial.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• dimorpha. Iridomyrmex dimorphus Viehmeyer, 1912: 7, fig. 7 (w.) NEW GUINEA (Papua New Guinea).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated, “in numbers”).
  • [Notes (i): Kostyuk, 1976: 99, and Radchenko, Fisher, et al. 2024: 283, cite 3w syntypes SIZK; (ii) Baroni Urbani, 1977e: 75, cites 2w syntypes NHMB; (iii) Shattuck, 1994: 4, cites 3w syntypes MHNG.]
  • Type-locality: Papua New Guinea (“German New Guinea”): Torricelli Mts (640 m.), 17-18.ix.1909 (O. Schlaginhaufen).
  • Type-depositories: MHNG, MNHU, NHMB, SIZK, SMTD.
  • Donisthorpe, 1941h: 60 (m.).
  • Combination in Anonychomyrma: Shattuck, 1992a: 13.
  • Status as species: Mann, 1919: 363 (redescription); Wheeler, W.M. 1935g: 35; Donisthorpe, 1941h: 59; Donisthorpe, 1949b: 500; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 189; Shattuck, 1994: 4; Bolton, 1995b: 66; Sarnat, et al. 2013: 69.
  • Distribution: Indonesia (Irian Jaya, Yapen), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Is.
  • Current subspecies: nominal plus contenta.

References

• Cantone S. 2017. Winged Ants, The Male, Dichotomous key to genera of winged male ants in the World, Behavioral ecology of mating flight (self-published).
• Donisthorpe, H. 1941h. The ants of Japen Island, Dutch New Guinea (Hym., Formicidae). Trans. R. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 91: 51-64 (page 60, male described)
• Mann, W. M. 1919. The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63: 273-391 (page 363, redescription of worker)
• Shattuck, S. O. 1992a. Review of the dolichoderine ant genus Iridomyrmex Mayr with descriptions of three new genera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 31: 13-18 (page 13, combination in Anonychomyrma)
• Viehmeyer, H. 1912b. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abh. Ber. K. Zool. Anthropol.-Ethnogr. Mus. Dres. 14: 1-26 (page 7, fig. 7 worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Baroni Urbani C. 1977. Katalog der Typen von Formicidae (Hymenoptera) der Sammlung des Naturhistorischen Museums Basel (2. Teil). Mitt. Entomol. Ges. Basel (n.s.) 27: 61-102.
• Donisthorpe H. 1949. A fifth instalment of the Ross Collection of ants from New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (12)1: 487-506.
• Donisthorpe, Horace. 1941. The Ants of Japen Island, Dutch New Guinea (Hym. Formicidae). The Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London. 91(2):51-64.
• Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
• Mann W. M. 1919. The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63:273-391.
• Mann William. 1916. The Ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 63(7): 273-391
• Mann, W.M. 1919. The ants of the British Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard College 63: 273-391
• Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.
• Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.
• Wheeler W.M. 1935. Check list of the ants of Oceania. Occasional Papers of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum 11(11):1-56.
• Wheeler, William Morton.1935.Checklist of the Ants of Oceania.Occasional Papers 11(11): 3-56