Diacamma australe

Diacamma australe
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Diacamma
Species:	D. australe
Binomial name
Diacamma australe (Fabricius, 1775) Specimen labels

Diacamma australe is found along the northern Queensland coast and is sympatric with Diacamma schoedli in the northern part of its range.

At a Glance

• Gamergate

Identification

Dorsal surfaces of pronotum and head with distinct rugae. Petiolar spines relatively widely spaced, anterior face of node shorter than dorsal face and separated from it by a distinct angle.

This species can be separated from Diacamma colosseense and Diacamma schoedli by the presence of a block-like petiolar node and distinct sculpturing on the first gastral tergite. Note that this tergite is sculptured in all of these species. However, in this species the sculpturing is stronger and covers the posterior two-thirds of the segment, while in the others the sculpturing is weaker and limited to the anterior half.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Australian Diacamma Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 19.26666667° to -27.92304°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

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.

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Male (alate). Specimen code casent0172072. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ANIC, Canberra, Australia.

Queen (ergatoid). Specimen code casent0172073. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ANIC, Canberra, Australia.

Nomenclature

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

• australe. Formica australis Fabricius, 1775: 393 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Forel, 1915b: 26 (m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1952c: 609 (l.). Combination in Diacamma: Mayr, 1862: 718. See also: Shattuck & Barnett, 2006: 14.

Type Material

• Formica australis Fabricius, 1775: Holotype, worker, Australia (as New Holland), Australia, The Natural History Museum.

Description

Measurements (n = 12): HL 2.55 - 2.88 mm, HW 2.06 - 2.35 mm, CI 77 - 84, SL 2.87 - 3.27 mm, SI 133 - 148, ML 3.67 - 4.12 mm, MTL 2.34 - 2.65 mm, PH 1.26 - 1.59 mm, PL 0.95 - 1.14 mm, PI 66 - 79.

References

• Baer, B. 2011. The copulation biology of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 14: 55-68.
• Bitsch, J. & C. Peeters 1991. Moignons alaires et morphologie thoracique chez l'ouvrière de la fourmi Diacamma australe (Fabricius) (Hym. Formicidae Ponerinae). Bull. Société entomologique de France, 96: 213-221.
• Fabricius, J. C. 1775. Systema entomologiae, sistens insectorum classes, ordines, genera, species adiectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, observationibus. Flensburgi et Lipsiae [= Flensburg and Leipzig]: Korte, 832 pp. (page 393, worker described)
• Forel, A. 1915b. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(1 16: 1-119 (page 26, male described)
• Mayr, G. 1862. Myrmecologische Studien. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 12: 649-776 (page 718, Combination in Diacamma)
• Peeters C. & Higashi S. 1989. Reproductive dominance controlled by mutilation in the queenless ant Diacamma australe. Naturwissenschaften 76: 177-180.
• Shattuck, S.O. & Barnett, N.J. 2006. Australian species of the ant genus Diacamma. Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 13-19.
• Taylor, R. W.; Brown, D. R. 1985. Formicoidea. Zool. Cat. Aust. 2:1- 149: 1-149, 30 (page 29, Senior synonym of colossensis and levis)
• Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1952c. The ant larvae of the subfamily Ponerinae - Part II. Am. Midl. Nat. 48: 604-672 (page 609, larva described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Emery, C.. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia (continuazione e fine)." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 5, no. 25 (1887): 427-473.
• Forel A. 1915. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(16): 1-119
• Shattuck S. O., and N. J. Barnett. 2006. Australian species of the ant genus Diacamma (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 13-19.
• Viehmeyer H. 1914. Papuanische Ameisen. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1914: 515-535.