Dolichoderus etus

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Dolichoderus etus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Tribe: Dolichoderini
Genus: Dolichoderus
Species group: doriae
Species: D. etus
Binomial name
Dolichoderus etus
Shattuck & Marsden, 2013

Shattuck & Mardsen 2013-17Dolichoderus-etus-hal.jpg

Shattuck & Mardsen 2013-17Dolichoderus-etus-had.jpg

Dolichoderus etus is interesting in that while it is known from a fairly restricted region of eastern and coastal New South Wales it is found in forested habitats ranging from dry to wet sclerophyll. It is curious that a species with an apparently broad habitat range should be so geographically restricted. Nests are in soil under rocks.

Identification

Pronotum and propodeum with elongate spines; the short pronotal spines are directed anteriorly and approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, in dorsal view a line drawn between their tips intersects the pronotal collar; the first gastral tergite generally lacking hairs but with abundant appressed fine pubescence and occasionally a few very short, scattered hairs present.

Dolichoderus etus can be distinguished from all other Australian Dolichoderus species by its short, anteriorly directed pronotal spines combined with the general lack of erect hairs and the presence of very fine pubescence on the first gastral tergite.

Identification Keys including this Taxon

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -32.6° to -32.6°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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.
pChart

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.
pChart

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • etus. Dolichoderus etus Shattuck & Marsden, 2013: 116, fig. 9 (w.) AUSTRALIA.

Type Material

Description

Other than slight variation in the intensity of leg colour, sometimes even within a single individual, all specimens are similar.

Measurements (n=5). CI 90–99; EI 17–20; EL 0.30–0.35; HL 1.73–1.91; HW 1.65–1.82; ML 2.73–2.93; MTL 1.84–2.11; PronI 66.21–69.32; PronW 1.13–1.21; SI 113–125; SL 1.99–2.15.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Shattuck S. O., and S. Marsden. 2013. Australian species of the ant genus Dolichoderus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 3716(2): 101-143.