Iridomyrmex cephaloinclinus

Iridomyrmex cephaloinclinus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Tribe:	Leptomyrmecini
Genus:	Iridomyrmex
Species:	I. cephaloinclinus
Binomial name
Iridomyrmex cephaloinclinus Shattuck, 1993 Specimen labels

Collections of this taxon have been made at widely separated sites in Western Australia and Queensland, but the species appears to be morphologically fairly uniform across its range (see Shattuck, 1993b). Based on field observations by the first author, this large member of the I. rufoinclinus complex appears to be a solitary forager, unlike most dolichoderines.

Identification

As with other members of the I. rufoinclinus species-complex, I. cephaloinclinus is distinguished by colour pattern. In this case, the entire head capsule is reddish-brown to black, but the mesosoma is uniformly yellowish-red to reddish.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Iridomyrmex species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -19.13333° to -24.96535°.

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.

Nomenclature

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

• cephaloinclinus. Iridomyrmex cephaloinclinus Shattuck, 1993b: 1315, figs. 32, 33, 37 (w.) AUSTRALIA. See also: Heterick & Shattuck, 2011: 59.

Type Material

• Holotype, worker, Pretty Pool (Caravan Park), Port Headland, Western Australia, Australia, 20°18′44″S 118°38′14″E, Shattuck,S.O., ANIC32-000055, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Paratype, 72 workers, Pretty Pool (Caravan Park), Port Headland, Western Australia, Australia, 20°18′44″S 118°38′14″E, Shattuck,S.O., ANIC32-000056, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Paratype, 3 workers, Pretty Pool (Caravan Park), Port Headland, Western Australia, Australia, 20°18′44″S 118°38′14″E, The Natural History Museum.
• Paratype, 3 workers, Pretty Pool (Caravan Park), Port Headland, Western Australia, Australia, 20°18′44″S 118°38′14″E, Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Description

Worker Description. Head. Posterior margin of head weakly concave, or strongly concave; erect setae on posterior margin in full-face view set in a row; sides of head noticeably convex; erect genal setae present on sides of head in full-face view. Number of ocelli one (a minute ocellus), position of obsolete ocelli indicated by small pits only or pits lacking; in full-face view, eyes set at about midpoint of head capsule; in profile, eye set anteriad of head capsule; eye more-or-less circular, or semi-circular. Frontal carinae concave; antennal scape surpassing posterior margin of head by 1–2 x its diameter. Erect setae on scape present and abundant; prominence on anteromedial clypeal margin projecting as blunt but distinct protuberance; mandible elongate triangular with oblique basal margin; long, curved setae on venter of head capsule present. Mesosoma. Pronotum moderately and evenly curved over its length. Erect pronotal setae numerous (12 or more) and longest setae elongate, flexuous and/or curved. Mesonotum sinuous. Erect mesonotal setae numerous (12 or more) and elongate, flexuous and/or curved. Mesothoracic spiracles always prominent as small, vertical protuberances; propodeal dorsum straight and short (equal in length to propodeal declivity); placement of propodeal spiracle mesad, more than its diameter away from propodeal declivity; propodeal angle weakly present or absent, the confluence of the dorsal and declivitous propodeal faces indicated, if at all, by an undulation. Petiole. Dorsum of node convex; node thick, orientated anteriad. Gaster. Non- marginal erect setae of gaster present on first gastral tergite; marginal erect setae of gaster present on first tergite. General characters. Allometric differences between workers of same nest absent. Colour head (except lower genae) and gaster blackish-brown, coxae brown, legs (some workers) cloudy orange-brown, lower genae, mesosoma and legs (some workers) brick-red. Colour of erect setae yellowish-white.

Measurements. Worker (n = 7)—CI 92–98; EI 25–27; EL 0.26–0.33; EW 0.16–0.19; HL 1.11–1.35; HW 1.05–1.32; ML 0.42–0.64; PpH 0.15–0.23; PpL 0.66–0.83; SI 82–89; SL 0.91–1.13.

References

• Heterick, B.E. & Shattuck, S.O. 2011. Revision of the ant genus Iridomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 2845: 1-175.
• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Majer, J.D., Castalanelli, M.A., Ledger, J.L., Gunawardene, N.R., Heterick, B.E. 2018. Sequencing the ant fauna of a small island: Can metagenomic analysis enable faster identification for routine ant surveys? Sociobiology 65, 422-432 (doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v65i3.2885).
• Shattuck, S.O. 1993b. Revision of the Iridomyrmex calvus species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Invertebr. Taxon. : 1303-1325.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Heterick B. E., and S. Shattuck. 2011. Revision of the ant genus Iridomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 2845: 1-174.
• Shattuck S. O. 1993. Revision of the Iridomyrmex calvus species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 7: 1303-1325.