Iridomyrmex hartmeyeri

Iridomyrmex hartmeyeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Tribe:	Leptomyrmecini
Genus:	Iridomyrmex
Species:	I. hartmeyeri
Binomial name
	Iridomyrmex hartmeyeri; Forel, 1907

Like close relatives, this ant is largely nocturnal. It has a generally very broad distribution over much of the Australian continent, but avoids the wetter southwest and south-east corners.

Identification

Iridomyrmex hartmeyeri is a pale yellowish to dull orange ant, with large, asymmetrical compound eyes. The workers can be of a reasonable size, their proportions approaching those of a small meat ant in some populations. The large size, indented posterior margin of the head, glabrous hind tibia and glabrous or near glabrous mesosomal dorsum set this species aside from similar ants.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 22.5045° to -37°.


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.

Biology

Association with Other Organisms

Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

This species is a mutualist for the aphid Aphis clerodendri (a trophobiont) (Carver et al., 2003; Saddiqui et al., 2019).

Castes

Nomenclature

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

hartmeyeri. Iridomyrmex hartmeyeri Forel, 1907h: 296 (w.) AUSTRALIA. See also: Heterick & Shattuck, 2011: 87.

Type Material

Syntype, 1 worker, Day Dawn, Western Australia, Australia, Australian National Insect Collection.
Syntype, 1 woriker, Day Dawn, Western Australia, Australia, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Syntype, 2 workers, Day Dawn, Western Australia, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
Syntype, 1 worker, Day Dawn, Western Australia, Australia, Western Australian Museum.

Description

Worker Description. Head. Posterior margin of head weakly concave, or strongly concave; erect setae on posterior margin absent; sides of head noticeably convex; erect genal setae absent from sides of head in full-face view (one to a few small setae may be present near mandibular insertion). Ocelli absent; in full-face view, eyes set above midpoint of head capsule; in profile, eye set anteriad of head capsule; eye asymmetrical, curvature of inner eye margin more pronounced than its outer margin and anterior sector of eye distinctly broader than its posterior sector. Frontal carinae straight; antennal scape surpassing posterior margin of head by approximately 3 x its diameter. Erect setae on scape absent, except at tip; 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 absent. Mesosoma. Pronotum strongly inclined anteriorly. Erect pronotal setae lacking or very minute (one or two tiny setae may be present). Mesonotum sinuous, or straight. Erect mesonotal setae lacking or very minute (one or two tiny setae present). Mesothoracic spiracles always inconspicuous; propodeal dorsum protuberant, or smoothly and evenly convex; 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. Erect propodeal setae lacking or very minute (one or two tiny setae present). Petiole. Dorsum of node convex; node thin, scale-like, orientation more-or-less vertical. Gaster. Non-marginal erect setae of gaster present or absent on first gastral tergite; marginal erect setae of gaster present on first tergite, or absent on first tergite. General characters. Allometric differences between workers of same nest present. Colour of foreparts uniformly pale yellow to medium ochre, gaster brown in darker specimens. Colour of erect setae where present, pale yellowish.

Measurements. Worker (n = 10)—CI 88–93; EI 32–38; EL 0.28–0.40; EW 0.21–0.29; HFL 1.07–2.00; HL 0.88–1.33; HW 0.78–1.20; ML 1.15–2.00; MTL 0.77–1.44; PpH 0.17–0.30; PpL 0.44–0.75; SI 106–126; SL 0.86– 1.43.

References

Forel, A. 1907j. Formicidae. In: Michaelsen, W., Hartmeyer, R. (eds.) Die Fauna Südwest-Australiens. Band I, Lieferung 7. Jena: Gustav Fischer, pp. 263-310. (page 296, worker described)
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).
Siddiqui, J. A., Li, J., Zou, X., Bodlah, I., Huang, X. 2019. Meta-analysis of the global diversity and spatial patterns of aphid-ant mutualistic relationships. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 17: 5471-5524 (doi:10.15666/aeer/1703_54715524).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

CSIRO Collection
Chong C-S., L. J. Thomson, and A. A. Hoffmann. 2011. High diversity of ants in Australian vineyards. Australian Journal of Entomology 50: 7-21.
Fisher J., L. Beames, B. J. Rangers, N. N. Rangers, J. Majer, and B. Heterick. 2014. Using ants to monitor changes within and surrounding the endangered Monsoon Vine Thickets of the tropical Dampier Peninsula, north Western Australia. Forest Ecology and Management 318: 7890.
Heterick B. E., B. Durrant, and N. R. Gunawardene. 2010. The ant fauna of the Pilbara Bioregion, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 78: 157-167.
Heterick B. E., and S. Shattuck. 2011. Revision of the ant genus Iridomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 2845: 1-174.