Iridomyrmex rufoinclinus

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

Iridomyrmex rufoinclinus occurs across the entire top end of Australia, from the Kimberley region to south central Queensland, and Shattuck (1993b) states that this species appears to favour woodland. Shattuck (1993b) also reports that workers from the colony from which the type series was taken were foraging throughout the day in a loosely formed column. Observations of other colonies revealed workers would move on to low vegetation. The nest housing ants belonging to the type series was a low, asymmetrical disc of loose soil, and had a single entrance hole.

Identification

This species is distinctive in its colouration, being the only member of the I. rufoinclinus species- complex with a uniformly red or yellowish-red head and mesosoma and blue iridescence on the gaster.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Iridomyrmex species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -12.48332977° to -26.61667°.

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

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Holotype of Iridomyrmex rufoinclinus. Worker. Specimen code casent0172060. 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.

• rufoinclinus. Iridomyrmex rufoinclinus Shattuck, 1993b: 1322, figs. 34, 35, 37 (w.) AUSTRALIA. See also: Heterick & Shattuck, 2011: 132.

Type Material

• Holotype, worker, Edith Falls, Katherine Gorge National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, 14°10′57″S 132°11′13″E, Shattuck,S.O., ANIC32-000062, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Paratype, 28 workers, Edith Falls, Katherine Gorge National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, 14°10′57″S 132°11′13″E, Shattuck,S.O., ANIC32-000061, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Paratype, 1 worker, Edith Falls, Katherine Gorge National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, 14°10′57″S 132°11′13″E, The Natural History Museum.
• Paratype, 1 worker, Edith Falls, Katherine Gorge National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, 14°10′57″S 132°11′13″E, Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Description

Worker Description. Head. Posterior margin of head weakly 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. Ocelli absent; 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. Frontal carinae concave; antennal scape barely attaining posterior margin of head, or surpassing it by less than 1 x its diameter. Erect setae on scape present and abundant, or present and sparse, or absent, except at tip; prominence on anteromedial clypeal margin present as an indistinct swelling or undulation; 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, or straight. Erect mesonotal setae numerous (12 or more) and elongate, flexuous and/or curved. Mesothoracic spiracles prominent or inconspicuous; propodeal dorsum 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 numerous (12 or more) and elongate, flexuous and/or curved. Petiole. Dorsum of node convex; node reduced to anterior lip only, the rest incorporated in the petiole. 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 foreparts and legs orange to brick red, gaster dark chocolate with blue iridescence. Colour of erect setae depigmented pale yellow.

Measurements. Worker (n = 15)—CI 91–98; EI 25–28; EL 0.31–0.37; EW 0.18–0.22; HL 1.20–1.44; HW 1.10–1.38; ML 0.55–0.70; PpH 0.16–0.22; PpL 0.69–0.82; SI 81–95; SL 0.96–1.18.

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).
• Shattuck, S.O. 1993b. Revision of the Iridomyrmex calvus species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Invertebr. Taxon. 7 7: 1303-1325.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Andersen A. N., J. C. Z. Woinarski, and B. Hoffman. 2004. Biogeography of the ant fauna of the Tiwi Islands, in northern Australia's moonsoonal tropics. Australian Journal of Zoology 52: 97-110.
• Andersen, Alan N., John C.Z. Woinarski and Ben D. Hoffman. 2004. Biogeography of the ant fauna of the Tiwi Islands, in northern Australia's monsoonal tropics. Australian Journal of Zoology 52: 97-110.
• 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.
• 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.