Myrmecia rufinodis

Myrmecia rufinodis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmeciinae
Tribe:	Myrmeciini
Genus:	Myrmecia
Species group:	gulosa
Species:	M. rufinodis
Binomial name
	Myrmecia rufinodis; Smith, F., 1858 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
	Myrmecia gracilis Emery, 1898;

Photo Gallery

Workers at nest entrance. Photo by Mark Newton.
Foraging workers. Photo by Mark Newton.
Foraging worker. Photo by Mark Newton.
Nest at base of grass tussock. Photo by Mark Newton.
Nest entrances. Photo by Mark Newton.
Midden pile with cast-off cocoons. Photo by Mark Newton.

Identification

Keys including this Species

Key to Australian Myrmecia Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -32.76667° to -36.583°.


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.

Gregarine

This species is a host for the gregarine species unknown (a parasite) in Australia (Crosland, 1988).

Castes

Images from AntWeb


Syntype of MyrmeciaÂ gracilis. Worker. Specimen code casent0903787. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

rufinodis. Myrmecia rufinodis Smith, F. 1858b: 145 (w.) AUSTRALIA (South Australia).
- Type-material: holotype worker.
- Type-locality: Australia: South Australia, Adelaide, “53/8”.
- Type-depository: BMNH.
- Clark, 1951: 38 (q.m.).
- Status as species: Roger, 1861a: 36; Mayr, 1862: 727 (in key); Roger, 1863b: 23; Mayr, 1863: 430; Dalla Torre, 1893: 21; Emery, 1911d: 20; Clark, 1951: 37 (redescription); Brown, 1953j: 8; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 15; Taylor, 1987a: 45; Ogata, 1991a: 358; Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1637 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 273.
- Senior synonym of gracilis: Brown, 1953j: 8; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 15; Taylor, 1987a: 45; Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1629; Bolton, 1995b: 273.
- Distribution: Australia.
gracilis. Myrmecia gracilis Emery, 1898b: 232, fig. 2 (w.) AUSTRALIA (South Australia).
- Type-material: holotype worker.
- Type-locality: Australia: South Australia, Kingskate (= Kingscote) (Tepper).
- Type-depository: MSNG.
- Clark, 1938: 358 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971d: 250 (l.).
- Subspecies of crudelis: Emery, 1911d: 19.
- Status as species: Clark, 1938: 357 (redescription); Clark, 1951: 39 (redescription).
- Junior synonym of rufinodis: Brown, 1953j: 8; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 15; Taylor, 1987a: 45; Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1629; Bolton, 1995b: 271.

Type Material

Myrmecia rufinodis: Syntype, worker(s), Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, The Natural History Museum.
Myrmecia gracilis: Holotype, worker, Kingscote (as Kingskate), South Australia, Australia, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa.

The following notes on F. Smith type specimens have been provided by Barry Bolton (details):

Myrmecia rufinodis

Holotype worker in The Natural History Museum. Labelled “Adelaide 53/8” and with a det. label “rufinodis type Sm.”

Description

References

Brown, W. L., Jr. 1953j. Revisionary notes on the ant genus Myrmecia of Australia. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 111: 1-35 (page 8, Senior synonym of gracilis)
Clark, J. 1951. The Formicidae of Australia. 1. Subfamily Myrmeciinae: 230 pp. CSIRO, Melbourne. [(31.xii).1951.]
Crosland, M.W. 1988. Effect of a gregarine parasite on the color of Myrmecia pilosula (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 81: 481-484 (doi:10.1093/aesa/81.3.481).
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).
Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 145, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Brown W. L., Jr. 1953. Revisionary notes on the ant genus Myrmecia of Australia. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology

111: 1-35.

Clark J. 1938. The Sir Joseph Banks Islands. Reports of the McCoy Society for Field Investigation and Research. Part 10. Formicidae (Hymenoptera). Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria (n.s.)50: 356-382.
Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.