Podomyrma adelaidae

Podomyrma adelaidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Podomyrma
Species group:	adelaidae
Species:	P. adelaidae
Binomial name
	Podomyrma adelaidae; (Smith, F., 1858) Specimen Labels
Synonyms
	Podomyrma bimaculata Forel, 1901; Podomyrma bimaculata brevidentata Forel, 1915; Podomyrma micans sericeiventris Emery, 1898;

Podomyrma adelaidae is found throughout temperate Australia and is easily recognised by the pair of white spots on the gaster. Workers can be seen foraging on the trunks of eucalypts, particularly smooth- barked eucalypts.

Photo Gallery

Podomyrma adelaidae worker from Doodenanning, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari.
Worker from Doodenanning, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari.
Podomyrma adelaidae with fly prey, Waikerie, South Australia. Photo by Mark Newton.
Worker from Moondyne, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari.
P. adelaidae workers engaging in an apparent territorial dispute. Usually when workers from different colonies intrude on each other's territory, they will antennate or engage in ritualised fighting to resolve the dispute. But when this fails they will attack one another. A dominance battle ensues, with the victor retaining rights to forage in the area. In this case one worker has a strong grip on the other's antennae and showed no signs of releasing it while being photographed.
Part of the same territorial battle, this pair of workers were engaged in a struggle nearby. The smaller worker kept trying to escape but the larger worker had a firm grasp of its postpetiole.
Podomyrma adelaidae tends to a Lycaenid caterpillar. These caterpillars secrete substances that the ants find attractive, and the ants in turn provide protection from parasites. Poochera, South Australia. © Alex Wild.

Identification

Heterick (2009) - The pair of white markings on the basal gastral tergite renders this ant unmistakeable.

Keys including this Species

Key to Podomyrma of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

Distribution

Heterick (2009) - Widespread throughout temperate Australia and the Kimberley region.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -13.583° to -36.9187°.


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

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Holotype of Podomyrma adelaidae. Worker. Specimen code casent0901997. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

adelaidae. Myrmica adelaidae Smith, F. 1858b: 128 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1954c: 127 (l.); Imai, Crozier & Taylor, 1977: 348 (k.). Combination in Podomyrma: Dalla Torre, 1893: 60. Senior synonym of bimaculata: Forel, 1915b: 50; Emery, 1924d: 237; of sericeiventris: Emery, 1924d: 237; of brevidentata: Taylor, 1999: 173.
sericeiventris. Podomyrma micans subsp. sericeiventris Emery, 1898b: 235 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of adelaidae: Emery, 1924d: 237.
bimaculata. Podomyrma bimaculata Forel, 1901h: 57 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of adelaidae: Forel, 1915b: 50.
brevidentata. Podomyrma bimaculata var. brevidentata Forel, 1915b: 49 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Subspecies of adelaidae: Emery, 1924d: 237; Taylor & Brown, D.R. 1985: 80. Junior synonym of adelaidae: Taylor, 1999: 173.

Type Material

Myrmica adelaidae: Holotype, worker, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, The Natural History Museum; Labelled “Adelaide, 54,70.”.
Podomyrma bimaculata brevidentata: Syntype, worker(s), Kimberley distr., Western Australia, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
Podomyrma bimaculata: Syntype, 1 worker, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Australia, Australian National Insect Collection.
Podomyrma micans sericeiventris: Syntype, worker(s), queen(s), locality unknown, Australia, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa.

Description

Karyotype

See additional details at the Ant Chromosome Database.

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

2n = 50 (Australia) (Imai et al., 1977) (B chromosome).
2n = 51 (Australia) (Imai et al., 1977) (B chromosome).
2n = 49 (Australia) (Imai et al., 1977).

References

Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 60, Combination in Podomyrma)
Emery, C. 1924f [1922]. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [concl.]. Genera Insectorum 174C: 207-397 (page 237, Senior synonym of sericeiventris)
Forel, A. 1915b. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(1 16: 1-119 (page 50, Senior synonym of bimaculata)
Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76:1-206.
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).
Imai, H. T.; Crozier, R. H.; Taylor, R. W. 1977. Karyotype evolution in Australian ants. Chromosoma (Berl.) 59: 341-393 (page 348, karyotype described)
Lorite, P., Palomeque, T. 2010. Karyotype evolution in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a review of the known ant chromosome numbers. Myrmecological News 13: 89-102.
Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 128, worker described)
Taylor, R. W. 1999. Nomenclatural changes in the Australasian ant genus Podomyrma Fredrick Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Sociobiology 34: 173-174 (page 173, Senior synonym of brevidentata)
Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1954c. The ant larvae of the myrmicine tribe Myrmecinini (Hymenoptera). Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 56: 126-138 (page 127, larva described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Read J. L., and A. N. Andersen. 2000. The value of ants as early warning bioindicators: responses to pulsed cattle grazing at an Australian arid zone locality. Journal of Arid Environments 45: 231-251.
Stitz H. 1911. Australische Ameisen. (Neu-Guinea und Salomons-Inseln, Festland, Neu-Seeland). Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1911: 351-381.
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.
Taylor R. W. 1999. Nomenclatural changes in the Australasian ant genus Podomyrma Fredrick Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Sociobiology 34: 173-174.
Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.