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Technomyrmex jocosus
| Technomyrmex jocosus | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Genus: | Technomyrmex |
| Species: | T. jocosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Technomyrmex jocosus Forel, 1910
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Technomyrmex jocosus is a distinct and very widespread species that forages extensively in leaf litter, in dead trees and under the bark of fallen trees, on shrubs and low vegetation, and on trunks and branches of standing trees. It sometimes enters houses in Australia (Steven O. Shattuck (ANIC), pers. com.) and a series from Sydney University see below) was collected in a laboratory building. Worker-queen intercastes occur in this species, as do ergatoid males. (Bolton 2007)
| At a Glance | • Limited invasive |
Photo Gallery
Identification
Bolton (2007) - A member of the T. pallipes complex in the Technomyrmex albipes group. The cephalic pilosity of jocosus most closely resembles that of Technomyrmex cheesmanae and the four species related to Technomyrmex quadricolor. However, in all of these the longest setae on the dorsum of the head (in profile located just anterior to the posterior margin), and the longest on the first gastral tergite, are all distinctly longer than the maximum diameter of the eye. In addition, quadricolor and its relatives all have the head unsculptured, smooth and highly polished, and have the eyes located more posteriorly.
Heterick (2009) - Very similar to the better-known exotic Technomyrmex albipes but can readily be differentiated through its shinier, less sculptured head capsule and different arrangement of erect setae on the frons.
Keys including this Species
- Key to Australian Technomyrmex Species
- Key to the Dolichoderinae genera of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -17.36667061° to -42.53333282°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia (type locality), Lord Howe Island, New Zealand, Norfolk Island.
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. |
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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. |
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Elevation Range
| Species | Elevation (m asl) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | 400 | 600 | 800 | 1000 | 1200 | |
| Technomyrmex jocosus | 40-50 | 60-70 | 60-70 | 60-70 | 90-100 | 70-80 |
| Shading indicates the bands of elevation where species was recorded. Numbers are the percentage of total samples containing this species. | ||||||
Biology
Heterick (2009) - Occurs in the SWBP, where it is something of a nuisance in some Perth suburbs and, occasionally, in country towns. Outside of houses, workers are most often seen trailing on fence-lines or on tree trunks. Within the central SWBP the species can also be found in disturbed areas such as parkland but does not appear able to penetrate large areas of native vegetation. However, further south, where it may be indigenous, the author has found T. jocosus in enormous numbers on karri and tingle trees near Pemberton, and in Banksia woodland west of Albany.
Castes
Male
Images from AntWeb
     
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| Male (alate). Specimen code casent0178864. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- jocosus. Technomyrmex jocosus Forel, 1910b: 56 (w.) AUSTRALIA. See also: Bolton, 2007a: 114.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
Bolton (2007) - TL 2.5 - 3.1, HL 0.64 - 0.70, HW 0.60 - 0.66, SL 0.58 - 0.64, PW 0.40 - 0.43, WL 0.81 - 0.90 (12 measured). Indices: CI 90 - 95, SI 94 - 102, OI 25 - 29, EPI 74 - 80, DTI 126 - 135.
With head in profile the dorsum behind the clypeus with numerous pairs of setae: frontal carina with 3 - 4 setae; dorsum above eye with 2 - 4 pairs; dorsum behind level of posterior margin of eye with 2 - 3 pairs; posterior margin usually with an additional short seta on each side, close to the comers. All of these setae are distinctly shorter than the maximum diameter of the eye. With head in full-face view the moderately sized eyes are located just in front of the midlength of the sides, their outer margins just touch or just break the outline of the sides; posterior margin has a slight median indentation. Shagreenate-punctulate sculpture of dorsal head fine and superficial. Number of setal pairs on mesosoma: pro not urn 2 - 4; mesonotum 1 - 3; propodeal dorsum 0; lateral margins of propodeal declivity 1 - 2. Mesonotal dorsum in profile evenly convex. Propodeal dorsum short, junction of dorsum and declivity angular but blunt, in absolute profile not sharply angled. Gastral tergites 1 - 4 each with numerous setae present; longest setae on the first gastral tergite are shorter than the maximum diameter of the eye. Head, mesosoma, petiole and gaster uniform blackish brown to black. Middle and hind coxae, femora and tibiae the same colour as the mesosoma and gaster or fractionally lighter; tarsi dull yellow.
Type Material
Syntype workers, Australia: Victoria, Yarra District (Froggatt) (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève) [examined].
- Syntype, 2 workers, Yarra districts, Victoria, Australia, <collector unknown>, ANIC32-015063, Australian National Insect Collection.
Determination Clarifications
Bolton (2007) - This is probably the species that Shattuck (1999) had in mind when he wrote that they, “enter through small cracks and, on finding a suitable food source, form distinct trails with many workers travelling between their nest sites and the food source”; jocosus is probably also the “black house ant” of Clark (1941). A series from Bicheno, Tasmania was collected from “light fixtures in caravan”. An earlier reference to ants nesting in electric switches in New Zealand (Little, 1984) probably also refers to this species. T. jocosus is most likely the New Zealand species referred to as Technomyrmex albipes by Brown (1958). He wrote that the species is largely confined to urban areas in the North Island and around Nelson in the South Island. He added that it forms long foraging files and can become a serious pest both indoors and in gardens and orchards.
References
- Bolton, B. 2007. Taxonomy of the dolichoderine ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. 35(1):1-149.
- Burwell, C.J., Nakamura, A. 2020. Rainforest ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) along an elevational gradient at Eungella in the Clarke Range, Central Queensland coast, Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 125: 43-63.
- Forel, A. 1910b. Formicides australiens reçus de MM. Froggatt et Rowland Turner. Rev. Suisse Zool. 18: 1-94 (page 56, worker described)
- Heterick, B. E. 2009a. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76: 1-206. Part 1.
- 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).
- Hoffmann, B., Eldridge, J., Marston, C. 2023. The first eradication of an exotic ant species from the entirety of Australia: Pheidole fervens. Management of Biological Invasions, 14(4), 619–624 (doi:10.3391/mbi.2023.14.4.03).
- Siddiqui, J.A., Bamisile, B.S., Khan, M.M., Islam, W., Hafeez, M., Bodlah, I., Xu, Y. 2021. Impact of invasive ant species on native fauna across similar habitats under global environmental changes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28(39), 54362–54382 (doi:10.1007/s11356-021-15961-5).
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Bolton B. 2007. Taxonomy of the dolichoderine ant genus Technomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) based on the worker caste. Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 35(1): 1-150.
- CSIRO Collection
- Nooten S. S., P. Schultheiss, R. C. Rowe, S. L. Facey, and J. M. Cook. Habitat complexity affects functional traits and diversity of ant assemblages in urban green spaces (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 29: 67-77.