Dolichoderus cuspidatus

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia. Oriental Region: Thailand.

Biology
Herdsmen ants Dolichoderus cuspidatus cultivate honeydew-producing pseudococcids of the morphologically anomalous tribe Allomyrmococcini. As true migrating nomads the ants move their livestock to fresh, nutrition-rich pastures using a variety of transport techniques. The tight interdependence of the mutualistic partners has led to many behavioural and morphological adaptations, e. g. the complete loss of firm nest structures in favour of flexible bivouac nests (which also give shelter to part of the mealybug colony), well-organized colony relocations towards newly colonized pasture sites of the mealybugs, fission as the mode of colony reproduction to ensure the uninterrupted persistence of the symbiosis, or various behavioural patterns and morphological structures that facilitate mealybug transport (Dill et al. 2002).

Castes
Queens are ergatoid. Colonies are monogynous with tens of thousands of workers (Maschwitz & Hänel 1985)

Nomenclature

 *  cuspidatus. Polyrhachis cuspidatus Smith, F. 1857a: 63 (w.) BORNEO. Forel, 1913k: 88 (m.); Dill, 2002: 35 (q.). Combination in Hypoclinea: Mayr, 1870b: 955 (in key); in Dolichoderus: Forel, 1878: 382; in D. (Hypoclinea): Emery, 1894c: 229; in D. (Diabolus): Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 68. Senior synonym of surbecki (and its junior synonym bifurcatus): Chapman & Capco, 1951: 181; of atra, tenuispina: Dill, 2002: 35. See also: Shattuck, 1994: 47.
 * tenuispina. Dolichoderus (Hypoclinea) cuspidatus subsp. tenuispina Viehmeyer, 1922: 214 (w.) BORNEO. Junior synonym of cuspidatus: Dill, 2002: 35.
 * surbecki. Dolichoderus (Hypoclinea) cuspidatus st. surbecki Santschi, 1925f: 92 (w.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). Combination in D. (Diabolus): Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 68. Senior synonym of bifurcatus: Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 68. Junior synonym of cuspidatus: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 181.
 * bifurcatus. Dolichoderus (Diabolus) bifurcatus Karavaiev, 1926d: 425, fig. 3A (w.) WEST MALAYSIA. Junior synonym of surbecki: Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 68.
 * atra. Dolichoderus cuspidatus var atra Menozzi, 1930a: 3 (w.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). Subspecies of cuspidatus: Shattuck, 1994: 47; of furcifer: Menozzi, 1932d: 6; Bolton, 1995b: 172. Junior synonym of cuspidatus: Dill, 2002: 35.

Polyrhachis cuspidatus

Two worker syntypes in. Labelled “SAR.”

Additional References

 * Dill M, Williams DJ, Maschwitz U. 2002. Herdsman ants and their mealybug partners. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 557: 1-373
 * Maschwitz, U. & Hänel, H. 1985. The migrating herdsman Dolichoderus (Diabolus) cuspidatus: an ant with a novel mode of life. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 17: 171-184.