Dolichoderus bidens

A arboreal ant that dominates the ant community in trees where it is present.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.

Biology
Corbora et al. (2018; see the original paper for noted citations) - The arboreal ant D. bidens is abundant in pioneer formations, secondary forests and plantations [20]. The colonies, of up to a few thousand workers, are polydomous (i.e. multiple nests) with each carton nest built under a host tree leaf. The external part of the nests cover part or all of the adaxial surface of a single leaf or envelop two to a few contiguous leaves [11]. This is an aggressive, territorially dominant arboreal species active 24/7 that hunts insect prey in tree crowns [21]; consequently workers defend the access to their host tree by leaf-cutter ants and army ants at its base (AD, pers. obs.; see [13,14] for Az. chartifex).

In French Guiana, the arboreal nests of the swarm-founding social wasp Protopolybia emortualis (Polistinae) are generally found near those of the arboreal dolichoderine ant Dolichoderus bidens. These wasp nests are typically protected by an envelope, which in turn is covered by an additional carton ‘shelter’ with structure resembling the D. bidens nests. A few wasps constantly guard their nest to keep D. bidens workers from approaching. When alarmed by a strong disturbance, the ants invade the host tree foliage whereas the wasps retreat into their nest. Notably, there is no chemical convergence in the cuticular profiles of the wasps and ants sharing a tree. The aggressiveness of D. bidens likely protects the wasps from army ant raids, but the ants do not benefit from the presence of the wasps; therefore, this relationship corresponds to a kind of commensalism.

Nomenclature

 *  bidens. Formica bidens Linnaeus, 1758: 581 (w.) "America meridionali". Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1951: 173 (l.); Mackay, 1993b: 40 (q.m.). Combination in Hypoclinea: Mayr, 1862: 707; Kempf, 1972a: 119; in Dolichoderus (Hypoclinea): Emery, 1894c: 228; in Dolichoderus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 157; Shattuck, 1992c: 77. Senior synonym of perditor: Roger, 1862b: 285; of auromaculatus: Emery, 1894c: 234; of attenuatus, bahiana: Mackay, 1993b: 40.
 * perditor. Formica perditor Fabricius, 1804: 402 (w.) SOUTH AMERICA. Junior synonym of bidens: Roger, 1862c: 285.
 * auromaculatus. Dolichoderus auromaculatus Forel, 1885a: 350 (q.) BRAZIL. Junior synonym of bidens: Emery, 1894c: 234.
 * attenuatus. Dolichoderus bidens r. attenuatus Forel, 1903c: 258 (w.q.) BRAZIL. Combination in Hypoclinea: Kempf, 1972a: 119; in Dolichoderus: Shattuck, 1992c: 77. Junior synonym of bidens: Mackay, 1993b: 40.
 * bahiana. Dolichoderus (Hypoclinea) bidens var. bahiana Santschi, 1921g: 101 (w.) BRAZIL. Combination in Hypoclinea: Kempf, 1972a: 119; in Dolichoderus: Shattuck, 1992c: 77. Junior synonym of bidens: Mackay, 1993b: 40.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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