Melophorus

These ants are common in most areas of Australia with the exception of cool, wet areas. Foraging is strictly during the day, and in the arid zone they are one of the only ants active during the hottest part of the day. Some species reduce foraging activity during the winter, although in cooler areas most species will forage on warmer winter days. They are omnivores and some species will collect seeds (Briese and Macauley 1981). Some species have become highly modified with very flattened bodies, presumably to allow foraging in small, thin crevices (Greenslade 1979). A few species are also known to prey on the larvae and pupae of meat ants in the genus Iridomyrmex (Clark 1941). All species are ground nesting in the open, often with a small amount of dirt near the entrance. Workers of Melophorus are some of the fastest and most timid ants in Australia. On hot days they can run so rapidly that they can be difficult to capture. They are also so shy that the slightest disturbance near a nest will cause workers to disperse or disappear into the nest, only returning or becoming active again after many minutes.

Identification
The spiracle on the propodeum is elongate and slit-like. The underside of the head and mandibles usually have numerous elongate hairs although in some species these hairs are reduced to only 2 or 3 on the under side of the head and are absent from the mandibles. A small opening which is usually fringed with hairs (the metapleural gland) is present above the hind leg.

Melophorus is one of the most abundant and diverse groups of ants in the arid zone of Australia. They are most similar to some species of Camponotus in general body size and shape, however they differ in having a small opening above the hind leg and in having the propodeal spiracle much longer and narrower.

The species are arranged into species groups: Melophorus species groups

Distribution
These ants are only known to occur in Australia. They are found in all areas except the higher elevations of the south-east and Tasmania, although they are by far the most abundant and diverse in the arid and semi-arid zone. They can be found in all of the drier habitats, being much less common or absent from wet sclerophyll, especially in southern regions, and they are absent from rainforests.

Species richness
Species richness by country based on regional taxon lists (countries with darker colours are more species-rich). View Data



Nomenclature

 *  MELOPHORUS [Formicinae: Melophorini]
 * Melophorus Lubbock, 1883: 51. Type-species: Melophorus bagoti, by monotypy.
 * Melophorus senior synonym of Erimelophorus, Trichomelophorus: Brown, 1955d: 474.
 * ERIMELOPHORUS [junior synonym of Melophorus]
 * Erimelophorus Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 71 [as subgenus of Melophorus]. Type-species: Melophorus wheeleri, by original designation.
 * Erimelophorus junior synonym of Melophorus: Brown, 1955d: 474.
 * TRICHOMELOPHORUS [junior synonym of Melophorus]
 * Trichomelophorus Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 71 [as subgenus of Melophorus]. Type-species: Melophorus hirsutus, by original designation.
 * Trichomelophorus junior synonym of Melophorus: Brown, 1955d: 474.