Dolichoderus crawleyi

Creates carton nests on the underside of leaves of standing vegetation.

Identification
Dill (2002) - Typically, D. crawleyi is black and shining; its head and alitrunk are, in addition to a finely reticulate fine-sculpturing, ± coarsely wrinkled, forming shallow pits. This coarser sculpturing is lacking on the median portions of pronotum and mesonotum. The gaster is densely pubescent. D. crawleyi differs from typical Dolichoderus patens in its coloration (reddish-yellow in patens), its coarser sculpturing, and its much denser gaster pubescence. The surface sculpturing also distinguishes crawleyi from the remaining species of the Dolichoderus sulcaticeps group: sutcaticeps and Dolichoderus siggii, on the one hand, are distinctly smoother, Dolichoderus semirugosus, on the other hand, is more coarsely sculptured (areolate-reticulate). Regarding the surface sculpturing, crawleyi, at least partly, seems to fall within the fringe of the range of the intraspecific variability of patens. Since coloration and pubescence are largely similar to the type material of patens pubiventris from the Mentawei Islands, it appears possible, that crawleyi is actually a junior synonym of patens pubiventris.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Singapore.

Biology
Dill (2002) - Donisthorpe’s (1917) observation of crawleyi nesting in a species of the myrmecophytic genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae) is doubtful. This observation is inconsistent with own observations of crawleyi forming carton nests similar to those of patens and sulcaticeps. It also contradicts the extensive studies of the Macaranga-ant relationships in Southeast Asia (e. g. see Fiala et al. 1991) which was never found in Macaranga plants inhabited by Dolichoderus.

Nomenclature

 *  crawleyi. Dolichoderus (Hypoclinea) crawleyi Donisthorpe, 1917: 201 (w.q.) SINGAPORE.

Type Material
Dill (2002) - Workers, queen, Malay Peninsula: Singapore (E. E. Green).