Dolichoderus rutilus

This rare species is known from only three specimens collected from two locations, one near Port Lincoln and the other at the tip of Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. Nothing is known of its biology.

Identification
Head yellowish-red; sculpturing on head minimal, either essentially absent or consisting of very fine reticulations; pronotum and propodeum lacking spines; posterior face of propodeum weakly concave, separated from the dorsal face by at most a weakly defined angle; dorsum of pronotum smooth, the surfaces shiny. Dorsum of propodeum evenly convex, the angle at approximately the same level as the metanotal groove.

This species differs from Dolichoderus kathae in that the surfaces of the head and dorsum of the pronotum of D. rutilus are smooth and shiny; whereas the surfaces of the head and dorsum of the pronotum of D. kathae are finely reticulate and matte.

Key to Australian Dolichoderus Species

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  rutilus. Dolichoderus rutilus Shattuck & Marsden, 2013: 133, fig. 22 (w.) AUSTRALIA.

Description
Measurements (n=3). CI 86–88; EI 33–34; EL 0.25–0.28; HL 0.87–0.97; HW 0.75–0.85; ML 1.18–1.29; MTL 0.64–0.70; PronI 61.50–62.76; PronW 0.46–0.53; SI 108–113; SL 0.85–0.93.