Australian species of the ant genus Dolichoderus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Author
Shattuck, Steven O.
Author
Marsden, Sharon
text
Zootaxa
2013
3716
2
101
143
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3716.2.1
f685afba-b823-44c6-8ec9-f931fee7647a
1175-5326
248496
E76C890A-DC27-4B8A-90CD-41D10682E8FA
Dolichoderus albamaculus
sp. n.
(
Fig. 1
)
Types
.
Holotype
worker from Billabong,
26°49'S
114°37'E
, Western
Australia
,
12 August 1984
, B.B. Lowery, sand, scrub (ANIC, ANIC32-066614); 7
paratype
workers, same data as
holotype
except ANIC32-
061315
(
5 in
ANIC,
2 in
MCZC).
Diagnosis
. Pale markings present near lower margin of eye; sculpturing on head consisting of large, shallow to moderately deep fovea; pronotum and propodeum lacking spines; posterior face of the propodeum strongly concave, separated from the dorsal face by a distinct carina; dorsum of propodeum weakly convex and elongate (longer than posterior); pubescence on first gastral tergite sparse, the individual hairs generally not overlapping, or hairs absent.
This species is easily confused with
D. semiorbis
. It can be distinguished from this species by the presence of erect or suberect hairs on the tibiae (
Fig. 1
); and the more distinctive carina protruding upwards separating the dorsal and posterior face of the propodeum (
Fig. 1
and
Fig. 25
).
Worker description
. See
Fig. 1
. The available material shows little variation from the imaged specimen.
Measurements
(n=5). CI 74–79; EI 41–43; EL 0.30–0.34; HL 0.92–1.05; HW 0.72–0.78; ML 1.24–1.53; MTL 0.69–0.83; PronI 68.82–78.05; PronW 0.51–0.61; SI 112–128; SL 0.82–0.99.
Material examined
.
Northern Territory
:
60km
N Alice Springs (Zakharov) (ANIC);
South
Australia
:
51km
W Emu Junction (Forrest,J.A.) (ANIC); Sevenhill (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC);
Western
Australia
:
0.6km
W of Neergabby (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC); Caiguna RH (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC); Henderson (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC); Int.
Holland
Tr./Norseman Rd. (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC); The Granites (Mt. Magnet) (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC).
Comments
. Although rarely encountered,
D. albamaculus
is widespread across semi-arid southern
Australia
, occurring from the Western Australian coast to eastern South
Australia
. It has been found in open scrub and
Acacia
woodland habitats.