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 clusor
Forel
(
Fig. 6
)
Dolichoderus clusor
Forel, 1907: 285
.
Types
.
Neotype
worker (here designated, the original
holotype
(Forel 1907:286) apparently destroyed in ZMHB in WW II) from Perth, Western
Australia
(ANIC, ANIC32-
061187
).
Diagnosis
. Sculpturing on head consisting of large, shallow to moderately deep fovea; dorsum of pronotum essentially smooth and shiny, the sculpturing at most very fine; pronotum and propodeum lacking spines; posterior face of propodeum separated from the dorsal face by a distinct carina, posterior face deeply concave; pubescence on first gastral tergite abundant, the individual hairs overlapping
. This species most closely resembles
D. scrobiculatus
and
D. turneri
; however the smooth sculpturing and shiny surface of the pronotum will distinguish
D. clusor
from both of these. Additionally,
D. clusor
is currently only known from South
Australia
and Western
Australia
while
D. scrobiculatus
and
D. turneri
occur in northeastern New South
Wales
and Queensland.
Worker description
. See
Fig. 6
. Pilosity on first gastral tergite varying from fairly thin to quite abundant and thick. Otherwise similar to the specimen figured.
Measurements
(n=5). CI 83–88; EI 29–35; EL 0.26–0.29; HL 0.94–1.04; HW 0.78–0.91; ML 1.25–1.46; MTL 0.69–0.75; PronI 63.77–68.87; PronW 0.53–0.63; SI 108–118; SL 0.89–1.00.
Material examined
.
South
Australia
:
4km
SW Auburn (Greenslade,P.J.M.) (ANIC); Clare (McAreavey,J.M.)
(ANIC);
Western
Australia
:
15mi
. N Bunbury (Douglas,A.M. & Douglas,M.J.) (ANIC); Australind (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC); Bunbury (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); Carabooda (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC); Dawesville (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC); Hope Valley (Heterick,B.E.) (JDMC); Kings Park (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); Kingsley (Knowles,D.G.) (JDMC); Mundaring (Clark,J.; Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); Perth (Clark,J.) (ANIC); Reabold Hill (Majer,J.D.) (JDMC); Rottnest Is. (Delane,P.) (JDMC); Swan River (Clark,J.) (ANIC).
Comments
. There is some variation in the abundance of pilosity on the first gastral tergite, which varies from fairly thin to quite abundant and thick. In general South Australian material is hairier than specimens found in Western
Australia
. However, this variation is continuous and shows a geographic pattern, suggesting that it is intraspecific rather than interspecific.
Dolichoderus clusor
has been collected in
Banksia
woodlands (Heterick, 2009) and dry sclerophyll where it forages on tree trunks. It is currently known from two widely disjunct populations, one near Perth, Western
Australia
and the other in the general vicinity of Adelaide, South
Australia
.