Dolichoderus
Encyclopedia
Dolichoderus is a large genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...

s found worldwide.

Taxonomy

The ants of the neotropical genus Monacio were revised in 1959 by Kempf. However, Brown in 1973 and G. C. Wheeler and J. Wheeler in 1973 and 1976 considered both Monacis and Hypoclinea to be junior synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...

s of Dolichoderus.

Description

The type species is Dolichoderus attelaboides. Worker ants in this genus have a body length that is typically about four millimetres and can be recognised by their thick, inflexible and strongly sculptured integument
Integumentary system
The integumentary system is the organ system that protects the body from damage, comprising the skin and its appendages...

. There is a flange on the underside of the head near the base of the mandibles which is saw-like in some species. The longitudinal suture in the central plate of the metathorax
Metathorax
The metathorax is the posterior of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the third pair of legs. Its principal sclerites are the metanotum , the metasternum , and the metapleuron on each side...

 is deeply impressed. The propodeum
Propodeum
The propodeum is the first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera . It is fused with the thorax to form the mesosoma. It is a single large sclerite, not subdivided, and bears a pair of spiracles. It is strongly constricted posteriorly to form the articulation of the petiole, and gives apocritans...

 or first abdominal segment has the posterior face distinctly concave
Concave
The word concave means curving in or hollowed inward, as opposed to convex. The former may be used in reference to:* Concave lens, a lens with inward-curving surfaces.* Concave polygon, a polygon which is not convex....

 when viewed from the side. The gaster and alitrunk are separated by a single segment, the petiole. The orifice of the cloaca
Cloaca
In zoological anatomy, a cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, reproductive, and urinary tracts of certain animal species...

 is a horizontal slit rather than a circular opening. It is surrounded by a few rather stiff erect bristles.

Biology

Colonies are of varying sizes and are constructed in the soil, in curled leaves, in the hollow stems of plants and in cartons which are formed by the ants chewing wood and mixing the product with secretions in a similar way to that used by wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...

s to build their nests. Some species are very versatile with Dolichoderus pustulatus
Dolichoderus pustulatus
Dolichoderus pustulatus is a species of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae and is found in North America.-Description:In the south of its range, the head, antennae, metasoma and legs of workers of this species are orangish-brown while the gaster is a darker colour...

nesting underground in northern parts of the United States while living wholly in trees in the south. The workers seek out and tend sap-sucking insects such as aphid
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...

s and scale insect
Scale insect
The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the superfamily Coccoidea. There are about 8,000 species of scale insects.-Ecology:...

s that excrete honeydew
Honeydew (secretion)
Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. When their mouthpart penetrates the phloem, the sugary, high-pressure liquid is forced out of the gut's terminal opening. Honeydew is particularly common as a secretion in the Hemipteran...

 and they also feed on small arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...

s. Some species emit a pungent smelling fluid. Two species, Dolichoderus plagiatus and Dolichoderus taschenbergi, are believed to be polygynous
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...

 with several queens in one nest. It is also possible that D. taschenbergi may be a temporary social parasite
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...

 with D. plagiatus as host
Host (biology)
In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...

.

Species

There are about one hundred and forty recognised species:

  • Dolichoderus abruptus - (Smith, 1858)
  • Dolichoderus affectus - Theobald, 1937
  • Dolichoderus affinis - Emery, 1889
  • Dolichoderus andinus - (Kempf, 1962)
  • Dolichoderus anglicus - Cockerell, 1915
  • Dolichoderus angusticornis - Clark, 1930
  • Dolichoderus anthracinus - (Heer, 1850)
  • Dolichoderus antiquus - Carpenter, 1930
  • Dolichoderus armstrongi - McAreavey, 1949
  • Dolichoderus attelaboides - (Fabricius, 1775)
  • Dolichoderus australis - Andre, 1896
  • Dolichoderus baenae - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus balticus - (Mayr, 1868)
  • Dolichoderus beccarii - Emery, 1887
  • Dolichoderus bidens - (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Dolichoderus bispinosus - (Olivier, 1792)
  • Dolichoderus brevis - Santschi, 1920
  • Dolichoderus britannicus - Cockerell, 1915
  • Dolichoderus bruneti - Theobald, 1937
  • Dolichoderus burmanicus - Bingham, 1903
  • Dolichoderus butteli - Forel, 1913
  • Dolichoderus carbonarius - Emery, 1895
  • Dolichoderus caribbaeus - (Wilson, 1985)
  • Dolichoderus clarki - Wheeler, 1935
  • Dolichoderus clusor - Forel, 1907
  • Dolichoderus cogitans - Forel, 1912
  • Dolichoderus coniger - (Mayr, 1870)
  • Dolichoderus coquandi - Theobald, 1937
  • Dolichoderus cornutus - (Mayr, 1868)
  • Dolichoderus crawleyi - Donisthorpe, 1917
  • Dolichoderus curvilobus - (Lattke, 1987)
  • Dolichoderus cuspidatus - (Smith, 1857)
  • Dolichoderus debilis - Emery, 1890
  • Dolichoderus decollatus - Smith, 1858
  • Dolichoderus dentatus - Forel, 1902
  • Dolichoderus dibolius - Wilson, 1985
  • Dolichoderus diversus - Emery, 1894
  • Dolichoderus doloniger - (Roger, 1862)
  • Dolichoderus doriae - Emery, 1887
  • Dolichoderus elegans - Wheeler, 1915
  • Dolichoderus epetreius - (Lattke, 1987)
  • Dolichoderus erectilobus - Santschi, 1920
  • Dolichoderus explicans - (Foerster, 1891)
  • Dolichoderus extensispinus - Forel, 1915
  • Dolichoderus feae - Emery, 1889
  • Dolichoderus fernandezi - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus ferrugineus - Forel, 1903
  • Dolichoderus formosus - Clark, 1930
  • Dolichoderus furcifer - Emery, 1887
  • Dolichoderus gagates - Emery, 1890
  • Dolichoderus germaini - Emery, 1894
  • Dolichoderus ghilianii - Emery, 1894
  • Dolichoderus gibbifer - Emery, 1887
  • Dolichoderus gibbus - (Smith, 1861)
  • Dolichoderus glauerti - Wheeler, 1934
  • Dolichoderus goudiei - Clark, 1930
  • Dolichoderus gurnetensis - Donisthorpe, 1920
  • Dolichoderus haradae - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus imitator - Emery, 1894
  • Dolichoderus indrapurensis - Forel, 1912
  • Dolichoderus inermis - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus inpai - (Harada, 1987)
  • Dolichoderus intermedius - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus jacobsoni - Forel, 1909
  • Dolichoderus kutschlinicus - (Deichmueller, 1881)
  • Dolichoderus lactarius - (Smith, 1860)
  • Dolichoderus lamellosus - (Mayr, 1870)
  • Dolichoderus laminatus - (Mayr, 1870)
  • Dolichoderus laotius - Santschi, 1920
  • Dolichoderus laurae - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus lobicornis - (Kempf, 1959)
  • Dolichoderus longicollis - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus longipennis - (Mayr, 1868)
  • Dolichoderus luederwaldti - Santschi, 1921
  • Dolichoderus lugens - Emery, 1894
  • Dolichoderus lujae - Santschi, 1923
  • Dolichoderus lutosus - (Smith, 1858)
  • Dolichoderus mariae
    Dolichoderus mariae
    Dolichoderus mariae is a species of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae and is found in North America.-Description:This ant is distinctively coloured with the head, antennae, thorax, legs and petiole and the anterior part of the first abdominal segment reddish or ochre-brown. The remainder of the...

    - Forel, 1885
  • Dolichoderus mesonotalis - Forel, 1907
  • Dolichoderus mesosternalis - Wheeler, 1915
  • Dolichoderus modiglianii - Emery, 1900
  • Dolichoderus moggridgei - Forel, 1886
  • Dolichoderus monoceros - Emery, 1897
  • Dolichoderus mucronifer - (Roger, 1862)
  • Dolichoderus nigricornis - Clark, 1930
  • Dolichoderus nitidus - (Heer, 1850)
  • Dolichoderus obliteratus - (Scudder, 1877)
  • Dolichoderus occidentalis - Clark, 1930
  • Dolichoderus omacanthus - (Kempf, 1972)
  • Dolichoderus oviformis - Theobald, 1937
  • Dolichoderus ovigerus - Cockerell, 1915
  • Dolichoderus parvus - Clark, 1930
  • Dolichoderus passalomma - Wheeler, 1915
  • Dolichoderus patens - (Mayr, 1870)
  • Dolichoderus piceus - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus plagiatus - (Mayr, 1870)
  • Dolichoderus primitivus - (Wilson, 1985)
  • Dolichoderus prolaminatus - (Wilson, 1985)
  • Dolichoderus pustulatus
    Dolichoderus pustulatus
    Dolichoderus pustulatus is a species of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae and is found in North America.-Description:In the south of its range, the head, antennae, metasoma and legs of workers of this species are orangish-brown while the gaster is a darker colour...

    - Mayr, 1886
  • Dolichoderus quadridenticulatus - (Roger, 1862)
  • Dolichoderus quadripunctatus - (Linnaeus, 1771)
  • Dolichoderus reflexus - Clark, 1930
  • Dolichoderus rohweri - Carpenter, 1930
  • Dolichoderus rosenbergi - Forel, 1911
  • Dolichoderus rufescens - Mann, 1912
  • Dolichoderus rugosus - (Smith, 1851)
  • Dolichoderus satanus - Bolton, 1995
  • Dolichoderus scabridus - Roger, 1862
  • Dolichoderus schulzi - Emery, 1894
  • Dolichoderus scrobiculatus - (Mayr, 1876)
  • Dolichoderus sculpturatus - (Mayr, 1868)
  • Dolichoderus semirugosus - (Mayr, 1870)
  • Dolichoderus septemspinosus - Emery, 1894
  • Dolichoderus setosus - (Kempf, 1959)
  • Dolichoderus shattucki - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus sibiricus - Emery, 1889
  • Dolichoderus siggii - Forel, 1895
  • Dolichoderus smithi - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus spinicollis - (Latreille, 1817)
  • Dolichoderus spurius - Forel, 1903
  • Dolichoderus sulcaticeps - (Mayr, 1870)
  • Dolichoderus superaculus - (Lattke, 1987)
  • Dolichoderus taprobanae - (Smith, 1858)
  • Dolichoderus taschenbergi - (Mayr, 1866)
  • Dolichoderus tauricus - Dlussky, 1981
  • Dolichoderus tertiarius - (Mayr, 1868)
  • Dolichoderus thoracicus - (Smith, 1860)
  • Dolichoderus tricolor - Emery, 1914
  • Dolichoderus tricornis - Emery, 1897
  • Dolichoderus tristis - Mann, 1916
  • Dolichoderus tuberifer - Emery, 1887
  • Dolichoderus turneri - Forel, 1902
  • Dolichoderus validus - (Kempf, 1959)
  • Dolichoderus varians - Mann, 1916
  • Dolichoderus vectensis - Donisthorpe, 1920
  • Dolichoderus vexillarius - Wheeler, 1915
  • Dolichoderus voraginosus - MacKay, 1993
  • Dolichoderus ypsilon - Forel, 1902
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