Dolichoderinae is a
subfamily of
ants, which includes species such as the
Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), the
erratic ant, the
odorous house ant, and the
cone ant. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the world, distributed in different
biogeographic realm
A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions.
D ...
s, from the
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Si ...
,
Nearctic
The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface.
The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...
,
Afrotropical
The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...
region and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, to the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
,
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal ...
, and
Neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bi ...
regions.
This subfamily is distinguished by having a single
petiole (no post-petiole) and a slit-like orifice, from which chemical compounds are released. Dolichoderine ants do not possess a sting, unlike ants in some other subfamilies, such as
Ponerinae
Ponerinae is a subfamily of ants in the Poneromorph subfamilies group, with about 1,600 species in 47 extant genera, including ''Dinoponera gigantea'' - one of the world's largest species of ant. Mated workers have replaced the queen as the f ...
and
Myrmicinae
Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent an ...
, instead relying on the chemical defensive compounds produced from the anal gland.
Of the compounds produced by dolichoderine ants, several
terpenoid
The terpenoids, also known as isoprenoids, are a class of naturally occurring organic chemicals derived from the 5-carbon compound isoprene and its derivatives called terpenes, diterpenes, etc. While sometimes used interchangeably with "terpenes ...
s were identified including the previously unknown
iridomyrmecin
Iridomyrmecin is a defensive chemical, classified as an iridoid, isolated from ants of the genus ''Iridomyrmex
''Iridomyrmex'' is a genus of ants called rainbow ants (referring to their blue-green iridescent sheen) first described by Austr ...
, isoiridomyrmecin, and iridodial.
Such compounds are responsible for the smell given off by ants of this subfamily when crushed or disturbed.
Tribes and genera
*
Bothriomyrmecini
Bothriomyrmecini is a tribe of Dolichoderinae ants with 5 genera.
Genera
*''Arnoldius'', Dubovikov, 2005
*''Bothriomyrmex'', Emery, 1869
*''Chronoxenus'', Santschi, 1919
*''Loweriella'', Shattuck, 1992
*''Ravavy
''Ravavy'' is a Malagasy gen ...
Dubovikov, 2005
**''
Arnoldius
''Arnoldius'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. Its three species are known from Australia.
Species
* '' Arnoldius flavus'' (Crawley, 1922)
* '' Arnoldius pusillus'' (Mayr
Mayr is a German surname. Notable people with the su ...
''
Dubovikov, 2005
**''
Bothriomyrmex''
Emery, 1869
**''
Chronoxenus
''Chronoxenus'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus is known from Asia.
Species
*'' Chronoxenus butteli'' ( Forel, 1913)
*'' Chronoxenus dalyi'' (Forel, 1895)
*'' Chronoxenus myops'' (Forel, 1895)
*'' Chronoxenus rossi ...
''
Santschi
Felix Santschi (1 December 1872 – 20 November 1940) was a Swiss entomologist known for discovering that ants use the sun as a compass and for describing about 2000 taxa of ants.
Santschi is known for his pioneering work on the navigational abi ...
, 1919
**''
Loweriella
''Loweriella boltoni'' is a species of ant and is the only known species of genus ''Loweriella''. The species is only known from workers collected in the rainforest in Sarawak, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The ...
''
Shattuck, 1992
**''
Ravavy''
Fisher, 2009
*
Dolichoderini Forel, 1878
**''
Dolichoderus''
Lund, 1831
*
Leptomyrmecini Emery, 1913
**''
Anillidris
''Anillidris'' is a genus of ants which only contains the species ''Anillidris bruchi''. The genus is known only from a few collections in Brazil and Argentina. For a time ''Anillidris'' was synonymous with genus ''Linepithema
''Linepithema' ...
''
Santschi
Felix Santschi (1 December 1872 – 20 November 1940) was a Swiss entomologist known for discovering that ants use the sun as a compass and for describing about 2000 taxa of ants.
Santschi is known for his pioneering work on the navigational abi ...
, 1936
**''
Anonychomyrma''
Donisthorpe, 1947
**''
Azteca''
Forel, 1878
**†''
Chronomyrmex''
McKellar, Glasier & Engel, 2013
**''
Doleromyrma''
Forel, 1907
**''
Dorymyrmex''
Mayr
Mayr is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrea Mayr (born 1979), Austrian female long-distance runner
* Ernst Mayr (1904–2005), German American evolutionary biologist
* Georg Mayr (1564–1623), Bavarian Jesuit prie ...
, 1866
**''
Forelius''
Emery, 1888
**''
Froggattella''
Forel, 1902
**''
Gracilidris''
Wild & Cuezzo, 2006
**''
Iridomyrmex
''Iridomyrmex'' is a genus of ants called rainbow ants (referring to their blue-green iridescent sheen) first described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. He placed the genus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formic ...
''
Mayr
Mayr is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrea Mayr (born 1979), Austrian female long-distance runner
* Ernst Mayr (1904–2005), German American evolutionary biologist
* Georg Mayr (1564–1623), Bavarian Jesuit prie ...
, 1862
**''
Leptomyrmex''
Mayr
Mayr is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrea Mayr (born 1979), Austrian female long-distance runner
* Ernst Mayr (1904–2005), German American evolutionary biologist
* Georg Mayr (1564–1623), Bavarian Jesuit prie ...
, 1862
**''
Linepithema
''Linepithema'' is a genus of small ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae.
Distribution
Their native distribution rage from northern Mexico, east into the Caribbean, and south into northern Argentina. Two species have been spread around th ...
''
Mayr
Mayr is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrea Mayr (born 1979), Austrian female long-distance runner
* Ernst Mayr (1904–2005), German American evolutionary biologist
* Georg Mayr (1564–1623), Bavarian Jesuit prie ...
, 1866
**''
Nebothriomyrmex''
Dubovikov, 2004
**''
Ochetellus''
Shattuck, 1992
**''
Papyrius
Papurius or Papyrius was a fortress in Cilicia Campestris, near Tarsus.
It was in this fortress that the usurper Marcian was held prisoner after his failed revolt in 479, and where Leontius and his general and king-maker Illus were besieged betwe ...
''
Shattuck, 1992
**''
Philidris''
Shattuck, 1992
**''
Turneria''
Forel, 1895
*†
Miomyrmecini Carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...
, 1930
**†''
Miomyrmex''
Carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...
, 1930
*
Tapinomini
Tapinomini is a tribe of Dolichoderinae ants with 6 genera and one extinct genus.
Genera
*'' Aptinoma'' Fisher, 2009
*'' Axinidris'' Weber, 1941
*†'' Ctenobethylus'' Brues, 1939
*'' Ecphorella'' Forel, 1909
*'' Liometopum'' Mayr, 1861
*''Tapin ...
Emery, 1913
**''
Aptinoma
''Aptinoma'' is a small genus of arboreal ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. Its two species are known only from Antongil Bay, Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Mada ...
''
Fisher, 2009
**''
Axinidris
''Axinidris'' is a genus of arboreal ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the co ...
''
Weber, 1941
**†''
Ctenobethylus
''Ctenobethylus'' is an extinct genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus contains a single described species ''Ctenobethylus goepperti'', where the fossil is known to be from the Baltic Amber
The Baltic region is home to the ...
''
Brues, 1939
**''
Ecphorella
''Ecphorella wellmani'' is a species of ant and the only known species of genus ''Ecphorella''. The species is only known from workers from the type locality in Benguela, Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_ma ...
''
Forel, 1909
**''
Liometopum
''Liometopum'' is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae, found in North America, Europe and Asia.
Caterpillars of certain butterfly species have a symbiotic relationship with ''Liometopum'' ants. They produce secretions t ...
''
Mayr
Mayr is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrea Mayr (born 1979), Austrian female long-distance runner
* Ernst Mayr (1904–2005), German American evolutionary biologist
* Georg Mayr (1564–1623), Bavarian Jesuit prie ...
, 1861
**''
Tapinoma''
Förster Förster or Foerster is a German surname meaning " forester". (It has often been Anglicised as Forster). Notable people of this name include:
Förster
* Arnold Förster (1810–1884), a German entomologist
* August Förster (physician) (1822–1 ...
, 1850
**''
Technomyrmex''
Mayr
Mayr is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrea Mayr (born 1979), Austrian female long-distance runner
* Ernst Mayr (1904–2005), German American evolutionary biologist
* Georg Mayr (1564–1623), Bavarian Jesuit prie ...
, 1872
*''
incertae sedis
' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...
''
**†''
Alloiomma
''Alloiomma'' is an extinct genus of ants that once belonged to the subfamily Dolichoderinae
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), the erratic ant, the odorous hou ...
''
Zhang, 1989
**†''
Asymphylomyrmex''
Wheeler, 1915
**†''
Elaeomyrmex
''Elaeomyrmex'' is an extinct genus of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the con ...
''
Carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...
, 1930
**†''
Elaphrodites
''Elaphrodites'' is an extinct genus of ants of the subfamily Dolichoderinae
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the ...
''
Zhang, 1989
**†''
Eldermyrmex''
Heterick & Shattuck, 2011
**†''
Emplastus''
Donisthorpe, 1920
**†''
Eotapinoma''
Dlussky, 1988
**†''
Eurymyrmex
''Eurymyrmex'' is an extinct genus of ant in the Formicidae subfamily Dolichoderinae
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant (''Linepithema humile''), the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, ...
''
Zhang, Sun & Zhang, 1994
**†''
Kotshkorkia''
Dlussky, 1981
**†''
Ktunaxia''
Lapolla & Greenwalt, 2015
**†''
Leptomyrmula
''Leptomyrmula'' is an extinct genus of ants of the subfamily Dolichoderinae. It contains a single described species ''Leptomyrmula maravignae'', which was described before the genus existed in 1891.
References
†
A dagger, obelisk, ...
''
Emery, 1913
**†''
Petraeomyrmex''
Carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...
, 1930
**†''
Proiridomyrmex''
Dlussky & Rasnitsyn, 2003
**†''
Protazteca''
Carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...
, 1930
**†''
Usomyrma
''Usomyrma'' is an extinct genus of ant in the formicid subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus contains a single described species, ''Usomyrma mirabilis'', that is known from two Middle Eocene fossils which were found in Scandinavian amber in De ...
''
Dlussky, Radchenko & Dubovikoff, 2014
**†''
Yantaromyrmex''
Dlussky & Dubovikoff, 2013
**†''
Zherichinius''
Dlussky, 1988
See also
*
List of ants of Andorra
References
*
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q385326
Ant subfamilies
Taxa named by Auguste Forel