''Iridomyrmex rufoniger'' is a species of

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

in the genus ''

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 Formicida ...

''. It was described by Lowne in 1865. The species is endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and introduced to several other countries.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Lowne in 1865, and the species has three

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

. This includes ''Iridomyrmex rufoniger domesticus'' (Forel, 1907), ''Acantholepis mamillatus'' (Lowne, 1865), and ''Iridomyrmex rufoniger septentrionalis'' (Forel, 1902). The species is classified in the genus ''Iridiomyrmex'', which is 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 cone ant. The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the wor ...

Identification

The species is a part of the ''Iridomyrmex purpureus'' group, and is among the most familiar ant the Australian public is affiliated with. A typical worker is a medium-sized ant in comparison to its relatives within its genus, and will have a broad head, with a blue or yellowish-green

iridescence Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear gradually to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Iridescence is caused by wave interference of light in microstru ...

on the workers gaster. These ants in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

are different in variation and can be distinguished by their dark coloured appearance and small heads, which isn't normal when compared to other colonies elsewhere in Australia.

Distribution

''Iridomyrmex rufoniger'' ants are abundant in every state and territory in

, although it is rare in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

, to the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

(perhaps introduced) and was introduced to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

after being intercepted at the ports of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

and Freyberg, but it has not been formally established in the country. Nests are numerous, and are in the soil and depending where they live, they can be a dominant species. In Westonia, located in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

are numerous colonies that have established themselves in mine dumps, but they are not common in surrounding bushland that has gone under rehabilitation. Nests are commonly found in loose dirt and under stones. Based on collections, the ants can be found on elevations ranging from 5 – 1580 metres (16 feet - 5,183 ft), and the mean elevation range specimens were collected was 244 metres (800 ft).

Behaviour

Workers forage nocturnally and diurnally, and will walk on eucalyptus trees to obtain

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

and honeydew, but they will also hunt for insects to bring back to the colony. The ant tends a variety of species of

insects Insects (from Latin ') are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed ...

, such as '' Saisettia oleae'' and the

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

'' Aphis hederae'', and they also tend to the larvae of several butterfly species, including '' Jalmenus daemeli'', ''

Jalmenus evagoras ''Jalmenus evagoras'', the imperial hairstreak, imperial blue, or common imperial blue, is a small, metallic blue butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is commonly found in eastern coastal regions of Australia. This species is notable for its ...

'', '' Jalmenus icilius'' and '' Ogyrus zosine''. The ants have been observed foraging on flowings in the genus ''

Leptospermum ''Leptospermum'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of ''Melaleuca''. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greate ...

'' and although the species is frequently encountered in the homes of

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, the ant is not considered a pest.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3911226 Iridomyrmex Hymenoptera of Australia Insects of New Caledonia Insects described in 1865