''Iridomyrmex rufoniger'' is a species of

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

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 Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 exactly 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 all ...

. 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 world ...

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 to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfl ...

on the workers gaster. These ants in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

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 (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

, to the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

(perhaps introduced) and was introduced to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

after being intercepted at the ports of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

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 (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

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 sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

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 pancrustacean 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 j ...

, such as '' Saisettia oleae'' and the

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...

Aphis hederae ''Aphis'' is a genus of insects in the family Aphididae containing at least 600 species of aphids. It includes many notorious agricultural pests, such as the soybean aphid ''Aphis glycines''. Many species of ''Aphis'', such as '' A. coreopsidis ...

'', and they also tend to the larvae of several butterfly species, including ''

Jalmenus daemeli ''Jalmenus daemeli'', the Daemel's blue, Dämel's blue or emerald hairstreak, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae, and was first described in 1879 by Georg SemperSemper, G. 1879. Beitrag zur Rhopalocerenfauna von Australien. Journal des Museu ...

'', ''

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 ''Jalmenus icilius'', the Icilius blue or amethyst hairstreak, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in all mainland states of Australia, throughout much of the subtropical areas of the inland, from the Selwyn Range and from Carna ...

'' 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 the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, 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