''Ochetellus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of ants first described by Steve Shattuck in 1992. He placed it 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 ...

of the family Formicidae. The ants in this genus are small and black in colour; workers measure in length, the males at around are smaller, and the queens are the largest, reaching . There are seven described species and three described

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

that mostly live in

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 ...

in a wide variety of habitats, but some species are found in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. One species, ''

Ochetellus glaber ''Ochetellus glaber'' (also known as the black household ant) is a species of ant native to Australia. A member of the genus ''Ochetellus'' in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, it was Scientific description, described by Austrian entomologist Gusta ...

'', has been introduced into

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 ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The colonies are found in rotten wood, in the ground, under rocks or stones and in urban areas. The ants are both diurnal and nocturnal and forage on trees, in low vegetation and into human homes, where they are regarded as pests. These ants eat a variety of foods, including fruits, insects, sucrose, nectar and bird feces. They visit various flowers and attend to a variety of butterfly larvae. The

thorny devil The thorny devil (''Moloch horridus''), also known commonly as the mountain devil, thorny lizard, thorny dragon, and moloch, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Australia. It is the sole species in the ...

, an Australian lizard, predominantly feeds on ''Ochetellus'' workers, and other ant species also prey on them.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Ochetellus'' was first described by Steve Shattuck in 1992, placing it in the subfamily

. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the genus is ''

'', originally described as ''Hypoclinea glabra'' by Austrian entomologist

Gustav Mayr Gustav L. Mayr (12 October 1830 – 14 July 1908) was an Austrian entomologist and professor in Budapest and Vienna. He specialised in Hymenoptera, being particularly known for his studies of ants. The genus was originally placed in the tribe Dolichoderini. It was later placed under the tribe Iridomyrmecini, now classified as a synonym for the tribe

Leptomyrmecini Leptomyrmecini is a tribe of Dolichoderinae ants with 16 genera and two extinct genera. Genera *'' Anillidris'' Santschi, 1936 *''Anonychomyrma'' Donisthorpe, 1947 *'' Azteca'' Forel, 1878 *†'' Chronomyrmex'' McKellar, Glasier & Engel, 2013 *' ...

. The genus consists of seven species and three

that were previously placed 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 ...

''. The genus contains the following species: '' O. democles'', '' O. epinotalis'', '' O. flavipes'', '' O. glaber'', '' O. punctatissimus'', '' O. sororis'' and '' O. vinsoni''. The three subspecies classified in this genus are ''O. glaber clarithorax'', ''O. glaber consimilis'' and ''O. glaber sommeri''.

Description

Starr-110728-8084-plant-Senecio madagascariensis-habitat with Ochetellus glaber queen-Kokomo Haiku

''Ochtellus'' is a genus of small black ants; each species vary in size, with workers ranging from in length and males are smaller at . The largest ants in the genus are the queens; ''Ochetellus sororis'' queens measure up to . While these ants were formerly placed in the genus ''Iridomyrmex'', there are several features that makes these ants distinct; the

compound eyes A compound eye is a visual organ found in arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. It may consist of thousands of ommatidia, which are tiny independent photoreception units that consist of a cornea, lens, and photoreceptor cells which distin ...

are differently positioned on the head, and the arrangement of the clypeal margin and

mesosoma The mesosoma is the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the metasoma. It bears the legs, and, in the case of winged insects, the wings. In hymenopterans of t ...

can also distinguish between the two genera. ''Ochetellus'' looks similar to ''

Dolichoderus ''Dolichoderus'' is a genus of ants found worldwide. Taxonomy The ants of the Neotropical genus ''Monacis'' 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 ' ...

'' species, but they are relatively smaller and the petiole is narrow and dorsolaterally expanded. The head is also thinner than most Dolichoderinae ants. On the head, the occipital border either curves in or curves out, and no

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

are present. The antennae consist of twelve segments. The

mandibles In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

each have six to eight teeth along with a large apical tooth.

Distribution and habitat

''Ochetellus'' ants are native to

and have been introduced into

. In

, they are native to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and southern

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

. Species are found on the islands of

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

and

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 ...

. ''

'' was first sighted in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

in 1977 and is considered an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

. Since its introduction, the ant has spread throughout the state, and is now found in

Kahoolawe Kahoolawe (Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Kahoolawe (), is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. Kahoolawe is located about southwest of Maui and also southeast of Lānaʻi, and it is long by wide, with a total ...

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

and

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. The ant has also been introduced to mainland

, being found in north-central

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, where it is localised in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

. Ants of this genus are eurychoric; they have a widespread geographic distribution in many different climates, but they are usually found in dry and

mesic habitat In ecology, a mesic habitat is a type of habitat with a moderate or well-balanced supply of moisture, e.g., a mesic forest, a temperate hardwood forest, or dry-mesic prairie. Mesic habitats transition to xeric shrublands in a non-linear fashion, ...

s. They are referred to as a tropical genus, but the type specimen was collected from temperate

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 ...

. They are found in

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaf, leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is paral ...

woodland and forests, eucalypt woodland, ''

Casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fami ...

'' forests, mallee, hillsides, beaches and urban areas. These ants are

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...

ants and nests are located in bark, logs, rotten wood, sand, soil, under rocks and stones, tree stumps and twigs or branches. In urban areas, colonies are found under cracked paths, inside house walls or in patio areas. Some species are considered pests, and they forage into

pastures Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...

and houses where they show a preference for fluids and sweets. ''

Ochetellus flavipes ''Ochetellus flavipes'', the spinifex ant, is a species of ant in the genus ''Ochetellus''. Described by William Forsell Kirby William Forsell Kirby (14 January 1844 – 20 November 1912) was an English entomologist and folklorist. Life He ...

'' nesting habits are unique among Australian ants, and they construct small runways across the ground. These nests are structurally similar to nests built by some ''

Polyrhachis ''Polyrhachis'' is a genus of formicine ants found in the Old World with over 600 species. The genus is yet to be comprehensively resolved and contains many varied species including nest-weavers (e.g. ''Polyrhachis dives''), swimming workers ( ...

'' ants, which construct platforms woven from plants that house the

Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order (biology), order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, Reduviidae, assassin bugs, Cimex, bed bugs, and shield bugs. ...

insects they attend to.

Behaviour and ecology

Workers form foraging columns in search of food. They forage into buildings, eucalyptus trees, ground areas or on low vegetation. Workers are both diurnal and

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, but they are not active throughout any 24-hour period. Low activity occurs during clear sunny days; however, colonies are extremely active shortly after rain. ''Ochetellus'' ants are

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...

s that feed primarily on

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

s, but they show a preference for fluids and sweets when they enter human houses. Workers will prey on ''

Ornithoptera richmondia ''Ornithoptera richmondia'', the Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species, the smallest being ''Ornithoptera meridionalis''. Distribution Historically, ...

'' eggs, fruit fly pupae, '' Plutella'' larvae and attack wasp nests. Honeydew,

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 ...

Pacific reef heron The Pacific reef heron (''Egretta sacra''), also known as the eastern reef heron or eastern reef egret, is a species of heron found throughout southern Asia and Oceania. It occurs in two colour morphs with either slaty grey or pure white pluma ...

feces Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...

carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...

, ''

Pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names ...

'' fruits, plants, seeds,

sucrose Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...

, fats and grease will also be consumed. ''O. glaber'' is known to exploit the

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

on plants without providing protection. Foraging workers often visit ''

Pisonia ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees o ...

'' flowers and will feed on the nectar. Other flowers they will visit include ''

Canavalia ''Canavalia'' is a genus of plants in the legume family ( Fabaceae) that comprises approximately 48 to 50 species of tropical vines. Members of the genus are commonly known as jack-beans. The species of ''Canavalia'' endemic to the Hawaiian Isl ...

'', '' Commicarpus'', ''

Ipomoea ''Ipomoea'' () is the largest genus in the plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 600 species. It is a large and diverse group, with common names including morning glory, water convolvulus or water spinach, sweet potato, bindweed, moonflo ...

'', ''

Melanthera ''Melanthera'' (common name: squarestem), is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to North and South America, as well as Africa, Asia and Oceania, including Hawaii. The most common species of this genus is ''Me ...

'', ''

Plumbago ''Plumbago'' is a genus of 10–20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus '' Cerat ...

'' and '' Scaevola''. ''Ochetellus flavipes'' regularly attends the mealybug '' Prorsococcus acanthodus'' and protects it by building shelters. They also attend a number of butterfly larvae, including '' Anthene lycaenoides'' (Pale Ciliate Blue), '' Ogyris amaryllis'' (Satin Azure), ''

Ogyris olane ''Ogyris olane'', the Olane azure, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Australia, where it is found in most of the eastern half, including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The wingspan is about . Adul ...

'' (Olane Azure) and ''

Ogyris oroetes ''Ogyris oroetes'', the silky azure, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in most of mainland Australia. The wingspan is 30–40 mm. Adults of both sexes are metallic blue, but only the females have black margins. The undersi ...

'' (Silky Azure). Predators such as other ants and the

lizard (''Moloch horridus'') predominantly feed on ''Ochetellus'' workers; the number of ants that a thorny devil can consume per minute is around 24 to 45. The total number of ants consumed in a day can be as many as 2,500 individuals, based on an examination of the lizard's stomach contents. During the

nuptial flight Nuptial flight is an important phase in the reproduction of most ant, termite, and some bee species. It is also observed in some fly species, such as ''Rhamphomyia longicauda''. During the flight, virgin queens mate with males and then land to ...

, a queen may mate with multiple males, while the males will only mate with a single queen, making them

monogynous This is a glossary of terms used in the descriptions of ants. A B D E F G H M N O P Q R S T U W See also ...

. However, ''Ochetellus glaber'' queens will only mate with a single male, making them

polygynous Polygyny (; from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); ) is the most common and accepted form of polygamy around the world, entailing the marriage of a man with several women. Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any ...

. Sometimes, colonies proliferate by "budding" (also called "satelliting" or "fractionating"), where a subset of the colony including queens, workers and brood (eggs, larvae and pupae) leave the main colony for an alternative nest site.

References

Cited texts

* *

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q10294277 Dolichoderinae Ant genera Hymenoptera of Asia Hymenoptera of Australia Hymenoptera of North America