Iridomyrmex nudipes

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Iridomyrmex nudipes
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dolichoderinae
Tribe: Leptomyrmecini
Genus: Iridomyrmex
Species: I. nudipes
Binomial name
Iridomyrmex nudipes
Heterick & Shattuck, 2011

Iridomyrmex nudipes side view

Iridomyrmex nudipes top view

This ant is a diurnal forager: workers near Griffith, New South Wales, were collected from mallee stems during mid-morning (10 am).

Identification

Iridomyrmex nudipes is a fairly nondescript member of the viridigaster complex that can be identified by its lack of erect setae on the hind tibiae and its thickish node.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -32.04999924° to -34.76667023°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
pChart

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
pChart

Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • nudipes. Iridomyrmex nudipes Heterick & Shattuck, 2011: 113, fig. 57 (w.) AUSTRALIA.

Type Material

  • Holotype, worker, Lake Wyangan bank, Griffith, New South Wales, Australia, 17 July 1979, B. B. Lowery, ANIC32-040009, Australian National Insect Collection; 10am foragers on mallee stem.
  • Paratype, 2 workers, Lake Wyangan bank, Griffith, New South Wales, Australia, 17 July 1979, B. B. Lowery, ANIC32-040009, Australian National Insect Collection; 10am foragers on mallee stem.
  • Paratype, 2 workers, Lake Wyangan bank, Griffith, New South Wales, Australia, 17 July 1979, B. B. Lowery, ANIC32-040009, The Natural History Museum; 10am foragers on mallee stem.
  • Paratype, 2 workers, Lake Wyangan bank, Griffith, New South Wales, Australia, 17 July 1979, B. B. Lowery, ANIC32-040009, Museum of Comparative Zoology; 10am foragers on mallee stem.
  • Paratype, 1 worker, Moonarie, 10km S of Homestead, Gawler Ranges, South Australia, Australia, October 1972, P. J. M. Greenslade, ANIC32-042660, Australian National Insect Collection.

Description

Worker Description. Head. Posterior margin of head weakly concave; erect setae on posterior margin in full- face view set in a row; sides of head noticeably convex; erect genal setae absent from sides of head in full-face view (one to a few small setae may be present near mandibular insertion). Ocelli absent; in full-face view, eyes set at about midpoint of head capsule; in profile, eye set anteriad of head capsule; eye semi-circular. Frontal carinae concave; antennal scape barely attaining posterior margin of head, or surpassing it by less than 1 x its diameter. Erect setae on scape absent, except at tip; prominence on anteromedial clypeal margin present as an indistinct swelling or undulation; mandible regularly triangular with oblique basal margin; long, curved setae on venter of head capsule present. Mesosoma. Pronotum moderately and evenly curved over its length. Erect pronotal setae moderate in number to numerous (6 or more) and longest setae elongate, flexuous and/or curved. Mesonotum straight. Erect mesonotal setae numerous (12 or more), short and bristly. Mesothoracic spiracles always inconspicuous; propodeal dorsum protuberant; placement of propodeal spiracle posteriad and near propodeal declivity, or mesad, more than its diameter away from propodeal declivity; propodeal angle present as a bluntly defined right angle, the dorsal and declivitous propodeal faces never separated by a carina. Erect propodeal setae numerous (12 or more) and elongate, flexuous and/or curved, or numerous (12 or more), short and bristly. Petiole. Dorsum of node convex; node thick, orientation more-or-less vertical. Gaster. Non-marginal erect setae of gaster present on first gastral tergite; marginal erect setae of gaster present on first tergite. General characters. Allometric differences between workers of same nest absent. Colour frons and legs tawny orange to brown, mesosoma orange to brick-red, gaster brown. Colour of erect setae yellow.

Measurements. Worker (n = 4)—CI 95–97; EI 26–28; EL 0.26–0.27; EW 0.20–0.22; HFL 1.04–1.13; HL 0.99–1.06; HW 0.95–1.02; ML 1.37–1.47; MTL 0.80–0.86; PpH 0.24–0.27; PpL 0.52–0.59; SI 82–83; SL 0.79– 0.84.

Etymology

Latin: ‘nudus’ ‘naked’ plus ‘pes’ ‘foot’.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Heterick B. E., and S. Shattuck. 2011. Revision of the ant genus Iridomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 2845: 1-174.