Dolichoderus inermis

Dolichoderus inermis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Dolichoderinae
Tribe:	Dolichoderini
Genus:	Dolichoderus
Species:	D. inermis
Binomial name
Dolichoderus inermis Mackay, W.P., 1993 Specimen Labels

Identification

Color black; scapes and mesosomal dorsum with abundant delicate erect setae; dorsal and posterior faces of propodeum meeting at rounded angle and not produced as a projecting flange; face and mesosomal dorsum sublucid; pronotum transverse, with spiniform humeri (Jack Longino).

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 9.266667° to -10.06666667°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Costa Rica (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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.

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.

Biology

This species is a moderately abundant element of the fauna in Corcovado National Park, but so far it is known only from Corcovado. Within Corcovado I collected it at Sirena, Los Patos, Los Planes, Cerro Rincon, and Llorona, so it is widely distributed on the Osa Peninsula. Three times I observed clusters of workers on inflorescences, once on Acanthaceae, once on Hamelia axillaris (Rubiaceae), and once on Melastomataceae. In the first two cases, the inflorescences also had abundant Membracidae and Coccoidea (scale insects). At Sirena I observed workers foraging parabiotically with Crematogaster carinata. The workers were together on low vegetation, moving together in columns and forming clumps of stationary workers. Thus D. inermis is probably parabiotic, much like Dolichoderus debilis. The workers move very slowly and seem relatively passive, in contrast to many other species of Dolichoderus that either flee or aggressively attack in response to disturbance. The workers often move with their gasters twisted laterally, a distinctive posture I have also seen in some species of Myrmelachista. (Jack Longino)

Association with Other Organisms

 Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

This species is a xenobiont for the ant Crematogaster carinata (a xenobiont).

Nomenclature

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

• inermis. Dolichoderus inermis Mackay, W.P., 1993b: 63, figs. 9, 10 (w.) COSTA RICA.

References

• Franco, W., Ladino, N., Delabie, J.H.C., Dejean, A., Orivel, J., Fichaux, M., Groc, S., Leponce, M., Feitosa, R.M. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674, 509–543 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4674.5.2).
• Hsu, F.-C., Tseng, S.-P., Hsu, P.-W., Lu, C.-W., Yang, C.-C.S., Lin, C.-C. 2022. Introduction of a non-native lineage is linked to the recent black cocoa ant, Dolichoderus thoracicus (Smith, 1860), outbreaks in Taiwan. Taiwania 67: 271‒279 (doi:10.6165/tai.2022.67.271).
• Mackay, W. P. 1993b. A review of the New World ants of the genus Dolichoderus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 22: 1-148 (page 63, figs. 9, 10 worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
• Longino J. et al. ADMAC project. Accessed on March 24th 2017 at https://sites.google.com/site/admacsite/
• Longino, J.T. 2003. The Crematogaster (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) of Costa Rica. Zootaxa 151:1-150
• Mackay, W.P. 1993. A review of the New World ants of the genus Dolichoderus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 22(1):1-148
• Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.
• da Silva de Oliveira A. B., and F. A. Schmidt. 2019. Ant assemblages of Brazil nut trees Bertholletia excelsa in forest and pasture habitats in the Southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Biodiversity and Conservation 28(2): 329-344.