Arnold (1915) observed these ants tending an unidentified Membracidae, one of just a few rare records of an army ant associating with honeydew producing insects.
Dorylus fulvus currently contains 11 subspecies and 7 junior synonyms. These taxa were described in the 1800's and early 1900's and the synonyms proposed in the early 1900's, with essentially no taxonomic consideration since. Of the 11 subspecies, 3 were described from workers, 4 were based on workers and males and 4 on males alone. This makes it almost impossible to taxonomically compare these taxa with each other, and makes the original descriptions essentially worthless. The true identity of these forms, and their relationships to each other, will remain uncertain until a full revision has been undertaken.
Photo Gallery
Dorylus fulvus worker, Israel. Photo by Eran Schnecke.
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.
homalinus. Cosmaecetes homalinus Spinola, 1851b: 55 (w.) Brazil (Pará).
Type-material: holotype worker.
Type-locality (in error): Brazil: Pará, 1846 (Ghiliani).
[Note: Spinola, 1853b: 71, says that he found three workers in M. Rambur’s collection that were exactly the same as the holotype, but from Algeria. Emery, 1893h: 1, confirms that homalinus is from North Africa.]
Type-depository: MRSN.
[Also described as new by Spinola, 1853: 71.]
[Misspelled as omalinus by Emery, 1893h: 1, Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 160.]
Combination in Typhlopone: Smith, F. 1858b: 111;
combination in Dorylus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 11.
Status as species: Smith, F. 1858b: 111; Roger, 1861a: 45; Roger, 1863b: 20; Mayr, 1863: 457; Dalla Torre, 1893: 11.
spinolae. Labidus (Typhlopone) spinolae Shuckard, 1840c: 327 (w.) (no state data).
Type-material: holotype worker.
Type-locality: none given (G.H.K. Thwaites).
Type-depository: unknown (“in the collection of Mr Thwaites”.)
[Note: Smith, F. 1858b: 111, says that the single specimen was in “sugar casks from South America”. There is no such statement in the original description, but if the comment is correct then spinolae can not be a Dorylus species.]
Combination in Labidus: Westwood, 1842: 77;
combination in Typhlopone: Smith, F. 1858b: 111;
combination in Dorylus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 13.
Status as species: Smith, F. 1858b: 111; Roger, 1861a: 45; Roger, 1863b: 20; Mayr, 1863: 457; Dalla Torre, 1893: 13.
thwaitsii. Labidus (Typhlopone) thwaitsii Shuckard, 1840c: 326 (w.) (no state data).
Type-material: holotype(?) worker.
[Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
Type-locality: none given (G.H.K. Thwaites).
Type-depository: unknown (“in the collection of Mr Thwaites”.)
[Note: Smith, F. 1858b: 111, says that the specimen(s) were in, “sugar casks from South America”. There is no such statement in the original description, but if the comment is correct then thwaitsii can not be a Dorylus species.]
[Misspelled as twaitsi by Emery, 1910b: 13.]
Combination in Typhlopone: Smith, F. 1858b: 111;
combination in Dorylus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 13.
Status as species: Smith, F. 1858b: 111; Roger, 1861a: 45; Roger, 1863b: 20; Mayr, 1863: 457; Dalla Torre, 1893: 13.
Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 10, Combination in Dorylus)
Emery, C. 1895l. Die Gattung Dorylus Fab. und die systematische Eintheilung der Formiciden. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 8: 685-778 (page 723, male described, Combination in D. (Typhlopone), Senior synonym of clausii, dahlbomii, shuckardi, spinolae and thwaitsii)
Westwood, J. O. 1839a. An introduction to the modern classification of insects; founded on the natural habits and corresponding organisation of the different families. Volume 2. Part XI. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans, pp. 193-224. (page 219, fig. 86 worker described)
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Cagniant, H. 2006. Liste actualisée des fourmis du Maroc. Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 193-200.
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Dalla Torre, K. W.. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae. Vol. 7. Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 1893.
Delye, G., and J. L. Bonaric. "Fourmis du sud Marocain." Etude de certains milieux du Maroc et de leux evolution recente RCP 249 (1973).
Derwesh A. I. 1965. A preliminary list of identified insects and some arachnids of Iraq. Ministry of Agriculture. Government Pressm Baghdad Iraq. Bulletin n 112: 128 pages.
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Emery C. 1895. Die Gattung Dorylus Fab. und die systematische Eintheilung der Formiciden. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 8: 685-778.
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Field Museum Collection, Chicago, Illinois (C. Moreau)
Finzi B. 1939. Materiali zoologici dell'Eritrea raccolti da G. Müller durante la spedizione dell'Istituto Sieroterapico Milanese e conservati al Museo di Trieste. Parte III. Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Atti del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Trieste 14: 153-168.
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IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
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