Dorylus laevigatus

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Dorylus laevigatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dorylinae
Genus: Dorylus
Species: D. laevigatus
Binomial name
Dorylus laevigatus
(Smith, F., 1857)

Dorylus laevigatus casent0179069 p 1 high.jpg

Dorylus laevigatus casent0179069 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Identification

A member of the Dorylus laevigatus-group.

Highly polymorphic. Number of antennal segments varying allometrically from 10 to 12. Concolorous yellow brown. (Wilson 1964)

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 5.809722222° to -6.966667°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Borneo (type locality), Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore.
Oriental Region: India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.
Palaearctic Region: China.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Dorylus laevigatus casent0249441 d 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0249441 p 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0249441 h 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0249441 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0249441. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by PSWC, Philip S. Ward Collection.
Dorylus laevigatus casent0249442 d 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0249442 h 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0249442 p 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0249442 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0249442. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by PSWC, Philip S. Ward Collection.
Dorylus laevigatus casent0902696 p 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0902696 h 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0902696 d 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0902696 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Dorylus laevigatusWorker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0902696. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.
Dorylus laevigatus casent0903709 d 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0903709 h 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0903709 p 1 high.jpgDorylus laevigatus casent0903709 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Dorylus brevicepsWorker. Specimen code casent0903709. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Wilson 1964 Army Ant fig 1-14

Phylogeny

Relationships among selected Dorylus species based on Kronauer et al. (2007).

Dorylus

Dorylus laevigatus

Dorylus conradti

Dorylus orientalis

Dorylus fimbriatus laevipodex

Dorylus fulvus

Dorylus spininodis

Dorylus mayri

Dorylus nigricans rubellus

Dorylus nigricans molestus

Dorylus nigricans terrificus

Dorylus wilverthi

Dorylus nigricans burmeisteri

Dorylus nigricans sjostedti

Dorylus nigricans arcens

Dorylus nigricans

Dorylus emeryi

Dorylus gerstaeckeri

Dorylus gribodoi

Dorylus kohli

Dorylus emeryi opacus

Dorylus braunsi

Dorylus affinis

Dorylus helvolus

Nomenclature

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

  • laevigatus. Typhlopone laevigata Smith, F. 1857a: 70 (w.) BORNEO (East Malaysia: Sarawak).
    • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Malaysia: Borneo, Sarawak (A.R. Wallace).
    • Type-depository: BMNH.
    • [Note: Donisthorpe, 1932c: 449, could not fine these specimens in OXUM. However, there are 3 syntype workers in BMNH, labelled “SAR”.]
    • [Misspelled as laeviceps by Smith, F. 1862a: 49; misspelled as levigata by Roger, 1863b: 20, Emery, 1901c: 186, and others.]
    • Forel, 1901a: 464 (q.m.).
    • Combination in Dorylus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 12;
    • combination in Dorylus (Dichthadia): Emery, 1895j: 729.
    • Status as species: Smith, F. 1858b: 112; Roger, 1861a: 45; Smith, F. 1862a: 49; Mayr, 1862: 737; Roger, 1863b: 20; Mayr, 1863: 457; Mayr, 1867a: 91 (redescription); Smith, F. 1871a: 324; Mayr, 1872: 151; Emery, 1887b: 449; Emery, 1888b: 350; Dalla Torre, 1893: 12; Emery, 1893g: 259; Emery, 1895j: 729; Emery, 1895k: 453; Emery, 1900d: 661; Forel, 1901a: 464; Emery, 1901c: 186; Emery, 1901g: 566; Bingham, 1903: 3; Forel, 1909d: 221; Emery, 1910b: 8; Forel, 1912d: 104; Forel, 1913k: 20; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 61; Santschi, 1920h: 160; Santschi, 1924c: 97; Wheeler, W.M. 1924b: 239; Karavaiev, 1926d: 422; Donisthorpe, 1932c: 448; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 9; Wilson, 1964a: 440; Bolton, 1995b: 179; Jaitrong & Nabhitabhata, 2005: 21; Pfeiffer, et al. 2011: 35; Guénard & Dunn, 2012: 26; Bharti, Guénard, et al. 2016: 22; Jaitrong, Guénard, et al. 2016: 26.
    • Senior synonym of breviceps: Dalla Torre, 1893: 12; Emery, 1895j: 729; Emery, 1895k: 453; Forel, 1901a: 464; Bingham, 1903: 3; Wilson, 1964a: 440; Bolton, 1995b: 179.
    • Senior synonym of glaberrima: Emery, 1888b: 350; Forel, 1901a: 464; Bingham, 1903: 3; Emery, 1910b: 9; Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 161; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 61; Santschi, 1931d: 407; Wilson, 1964a: 440; Bolton, 1995b: 179.
    • Senior synonym of klugi: Emery, 1888b: 350; Forel, 1901a: 464; Bingham, 1903: 3; Emery, 1910b: 9; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 61; Wilson, 1964a: 440; Bolton, 1995b: 179.
    • Distribution: China, India, Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra), Laos, Malaysia (Peninsula, Sabah, Sarawak), Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.
  • breviceps. Dorylus (Typhlopone) breviceps Emery, 1889b: 488 (w.) MYANMAR.
    • Type-material: 2 syntype workers.
    • Type-locality: Myanmar (“Birmania”): Tenasserim, Kawkareet (L. Fea).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • Combination in D. (Dichthadia): Emery, 1895j: 729.
    • Subspecies of laevigatus: Emery, 1910b: 9; Viehmeyer, 1916a: 110; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 9.
    • Junior synonym of laevigatus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 12; Emery, 1895j: 729; Emery, 1895k: 453; Forel, 1901a: 464; Bingham, 1903: 3; Wilson, 1964a: 440; Bolton, 1995b: 178.
  • glaberrima. Dichthadia glaberrima Gerstäcker, 1863: 93, pl. 1, fig. 2 (q.) INDONESIA (Java).
    • Type-material: holotype queen.
    • Type-locality: Indonesia: Java (no further data).
    • Type-depository: unknown (“Mus. Berol.”).
    • Combination in Dorylus (Dichthadia): Emery, 1888b: 345.
    • Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 407; Roger, 1863b: 42; Dalla Torre, 1893: 10; Emery, 1895j: 729.
    • Junior synonym of laevigatus: Emery, 1888b: 350; Forel, 1901a: 464; Bingham, 1903: 3; Emery, 1910b: 9; Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 161; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 61; Santschi, 1931d: 407; Wilson, 1964a: 440; Bolton, 1995b: 179.
  • klugi. Dorylus klugi Emery, 1887b: 448, pl. 1, fig. 10 (m.) INDONESIA (Sumatra) (attributed to Hagenbach).
    • Type-material: holotype male.
    • Type-locality: Indonesia: Sumatra, Padan Panjan, Mt Singalang (O. Beccari).
    • Type-depository: MSNG.
    • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 12; Emery, 1895j: 729; Forel, 1901h: 47.
    • Junior synonym of laevigatus: Emery, 1888b: 350; Forel, 1901a: 464; Bingham, 1903: 3; Emery, 1910b: 9; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 61; Wilson, 1964a: 440; Bolton, 1995b: 179.

Description

Worker

Major

Smith (1857): Chestnut-red: smooth and shining, longitudinally channeled, slightly interrupted, in some examples, near the margin of the vertex; the inner margin, and apex of the mandibles, black. Thorax: a slightly impressed channel in front; the peduncle narrowed and rounded in front; the abdomen and legs rather paler than the head, the margins of the segments slightly constricted.


Bingham (1930): Castaneous brown, smooth and shining, punctures very small and sparse. Head rectangular, much longer than broad, the occiput emarginate, the front of the head bearing a short medial longitudinally impressed line or furrow. Thorax short, flat above, about as long as the head; legs short, robust. Node of the pedicel much broader than long, anteriorly with a gradual slope forwards, posteriorly vertical; abdomen massive, somewhat lighter in colour than the head and thorax.

Length: 8 mm


Minor

Smith (1857): About half the size, pale testaceous, and more abruptly truncated on the thorax.


Bingham (1930): Similar, smaller, much lighter in colour.

Length: 4 - 5 mm


Queen

Bingham (1903): Apterous, reddish brown, smooth and shining. Head broad, transverse, destitute of eyes or ocelli; the mandibles narrow, sickle-shaped; antennae short, geniculated; the flagellum 11-jointed: thorax somewhat narrow and constricted; legs short and feeble, claws simple; pedicel with a trapezoidal node, broader than long, widely separated from the 1st abdominal segment; abdomen very long, heavy and massive. (After Gerstäcker)

Length: 32 mm


Male

Bingham (1903): Dusky brownish yellow, with a long, fairly abundant, semierect covering: of yellow hairs, and beneath it, especially on the abdomen, a pale sericeous pubescence; head and scape of the antennae fuscous black or brown, flagellum of the antennae, mandibles, and legs castaneous; wings hyaline with a fulvous brownish tint. Head short, transverse, the region of the ocelli only slightly raised. Thorax gibbous in front; mesonotum very convex; scutellutn prominent, the apex bearing a longitudinal impression; metanotum rounded posteriorly; legs very short. Node of pedicel broader than long, very convex and rounded above; abdomen massive, robust, curved downwards, clavate towards the apex.

Length: 24 mm

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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  • Borowiec M. L. 2016. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 608: 1–280.
  • Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
  • Chapman, J.W. and S.R. Capco. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monographs of the Institute of Science and Technology (Manila) 1: 1- 327
  • Dias R. K. S., K. R. K. A. Kosgamage, and H. A. W. S. Peiris. 2012. The Taxonomy and Conservation Status of Ants (Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Formicidae) in Sri Lanka. In: The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Weerakoon, D.K. & S. Wijesundara Eds., Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. p11-19.
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  • Emery C. 1901. Formiciden von Celebes. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 14:565-580.
  • Emery C. 1901. Studi sul polimorfismo e la metamorfosi nel genere Dorylus. Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna (5)9: 183-201.
  • Emery C. 1910. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Dorylinae. Genera Insectorum 102: 1-34.
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