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Iridomyrmex bicknelli luteus
| Iridomyrmex bicknelli luteus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Tribe: | Leptomyrmecini |
| Genus: | Iridomyrmex |
| Species: | I. bicknelli |
| Subspecies: | I. bicknelli luteus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Iridomyrmex bicknelli luteus Forel, 1915 | |
This species is treated as species inquirenda by Heterick & Shattuck, 2011.
Treatment of I. bicknelli luteus is complicated by the apparent loss of the holotype combined with an original description consisting of the single sentence (translated from German) “Completely bright red-yellow, otherwise completely like bicknelli; the head in the back somewhat less convex”. Unfortunately, Heterick and Shattuck (2011) were unaware of any species that is similar to Iridomyrmex bicknelli but is bright red-yellow and occurs in northern Western Australia. Iridomyrmex bicknelli itself is brown to black in colour and even callow or faded workers would not be described as bright red-yellow, normally being pale yellow. The description is suggestive of the pale form of Iridomyrmex agilis, but this taxon does not occur near the reported type locality of I. luteus. A more likely candidate would be the bright-red, narrow headed form of Iridomyrmex minor, a very common species in northern Western Australia which has a less convex posterior margin of the head when compared to I. bicknelli. However, without the type and with little more than a vague one line description it is impossible to determine, with any confidence, the true identity of this taxon. Heterick and Shattuck (2011) therefore treat this name as species inquirenda within Iridomyrmex until the lost holotype can be located.
Identification
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia (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. |
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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
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- luteus. Iridomyrmex bicknelli var. lutea Forel, 1915b: 77 (w.) AUSTRALIA.
- Subspecies of bicknelli: Taylor & Brown, 1985: 97; Shattuck, 1994: 101; Bolton, 1995b: 218.
- Unidentifiable taxon, incertae sedis in Iridomyrmex: Heterick & Shattuck, 2011: 165.
Type Material
- Holotype, worker, Kimberley district, Western Australia, Australia, (apparently lost, Heterick and Shattuck, 2011).