Dolichoderus doriae Emery

Shattuck, Steven O. & Marsden, Sharon, 2013, Australian species of the ant genus Dolichoderus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 3716 (2), pp. 101-143 : 115-116

Dolichoderus doriae Emery

( Fig. 8 )

Dolichoderus doriae Emery, 1887: 252 .

Types. 2 worker syntypes from the Blue Mountains (specific locality not given) (MCSN); 1 worker syntype from Mt. Victoria [approx. 33°35'S 150°15'E] (MVMA), New South Wales.

Diagnosis. Pronotum and propodeum with elongate spines; pronotal spines are short and directed anteriorly and approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, in dorsal view a line drawn between their tips intersects the pronotal collar; first gastral tergite with abundant short erect hairs and gaster with golden pubescence (less obvious in older specimens); propodeal spines and sometimes antennae are lighter in colour than nearby body regions, ranging from dark red to red-brown; legs yellow, strongly contrasting with black body.

This species differs from D. extensispinus by having anteriorly directed pronotal spines and from other members of the doriae group (except D. clarki ) by the abundant short erect hairs on the first gastral tergite. It most closely resembles D. clarki but can be differentiated by the yellow coloured legs, in contrast to the dark legs found in D. clarki .

Worker description. See Fig. 8 . Sculpturing on mesosoma always present but varying in development from covering the entire surface to more weakly developed and with limited areas of nearly smooth integument (similar to figured individual). Propodeal spines varying in length (sometimes slightly longer than shown) and spread (occasionally much narrower than as figured). Propodeal spines and sometimes antennae lighter in colour than nearby body regions, ranging from dark red to red-brown.

Measurements (n=5). CI 93–98; EI 16–20; EL 0.27–0.31; HL 1.63–1.81; HW 1.55–1.71; ML 2.54–2.76; MTL 1.65–1.83; PronI 67.50–74.11; PronW 1.05–1.20; SI 106–118; SL 1.77–1.91.

Material examined. Australian Capital Territory: Blundells (Greaves,T.) (ANIC); Blundells [Blundells Flat] (Fuller) (ANIC); Brindabella Range (Greaves,T.) (ANIC); nr. Picadilly Circus (Taylor,R.W.) (ANIC); Orroral River crossing (collector unknown) (ANIC); Tidbinbilla Nature Res, Koala Enclosure (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); Wombat Creek, 6km NE Piccadilly Circus (Weir,T.A., Lawrence,J. & Johnson) (ANIC); New South Wales: 3km W Kioloa, Dangerboard Road (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); 4km NE Mt. Wog Wog, 17km SE Bombala (Margules,C.R.) (ANIC); 4km NE Mt. Wog Wog, 17km SE Bombala (Greenslade,P.J.M.) (ANIC); 5km S Mongarlowe (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); 75km E Armidale (Greenslade,P.J.M.) (ANIC); 7km W Jamberoo (Ward,P.S.) (ANIC); 7mi. W Calga, nr. Gosford (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); 9km NE Batemans Bay, West Side Hwy 1, ca. 0.5km N Durras Rd. (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); Belanglo State Forest (Gush,T.) (ANIC); Colo Vale (Dyce,A.; Greaves,T.) (ANIC); Dalrymple Forest, Pymble, Sydney (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); Dam Road & Higgins Creek, Kioloa State Forest (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); Dawsons Spring, Mt. Kaputar (Giles,E.T.) (ANIC); Dawsons Spring, Mt. Kaputar National Park (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); Devils Hole, Barrington Tops, 7km NNE of Mt. Polblue (Key,K.H.L.) (ANIC); East Boyd State Forest, Goanna Rd., 56km SE Bombala (Lambkin,C. & Starick,N.) (ANIC); Forest Reefs (Lea) (SAMA); Galston Gorge, nr. Hornsby (Greaves,T.) (ANIC); Green Camp, Mt. Kaputar National Park (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); Hornsby (Wheeler,W.M.) (SAMA); Jamberoo (Ward,P.S.) (ANIC); Kanangra-Boyd National Park (Ward,P.S.) (ANIC); Katoomba (Wheeler; Wheeler,W.M.) (ANIC, SAMA); Killarney Gap, Narrabri (Room,P.M.) (ANIC); Kurrajong (Taylor,F.H.) (ANIC); Leura (Wheeler, W.M.) (SAMA); Mangrove Mt. (Taylor,R.W.) (ANIC); Mongarlowe (Billen,J.) (ANIC); Mt. Conobolas, nr. Orange [Canobolas] (Taylor,R.W.; Taylor,R.W. & Bartell,R.J.) (ANIC); Mt. Coryah, Narrabri (Room,P.M.) (ANIC); Mt. Tomah (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); Mt. Wilson, Blue Mountains (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); N Mt. Yulludunida, Narrabri (Room,P.M.) (ANIC); New England Nat. Pk, Bullock Ck. (Taylor,R.W.) (ANIC); New England Nat. Pk. (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); New England National Park, Pt. Lookout (Taylor,R.W.) (ANIC); Stewarts Brook State Forest (Gush,T.) (ANIC); The Gib, Bowral (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); Wog Wog, 24km SE Bombala (Shattuck,S.O.) (ANIC); Yango Creek (Ward,P.S.) (ANIC); Queensland: Townsville (Hill,G.F.) (ANIC); Victoria: Bayswater (Hill,G.F.) (ANIC); Ferntree Gully (Clark,J.; Greaves,T.; Spry,F.P.) (ANIC); Greensborough (McAreavey,J.) (ANIC); Mallacoota (Miller,V.H.) (ANIC); Melbourne (Hill,G.F.) (SAMA); Moroka (collector unknown) (ANIC); Mt. Ben Cairn (Greaves,T.) (ANIC); Narbethong (Lowery,B.B.) (ANIC); Ringwood (Spry,F.P.) (ANIC); Warrandyte (Greaves,T.) (ANIC); Woori Yallock (Thorn,L.B.) (ANIC).

Comments. Dolichoderus doriae occurs in forested areas ranging from dry sclerophyll to wet sclerophyll in eastern New South Wales, the ACT and southern Victoria. Nests are most commonly in soil under and along the edges of stones and branches on the ground or occasionally in rotten wood or in debris at the base of trees. During warmer weather workers and brood commonly form balls on the surface of the ground near nest entrances. Workers forage in trails on the ground and on tree trunks.

This is one of the better studied Australian species of Dolichoderus . These studies include: Forel (1902) (male description), Clark (1934) (queen (ergatoid) description), Wheeler and Wheeler (1966) (larval description), Dazzini Valcurone and Fanfani (1982) (glandular systems) and Fanfani and Dazzini Valcurone (1991) (metapleural gland).

There is a single record of this species from Townsville, Queensland, some 1200km north of the main range of this taxon. This collection shows typical morphology for the species and is probably a labelling error as no other records from this northern region are known.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Dolichoderus doriae, worker from Dawsons Spring, Mt. Kaputar National Park, New South Wales (ANIC 32 - 037799). A. Front of head; B. Side of body; C. Top of body; D. Distribution of material examined.