Dolichoderus pustulatus
Encyclopedia
Dolichoderus pustulatus is a species
of ant
in the subfamily Dolichoderinae
and is found in North America.
, metasoma
and legs of workers of this species are orangish-brown while the gaster
is a darker colour. There are sometimes light coloured spots on the first and second segments of the gaster and the antennae and legs become darker as the ant gets older. In the north of its range this ant is more often a single shade of reddish-brown or dark brown. Other distinguishing characteristics include the top of the head, the metasoma
and propodeum
, being covered by shallow puncture marks. There are a few short hairs near the apex of the gaster and on the legs but mostly this species is hairless. The dorsal surface of the propodeum is nearly one and a half times longer than it is wide. The integument of the petiole and the gaster is smooth and reflective in bright light.
. It has been recorded from Nova Scotia westward to Illinois and Oklahoma, in New Jersey and southward to Florida and Mississippi.
s, prairie
s, glades
and the edges of woods. The nests are hidden in soil among the roots of plants.
This species has somewhat smaller colonies
than Dolichoderus mariae
and Dolichoderus taschenbergi. Nests are either built under leaf litter or a thin-walled carton is made from chewed vegetable matter and built around blades of grass. The entrances to the nests are short tubes made from the same substance and look much like the spouts of little teapot
s.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
in the subfamily Dolichoderinae
Dolichoderinae
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Argentine ant , the erratic ant, the odorous house ant, and the cone ant. This subfamily is distinguished by having a single petiole and a slit-like orifice, rather than the round acidopore encircled by hairs that typifies...
and is found in North America.
Description
In the south of its range, the head, antennaeAntenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
, metasoma
Metasoma
The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory system, and circulatory system, and the apical segments are typically...
and legs of workers of this species are orangish-brown while the gaster
Gaster
The gaster is the bulbous posterior portion of the metasoma found in Apocrita Hymenoptera . This begins with abdominal segment III on most ants, but some make a postpetiole out of segment III, in which case the gaster begins with abdominal segment IV....
is a darker colour. There are sometimes light coloured spots on the first and second segments of the gaster and the antennae and legs become darker as the ant gets older. In the north of its range this ant is more often a single shade of reddish-brown or dark brown. Other distinguishing characteristics include the top of the head, the metasoma
Metasoma
The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory system, and circulatory system, and the apical segments are typically...
and propodeum
Propodeum
The propodeum is the first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera . It is fused with the thorax to form the mesosoma. It is a single large sclerite, not subdivided, and bears a pair of spiracles. It is strongly constricted posteriorly to form the articulation of the petiole, and gives apocritans...
, being covered by shallow puncture marks. There are a few short hairs near the apex of the gaster and on the legs but mostly this species is hairless. The dorsal surface of the propodeum is nearly one and a half times longer than it is wide. The integument of the petiole and the gaster is smooth and reflective in bright light.
Distribution
This species is found in northern United States and Southern Canada east of the Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. It has been recorded from Nova Scotia westward to Illinois and Oklahoma, in New Jersey and southward to Florida and Mississippi.
Ecology
This species is found in fenFen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
s, prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
s, glades
Glade (geography)
A glade or clearing is an open area within a woodland. Glades are often grassy meadows under the canopy of deciduous trees such as red alder or quaking aspen in western North America. They also represent openings in forests where local conditions such as avalanches, poor soils, or fire damage have...
and the edges of woods. The nests are hidden in soil among the roots of plants.
This species has somewhat smaller colonies
Ant colony
An ant colony is an underground lair where ants live, eat and mate. Colonies consist of a series of underground chambers, connected to each other and the surface of the earth by small tunnels. There are rooms for nurseries, food storage, and mating...
than Dolichoderus mariae
Dolichoderus mariae
Dolichoderus mariae is a species of ant in the subfamily Dolichoderinae and is found in North America.-Description:This ant is distinctively coloured with the head, antennae, thorax, legs and petiole and the anterior part of the first abdominal segment reddish or ochre-brown. The remainder of the...
and Dolichoderus taschenbergi. Nests are either built under leaf litter or a thin-walled carton is made from chewed vegetable matter and built around blades of grass. The entrances to the nests are short tubes made from the same substance and look much like the spouts of little teapot
Teapot
A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in near-boiling water. Tea may be either in a tea bag or loose, in which case a tea strainer will be needed, either to hold the leaves as they steep or to catch the leaves inside the teapot when the tea is poured...
s.