| Iridomyrmex bicknelli | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Genus: | Iridomyrmex |
| Species: | I. bicknelli |
| Binomial name | |
| Iridomyrmex bicknelli | |
Iridomyrmex bicknelli, also known as the black trail ant, is a species of ant belonging to the genus Iridomyrmex. The species is distributed in every single state and territory in Australia. Iridomyrmex bicknelli was described by Emery in 1898.[2]
Subspecies
- Iridomyrmex bicknelli formosae Forel, 1912
- Iridomyrmex bicknelli luteus Forel, 1915[3]
Description
Size
Queen: 7mm- 10mm in length
Worker- 2- 5mm in length.
Behaviour
Workers are not aggressive, and do not have a stinger or spray formic acid. In the wild, queens are known to be polygynous with very high worker numbers. However, in a formicarium colonies are mainly monogynous with an average of 10,000 workers per colony. Queens are fully claustral, meaning they do not have nest entrances during the founding stage of a colony. They also do not require feeding during this time, [4] as they live on fat reserves from their own body.
References
- ↑ "Iridomyrmex bicknelli (Emery, 1898)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ↑ Emery, C (1898). Descrizioni di formiche nuove malesi e australiane. Note sinonimiche. pp. 236, figures 6, 7 worker described.
- ↑ Bolton, B. (2015). "Iridomyrmex bicknelli luteus". AntCat. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ↑ "Iridomyrmex bicknelli | AntsDavey". www.antsdavey.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-10-06.