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Classification  

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Dolichoderus Lund, 1831

 Overview  Images  Identification  Specimens --- References/Links  Nomenclature  Reports 
Overview 
This is a large, diverse genus.  Some species form small, cryptic colonies in soil, hollow plant stems, and litter. Others have large colonies that make small mounds of vegetative debris and forage along conspicuous trails, frequently in bogs or pine barrens.  Still others form large arboreal nests sometimes using plant fibers to form coverings during nest construction.  In general, workers are diurnal and are general scavengers and also tend aphids and other Hemiptera. They often forage in columns on the ground or on low vegetation and trees.  During warm weather, some species will move their larvae to the surface of the ground for warmth.
This genus is also known from Oligocene fossils (35-25 million years before present).


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This taxon is known from these habitats
The following rows were recorded as a pair from a single record.
Blank entries indicate no information was recorded.
Environment/MacrohabitatSituation/Microhabitat
 on ground 
 sweeping shrubs 
 Bamboo culins Guadu sp. 
 beating 
 Cattleya trianac 
 clustered on climber with Aphids 
 day strays 
 E.goaiocalyx litter 
 foraging (on trail) in open 
 foraging on mallee 
 grassy clearing in forest 
 ground strays rainforest 
 Hibiscus tiliaceus foliage 
 In debris base of live tree 
 in leaf litter 
 In Log 
 In log with 
 in nest in stump of dead tree 
 in nest under bark fallen trees 
 in rotten log on ground 
 in soil under mallee 
 limited interest 
 Nest in soil under stone 
 on cocoa flower 
 on cocoa pod 
 on fence post at edge of field 
 on Macaranga hyoleuca 
 on mallee stems 
 On Poikilospermum suavolens sur Nephelium lappaceum 
 on rock outcrop 
 on Scribbly gum 2.30pm 
 On tree 
 on tree trunk 
 on trees 
 on trunk live tree 
 on wattle blossom 
 pitfall trap 
 Prima vera log 
 red soil 7pm 
 response unknown 
 sandstone 
 swept off limestone mallee 4pm 
 tending aphids on Eucalyptus 
 under bark dead fallen tree 
 under granite 
 Volcanic soil 
 Weather station site 
aircraft ex Sydney ex orchid blooms, plant quarantined 
Box pine country, red soil  
Casuarina cristata woodland with chenopod shrubs Stray ground foragers 
Cleared 1986  
cliff top heath  
dry sandy sclerophyll under rock and log 
Dry savanna  
dry sclero on sandstone  
dry sclero.  
Dry Sclero. under stone 
dry sclerophyll  
Dry sclerophyll at extra floral nectaries of Acacia pycnantha 
dry sclerophyll foraging in column 
Dry sclerophyll foraging on Eucalyptus trunk 
Dry sclerophyll in tussock 
Dry sclerophyll nest under stone 
Dry sclerophyll On eucalyptus, attending Eurymolids 
Dry sclerophyll on rotting log 
Dry sclerophyll on tree trunk 
Dry sclerophyll on trees 
Dry sclerophyll slope 
Dry sclerophyll tree trunk 
Dry sclerophyll under granite rock 
Dry sclerophyll under rock 
dry sclerophyll under stone 
dry sclerophyll car park Foraging trail 
dry sclerophyll car park Nest under and along edge of large rock. Workers & brood in large ball on surface of ground. 
Dry sclerophyll for. nest in soil under stone 
Dry sclerophyll, foothills  
E. maculata open forest  
Euc. radiata, etc.  
Eucalypt forest  
Eucalypt open forest ground foragers 
eucalypt woodland  
Eucalypt, open woodland  
Eucalyptus under stone 
Eucalyptus open-forest under stone 
Eucalyptus woodland foraging column on Eucalyptus trunk 
Eucalyptus woodland pitfall traps 
Eucalyptus-Melaleuca woodland  
Eucalyptus/Callitris open forest, sand foragers on tree trunk 
Forest  
Gardens  
Gardens and relict rainforest  
gully on trees 
heath  
heath ground strays 
heath Nest in soil under stone 
Heavy wet sclerophyll ground foragers 
in forest  
in gully  
low Eucalyptus woodland  
low mallee  
low scrub  
low shrubs  
lowland rainforest foragers on bamboo 
Mallee  
Mallee foragers on Eucalyptus trunk 
mallee nocturnal strays 
Mallee strays, nocturnal 
Mallee thatch mound 
Mallee and spinifex on sand trail on mallee and ground, at bird dropping 
Mallee scrub  
Mallee woodland nest in soil with crater at entrance 
Mangrove swamp  
medium dry sclero.  
Medium sclerophyll nest in log suspended above ground 
montane rainforest  
N. beach  
north edge 1st ledge outside  
open Eucalyptus woodland  
Open hillside, wattle scrub under rock, common 
Open sclerophyll in mound of clay 
plot 3 summit  
Poor lowland rainforest  
Poor lowland rainforest on low vegetation 11am 
Primary forest  
Radiata pine plantation  
rainforest  
Rainforest ex shrubs 
Rainforest ground strays 
Rainforest nest ex rotten stump 
rainforest nest in dead tree 
Rainforest on shrubs 
Rainforest strays ex trunks and low foliage 
Rainforest under stone 
Rainforest (disturbed)  
Rainforest (disturbed) ground strays 
Rainforest clearing on flowering shrub at night 
rainforest edge foragers on large shrub 
Res. Flor.  
riparian woodland  
riparian woodland on Eucalyptus camaldulensis 
riparian woodland under stone 
sandstone gully  
sandstone plateau under rock 
Savanna  
Savanna woodland on low shrub 
savannah  
Savannah woodland  
Savannah woodland at foot of a Redbox 
Sclerophyll woodland  
scrub heath ground strays nocturnal 
Sea level under rock 
secondary forest  
Secondary rainforest litter 
Submontane forest on ridge  
swamp edge, Eucalyptus woodland  
Swept off limestone mallee, 4pm  
Tamarack bog  
Tamarack bog Typha stems  
Thick low scrub & mallee under rock 
Tree, heath Nocturnal strays 
Tristania suaveolent remnant woodland  
urban parkland  
wayside foragers on Eucalyptus trunk 
wet schlero.  
wet sclerophyll  
Wet sclerophyll ball of workers above nest entrance, with pupae. Foraging in column up nearby Eucalyptus. 
wet sclerophyll Ball of workers on ground (surface) 
Wet sclerophyll edge of forest & cleared field. Nest on ground along branch. Large ball of workers on surfaceof ground. 
wet sclerophyll Foraging column across ground >12m, & up small Eucalyptus. 
wet sclerophyll Foraging on ground & up vine on dead Eucalyptus snag. 
wet sclerophyll Foraging on small tree 
Wet sclerophyll foraging on trunk of Eucalyptus 
wet sclerophyll Foraging trail on ground. 
Wet sclerophyll ground foragers 
wet sclerophyll Nest in rotten branch, 12cm diameter by 30cm long, on ground 
Wet sclerophyll nest under rock 
Wet sclerophyll nest under rock, very shy 
Wet sclerophyll on low vegetation 
Wet sclerophyll on tree 
Wet sclerophyll on tree trunks 
Wet sclerophyll Random foragers following loose trail on ground. 
wet sclerophyll random foragers on low vegetation 
Wet sclerophyll random ground foragers 
Wet sclerophyll Random ground foragers. 
Wet sclerophyll sifted leaf litter 
Wet sclerophyll forest on fallen log 
Wet sclerophyll forest under stone 
Wet sclerophyll with Acacia, Syncarpia, Eucalyptus foraging on dying Euc. trunk 
Wet Sclerophyll woodland  
wet sclerophyll, Snow gum, White gum, Stringy bark. Foraging on tree 
wet sclerophyll/rainforest random foragers 

 

 

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