Iridomyrmex bicknelli

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 Emery, 1898[1]

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

1. "Iridomyrmex bicknelli (Emery, 1898)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
2. Emery, C (1898). Descrizioni di formiche nuove malesi e australiane. Note sinonimiche. pp. 236, figures 6, 7 worker described.
3. Bolton, B. (2015). "Iridomyrmex bicknelli luteus". AntCat. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
4. "Iridomyrmex bicknelli | AntsDavey". www.antsdavey.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-10-06.