Dolichoderinae Forel, 1878

Boudinot, Brendon E., 2015, Contributions to the knowledge of Formicidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata): a new diagnosis of the family, the first global male-based key to subfamilies, and a treatment of early branching lineages, European Journal of Taxonomy 120, pp. 1-62 : 50-51

Subfamily Dolichoderinae Forel, 1878

Figs 7E , 15 D–E

Diagnosis

The Dolichoderinae are uniquely identified by the telomere, which is strongly reduced and does not extend anteroventrad the basimere. Males of the subfamily are further identified by the following combination of characters: oblique mesopleural sulcus present; seven or fewer closed cells present on

forewing; jugal lobe absent; petiolar peduncle short or absent; abdominal segment III unpetiolated;

abdominal segment IV without cinctus between pre- and postsclerites; abdominal sternum IX unpronged and edentate. Additional characters for distinguishing males of the Dolichoderinae from the Aneuretinae and Formicinae are indicated in couplets 19 and 20 of the key above.

Comments

The Dolichoderinae is one of the major ant lineages, with over 700 described species distributed in 28 valid genera. Males are unknown for four genera ( Ecphorella , Gracilidris , Loweriella , Nebothriomyrmex ). One of the historically intractable problems of myrmecology has been the separation of male Dolichoderinae and Formicinae . Here, the telomeral character described by Yoshimura & Fisher (2011) is confirmed as a diagnostic synapomorphy of the subfamily on a global scale, while the antennal torulus to clypeus distance character was first described to the author’s knowledge in Czechowski et al. (2012). Several other characters were found to distinguish male Dolichoderinae and Formicinae , as indicated in the key and this diagnosis. Genera of Dolichoderinae have been keyed globally by Shattuck (1992), although this key stands in need of updating. A key to the New World dolichoderine genera is in preparation (B. Boudinot, in prep.).

Figures

Fig. 7. A–B. Forewing. A. Ventral view, gyne. B. Dorsal view, male. C–D. Mesosoma, lateral view, male. E–F. Paramere, lateral view, male. — A. Aneuretus simoni (Sri Lanka, CASENT0172259, A. Nobile). B. Nylanderia vividula (U.S.A., CASENT0058918, A. Nobile). C. Apomyrma stygia (Central African Republic, CASENT0086073, E. Prado). D. Anochetus boltoni (Madagascar, CASENT0063847, A. Nobile). E. Dolichoderus validus (Costa Rica, INB0003662427, B. Boudinot). F. Formica pacifica (U.S.A., JTLC000006350, B. Boudinot). Scale bars: A–C, E–F = 0.5 mm, D = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 15. Male representatives of three subfamilies. A, D. Frontal view. B–C, E. Lateral view. — A–B. Pseudomyrmex holmgreni, Pseudomyrmecinae (Paraguay, CASENT0173758, A. Nobile). C. Aneuretus simoni, Aneuretinae, used with permission from Wilson et al. (1956). D–E. Technomyrmex difficilis, Dolichoderinae (Madagascar, CASENT0049968, A. Nobile). Scale bars: A, D = 0.2 mm, B = 1.0 mm, E = 0.5 mm, no scale available for C.