Iridomyrmex is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae. There are 79 species and subspecies that belong to this genus and they range from India to China to Australia and New Caledonia.
Unlike other genera in Dolichoderinae, Iridomyrmex ants have the front margin of the clypeus above the mandibles highly modified with convex areas towards the sides and a central projection, which varies from strongly to weakly developed. The c...
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Iridomyrmex is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae. There are 79 species and subspecies that belong to this genus and they range from India to China to Australia and New Caledonia.
Unlike other genera in Dolichoderinae, Iridomyrmex ants have the front margin of the clypeus above the mandibles highly modified with convex areas towards the sides and a central projection, which varies from strongly to weakly developed. The compound eyes are relatively high on the head and away from the mandibles.
Iridomyrmex ants are generally aggressive to other ants. They form large nests (from several hundred to over 300,000 workers), which limits the number of competing nests that can be formed in a given area. Often, the only neighbouring ant species that can co-exist are those that are of different size or those that forage for food at different times, thus limiting contact with the Iridomyrmex ants. They can be territorial even with ants of their own species but from...
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