Iridomyrmex
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| Iridomyrmex | ||||||||||
| Mayr , 1862 |
Iridomyrmex is a genus of ants . They occur with 79 species and subspecies from India and China to Australia and New Caledonia . Another seven species are known from fossil finds. With 63 species occurring, they are the most species-rich and also the most common genus of ants in Australia.
features
The front edge of the frontal plate ( clypeus ) is different from other types of glandular ants and has wavy areas and a more or less pronounced bulge in the middle towards the front, above the mandibles . The compound eyes are relatively high on the head.
Way of life
The animals are particularly relevant for the ecological balance because they interact with some invertebrates and also with plants. The ants usually form large nests that are heavily and aggressively guarded. Because of this, other ant species in the area are reduced or their way of life is severely restricted. Most of the time, it is only possible to live in the vicinity of species that hunt at completely different times of the day or that are much more defensive than the Iridomyrmex species. Not only are foreign species of ants attacked, but territorial battles are also waged against neighboring nests of the same species of ants.
nutrition
Most Iridomyrmex species are scavengers . But they also feed predatory, milk the honeydew from plant lice or collect nectar . Depending on the species, the hunt is either individually or in organized groups.
Some plant species emit a scent that attracts ants. These carry their fruits into their nests to eat their protein-rich appendages ( elaiosomes ). However, the seeds are brought back out of the nest and have a good chance of development in the "guarded" environment of the ants.
Nest building
The nests are built in the ground either with or without a mound. The peoples living in it vary from several hundred to 300,000 individuals. Some types, such as B. Iridomyrmex purpureus together with several colonies form large nest communities that can reach a length of 650 meters.
Natural enemies
Some animals specifically specialize in hunting iridomyrmex species. There are several species of spiders that specialize in these ants; some of these can even perceive the ants' pheromones in order to then target z. B. attacking injured animals. There are also beetles that hunt individual animals hidden in the ground near the ant nests. The thorn devil ( Moloch horridus ) also feeds on ants of the genus Iridomyrmex . The defensive secretion secreted by the Australian meat ant ( Iridomyrmex purpureus , alternatively Iridomyrmex detectus ) against their enemies contains Iridodial , the parent compound of the group of iridoids , the name of which was derived from the generic name of ants.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ants Down Under Iridomyrmex purpureus (Smith, 1858)
- ^ GWK Cavill, DL Ford and HD Locksley: The chemistry of ants. I. Terpenoid constituents of some Australian Iridomyrmex species . In: Australian Journal of Chemistry . 1956, p. 9 (2) 288-293 , doi : 10.1071 / CH9560288 .
- ↑ GWK Cavill, PL Robertson, JJ Brophy, RK Duke, J. McDonald, WD Plant: Chemicalecology of the meatant, Iridomyrmex purpureus sens. strict. In: Insect Biochemistry . Volume 14, Issue 5 ,, 1984, pp. 505-513 , doi : 10.1016 / 0020-1790 (84) 90004-0 .
- ↑ Entry on Iridodial. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on May 15, 2012.