Mary’s long-necked ant

(Dolichoderus mariae)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

 
Mary’s long-necked ant
Photo by Luciearl
 
Description

Mary’s long-necked ant is a medium-sized odorous ant. It occurs in the United States from Maine to northern Florida, west to Minnesota and Louisiana. It also occurs in southern Canada from Nova Scotia to Manitoba. It can be locally abundant, but populations are too spotty for it to be considered common. It is found in bogs, fens, and prairies.

Mary’s long-necked ant builds a nest below ground by removing the soil beneath fibrous plant roots. It creates an above ground mound constructed of dirt and plant fragments. Colonies are enormous and can contain more than 10,000 workers. Each colony consists of multiple nests linked by pheromone trails. Each nest contains multiple queens.

The common name of this species is taken from a feature of the type species of this genus, Dolichoderus attelaboides. The rear portion of the head narrows, giving the appearance of a long neck. Dolichoderus attelaboides occurs only in the Amazon. North American species do not have this feature.

Mary’s long-necked ant worker is (3.5 to 4.0 mm) long and distinctly colored. The rear part of the body (gaster) is much darker, almost black. According to most sources, there are no erect hairs on the head, the upper side of the body, or the first antennal segment (scape), a distinctive attribute for this species. However, according to one source (Johnson, 1989) there are sometimes a few erect hairs beneath the head, one or two on the scapes, and several on the underside of the gaster.

The head is slightly longer than wide. It is dark reddish orange and dull, not reflective. There are two large compound eyes on the sides of the head and three small simple eyes (ocelli) in a triangle on the top of the head. The antennae are dark reddish orange, they have 12 segments, and they are not clubbed at the end. The basal segment (scape) is very long. It is covered with short appressed hairs but has no long erect hairs. The remaining segments, collectively called the funiculus, join the scape at a sharp angle, giving the antennae a sharply elbowed look.

The front part of the body (mesosoma) is dark reddish orange. It is covered with three exoskeletal plates, each forming a distinct bump. The first plate (pronotum) and second plate (mesonotum) cover the thorax. Together they are referred to as the promesonotum. They are covered with sparse short hairs but have no long erect hairs. They are dull, not reflective. The third plate (propodeum) covers the first segment of the abdomen which is fused to the thorax. When viewed from above, the propodeum is longer than wide. When viewed from the side, the propodeum is distinctly raised and is concave in the rear, giving it the appearance of a bottle opener. This is an easily seen distinguishing feature of the genus. The petiole is dark reddish orange and has a single raised bump (node).

The rear part of the body (gaster) is bulbous and mostly very dark brown, sometimes interpreted as black. The first segment of the gaster has a dark reddish orange band . It is highly reflective and completely hairless.

The legs are dark reddish orange.

 

Size

Total length – worker: (3.5 to 4.0 mm)

 

Similar Species

 
Habitat

Bogs, fens, and prairies

Biology

Season

Spring through fall

 

Behavior

 

 

Life Cycle

 

 

Larva Food

 

 

Adult Food

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 80, 82, 83.

11/15/2024    
     

Occurrence

Locally abundant but spotty

Taxonomy

Order

Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)

Suborder

Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)

Infraorder

Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)

Superfamily

Formicoidea (ants)

Family

Formicidae (ants)

Subfamily

Dolichoderinae (odorous ants)

Tribe

Dolichoderini

Genus

Dolichoderus

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

 

   

Common Names

Mary’s dolichoderus

Mary’s long-necked ant

Mary’s odorous ant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Gaster

The bulbous part of the abdomen of ants, bees, and wasps. In ants it usually begins at segment three.

 

Mesosoma

In Hymenoptera: the front part of the body, consisting of all three segments of the thorax and the first segment of the abdomen, to which the wings are attached.

 

Ocellus

Simple eye; an eye with a single lens. Plural: ocelli.

 

Petiole

On plants: The stalk of a leaf blade or a compound leaf that attaches it to the stem. On ants and wasps: The constricted first one or two segments of the rear part of the body.

 

Propodeum

In Hymenoptera: the last segment of the thorax, anatomically the first segment of the abdomen.

 

Scape

In plants: An erect, leafless stalk growing from the rootstock and supporting a flower or a flower cluster. In insects: The basal segment of the antenna.

 

 

 

 

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Luciearl

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Luciearl
8/9/2024

Location: Fairview Twp

Mary’s long-necked ant
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Created: 11/15/2024

Last Updated:

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