Dolichoderinae (subfamily)

Queanbeyan West, NSW

Dolichoderinae (subfamily) at Queanbeyan West, NSW - 14 Apr 2020
Request use of media

Identification history

Dolichoderinae (subfamily) 20 Apr 2020 JonLewis
Dolichoderinae (subfamily) 20 Apr 2020 JonLewis
Dolichoderus sp. (genus) 17 Apr 2020 MichaelMulvaney
Unidentified 14 Apr 2020 Speedsta

Identify this sighting


Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

User's notes

We think it is a queen and ready to lay eggs

2 comments

JonLewis wrote:
   20 Apr 2020
Hi Speedsta, sorry about the slow response. You and your daughters are right - this is a reproductive ant: an alate female.

It's an alate because it has wings, and you can tell it's a female because it has a normal shaped head and mandibles so it can eat. Males are always much smaller and have small heads without proper mandibles, because after they leave the nest on a mating flight, they don't live very long (maybe only a few hours), so don't need to eat.

The ant in your photo could be a "princess" who has not yet mated, or she could have mated and is now looking for a place to dig a nest. I can't be sure about the genus of the ant, but it is likely to be an Iridomyrmex.

Cheers, Jon
Speedsta wrote:
   20 Apr 2020
Great info, thanks Jon and Michael.

Please Login or Register to comment.

Nearby sightings

Page 1 of 1 - image sightings only

Location information

Sighting information

  • 16 - 100 Abundance
  • 14 Apr 2020 04:17 PM Recorded on
  • Speedsta Recorded by

Additional information

  • 5mm to 12mm Animal size
  • Female Gender
  • Egg laying Breeding behaviour

Species information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Confirmed by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
2,148,925 sightings of 19,884 species in 6,408 locations from 11,278 contributors
CCA 3.0 | privacy
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.