Distribution and habitat Iridomyrmex

occurrences of iridomyrmex species reported in australia of may 2015

ants of genus found in many countries , islands, spanning several continents. in oceanian region, these ants found in fiji, indonesia, new caledonia, papua new guinea , solomon islands. in australia, found in every state , territory. in new zealand, genus has been introduced country, establishing in both north island , south island. in asia, found in burma, east timor, india, malaysia , philippines. i. anceps known ant of genus present in middle east, having been introduced united arab emirates. i. rufoniger introduced brazil through human activity. populations present on islands of norfolk island , phillip island in oceania. extinct species native countries beyond modern distribution of genus; fossils have been found in china, france , united states.

meat ant mound near bungendore, new south wales

the genus iridomyrmex inhabits rural, arid, , semi-arid areas. nests found in acacia, agathis, banksia, casuarina , eucalyptus woodland, in pastures, callitris forests, city parks, farmlands, grasslands, heath, sand dunes, savanna woodland, swamps, urban gardens, wet rain-forests, wet , dry sclerophyll woodland, , in buildings such hotels , houses.

most of these ants nest in soil, prefer live under rocks, rotten wood, , in cases in sandy beaches , footpaths. species avoid nesting in sandy soil. nests vary in appearance; species live in small mounds single entrance, while other species create large mounds covered in pebbles multiple entrances. colonies known create super-nests : workers construct many nests connected through established paths, extending 650 metres (2,130 ft) in length. in 1 extreme case, single colony found occupy on 10 hectares of land 85 individual nests , 1,500 entrance holes. while meat ants never aggressive nest mates, aggressive live in different nests within same colony. nests may above or below ground, species such i. conifer alternating between two; during winter, nests constructed above in twigs, ants moving underground during warmer months. underground nests located near areas food sources present. colonies relocate nests areas there reasonable levels of sunlight during winter.