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Dorymyrmex bicolor

Dorymyrmex bicolor

Wheeler, 1906

Family: Formicidae
Order: Hymenoptera
Class: Insecta
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

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Description


Dorymyrmex bicolor is a species of ant in the Dolichoderinae subfamily, known as the bicolored pyramid ant due to the two-toned body color and the shape of their mounds. Dorymyrmex bicolor was recently known as Conomyrma bicolor but has been renamed to Dorymyrmex bicolor. It has a single petiole and a slit-like orifice which releases chemical compounds. This ant does not have the capability to sting. It is primarily found in arid desert regions in Central and South America and the southwestern United States.

Tool use: Dorymyrmex bicolor regularly interacts with three different species of Myrmecocystus, another genus of ants. Between the two genera of ants, in the southwestern region, there is much overlap of food sources and space between Dorymyrmex bicolor and Myrmecocystus. The Myrmecocystus ants secrete a substance from their poison gland onto a food source they find in order to repel other ants. Dorymyrmex bicolor exhibits a different type of interference behavior. The workers of Dorymyrmex bicolor will surround the entrance to a nest of Myrmecocystus and will drop stones and other objects down the entrance, in an attempt to block the entrance. As many as 10-30 workers of Dorymyrmex bicolor have been observed to drop stones in an opposing nest, but only 5 workers are required to drop stones and other small objects at an efficient rate that will affect the Myrmecocystus nest. The number of Dorymyrmex bicolor workers in an area will have a reducing effect on the number of Myrmecocystus workers in an area, sometimes to drastic effects.

Distribution: The known range of Dorymyrmex bicolor stretches from the Southwestern United States (California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma), northern and southern Mexico (including Baja California), El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Peru, Honduras, and a few Caribbean island nations (i.e. Jamaica).

Behavior: Dorymyrmex bicolor has a primarily foraging focused behavior, because of this they are known to influence rates of seed germination and distribution in plants.
They move quickly and are active from early to late afternoon. They build crater-shaped nests made of fine sand, as they primarily live in desert-like areas though they can live in areas with higher humidity levels.

Source: Wikipedia, article Dorymyrmex bicolor. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.





Geographic distribution


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Species photographs

Count: 5

Foto
Photography ID: 622385
  Adult

Piriápolis
Maldonado
Uruguay
02/16/2025
Enrico H. Vicentini
Foto
Photography ID: 451036
  Adult

Lagomar
Canelones
Uruguay
06/16/2021
Mauricio Silvera


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Species records

Count: 4



Page 1 of 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
224730516/02/2025UruguayMaldonadoPunta Negra, PiriápolisEnrico H. Vicentini
201550624/03/2024ArgentinaBuenos AiresCosta de la albufera, Albúfera Laguna Mar ChiquitaJorge Iriberri
141850416/06/2021UruguayCanelonesLagomarMauricio Silvera
74888715/04/2018ArgentinaBuenos AiresDunas costeras, Albúfera Laguna Mar ChiquitaJorge Iriberri
Page 1 of 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Dorymyrmex bicolor – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 15/09/2026.