Introduction
Dolichoderus species found in the U.S are small to medium sized ants. They are atypical compared to other North American Dolichoderinae in that the integument is harder, and not as thin and flexible as in our other Dolichoderine genera. Additionally, they can be characterized by having strong sculpture on the alitrunk, and by the declivious face of the propodeum being strongly concave (see side view above). Species found in the U.S. possess "repugnatorial" glands, which produce a pungent or smoky smelling volatile secretion (Creighton 1950).

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2015)
Dolichoderus pustulatus Mayr, 1886: 436 (w.q.) U.S.A. Nearctic.  Wheeler & Wheeler, 1966: 727 (l.); MacKay, 1993: 85 (m.). Combination in Dolichoderus (Hypoclinea): Emery, 1894: 229. Subspecies of Dolichoderus plagiatus: Wheeler, 1905: 313. Revived status as species and senior synonym of Dolichoderus beutenmuelleri: Creighton, 1950: 335. See also: Smith, 1979: 1416; Johnson, 1989: 3; MacKay, 1993: 84.

Identification
Worker: Medium sized, about 3.5 – 3.7 mm in total length; mesosomal length approximately 1.15 mm; HW about 0.8 mm; and HL about 8.5 mm. Concolorous reddish brown, with first gastral tergite sometimes lighter and remainder of gaster slighter darker to bicolored with head, body, and appendages reddish brown and gaster dark brownish black. Head slightly longer than wide. Mesonotal groove deeply impressed. In lateral view, propodeum raised, strongly arched, and declivious area deeply concave. Propodeum longer than wide in dorsal view, more than 1.4 times longer than broad; posterior edge often shallowly notched medially. Posterior region and sides of head with shallow foveolae , remainder of head with fine micro-reticulation giving the head an opaque appearance; dorsum of pronotum, mesonotum, and propodeum punctate; mesonotal groove with strong longitudinal striae; pronotal sides shiny; mesopleurae and sides of propodeum strongly sculptured with reticulation and punctation; concavity of the declivious face of propodeum lacks sculpture and is smooth; sides and dorsum of petiole granulate dorsally, smooth and shiny anteriorly and posteriorly; and gaster smooth and shiny. Head and numerous, erect setae; scapes usually lacking erect hairs except near apex (occasionally 1 or 2 present elsewhere)pronotum with a few erect setae anteriorly; mesonotum with numerous erect setae, mostly directly anteriorly; propodeum and petiole with a few scattered erect setae; gaster with numerous erect setae on first tergite and sternite, especially numerous along anterior edge of tergite; erect setae on remainder of gaster mostly confined to edges of tergites. Pubescence on gaster sparse and appressed.

Queen: Approximately 3.82 – 4.0 mm in total length, mesosomal length approximately 1.40 mm; HW about 0.85 mm; and HL about .95 mm. Overall concolorous reddish brown with head, mesopleurae, gaster and legs often darker, mandibles and antennae lighter, sides of pronotum a lighter orangish brown, mesoscutum lighter orangish brown with a dark brown patch anteromedially and a dark brown stripe on on each side, and posterior edge of mesoscutellum black or some specimens overall dark brownish black. Head with foveolae anteriorly, strong striae posteriorly, and remainder of head with light punctate/reticulate sculpture; mesosoma, waist, and gaster mostly lacking sculpture, shiny, except for propodeum, which has deep foveolae.

Biology and Economic Importance
According to Creighton (1950), this species has somewhat small colonies compared to D. mariae and D. taschenbergi (up to several hundred instead of thousands). Nests are either under detritus or in a thin, hard carton shell structure which is built around blades of grass. The entrance to the carton nests have been described as being made of the same carton-like substance in the shape of a tube about 3/4 of an inch long, and looking much like the spout of a tea kettle (Wesson and Wesson, 1940). Like other species in the group, this D. pustulatus is known to occur in a variety of habitats from open fields to pine forests or bogs. In Mississippi we collected a large series from a pitfall trap in a Black Belt Prairie remnant.

Distribution

Nova Scotia, Canada westward to Illinois and Oklahoma; southward to Florida and Mississippi. Widely distributed in the eastern US, and in the southeastern US it has been reported from AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN. .

Literature Cited
Bolton, B. 2015. An online catalog of the ants of the world. Online at: http://antcat.org. Accessed 1 December 2015.

Creighton, W. S. 1950. The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 104:1-585. 

Emery, C. 1894. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. VI-XVI. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 26:137-241.

Johnson, C. 1989. Identification and nesting sites of North American species of Dolichoderus Lund (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insecta Mundi 3:1-9.

MacKay, W. P. 1993. A review of the New World ants of the genus Dolichoderus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 22:1-148. 

Mayr, G. 1886. Die Formiciden der Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 36:419-464. 

Smith, D. R. 1979. Superfamily Formicoidea. Pp. 1323-1467 in: Krombein, K. V.; Hurd, P. D.; Smith, D. R.; Burks, B. D. (eds.) 1979. Catalog of Hymenoptera in America north of Mexico. Volume 2. Apocrita (Aculeata). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. i-xvi, 1199-2209. 

Wheeler, W. M. 1905. The North American ants of the genus Dolichoderus. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 21:305-319.

Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1951. The ant larvae of the subfamily Dolichoderinae. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 53:169-210.

Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1966. Ant larva of the subfamily Dolichoderinae: supplement. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 59:726-732.

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