Talk:Meat ant/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Sainsf (talk · contribs) 05:34, 28 April 2016 (UTC)

Hi! I will add all my comments in the next few days. Sainsf <^>_{Feel at home} 05:34, 28 April 2016 (UTC)

Thanks for willing to review this article and Sphecomyrma, I look forward to your comments! Burklemore1 (talk) 05:42, 28 April 2016 (UTC)

An interesting, comprehensive article on the whole. Will gradually give a thorough review. Sainsf <^>_{Feel at home} 09:36, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

Lead

• "described" may be linked to Scientific description.

Done.

• purpureus refers to comma before "refers"

Done.

• Why are "mm" and "in" wikilinked? (also in Description section)

Done, I will address this issue in the description when I get up to it.

• It is among the best-known species of ant found throughout Australia, being found in almost all states and territories except for Tasmania Can be rephrased as "It is among the best-known species of ant found throughout Australia; it occurs in almost all states and territories except for Tasmania" (to avoid repetition of "found")

Done.

• "dominant" can be linked to Dominance (ecology).

Done.

• It is good to add brief inline explanations for scientific terms, even though links are present. In the lead, you can say "monomorphic (occurs in a particular form)". I will try to point out more examples in the main article.

Done (and please do)

• that some certain populations "some" appears redundant.

Removed.

• green/blue to plain green and purple The slash may be confusing, does it mean "greenish blue" or "green or blue"?

Green or blue. Tweaked.

• The iridescence in workers...different body parts and castes "vary" is repeated a couple of times. Better rephrase as "The iridescence in workers ranges from green/blue to plain green and purple, varying in different body parts and castes."

Done.

• What is a "satellite nest"?

Added a sentence, please check grammar and such.

• It takes around one or two months for an individual egg to develop into an adult, and colonies may house over 300,000 ants The two aspects discussed in this line appear very different, why keep them in the same line?

Split sentence, added slightly more material to colony popualation.

• It is a diurnal species and are active throughout most of the day "and" is not needed as "diurnal" means "active mainly during the day". You can write "It is a diurnal species (active throughout most of the day)" (link optional) I think it was a while since we said "meat ant", we can use it in place of "it" in this line.

Done, added link and incorporated "meat ant" where suggested.

• They forage on trees A transition from singular to plural. Better continue with "It forages" or start with "Meat ants forage".

Done.

• A single nest is capable of dispersing over 300,000 plant seeds and they have formed symbiotic relationships with many insects and may be used as a form of pest control to kill the cane toad, an invasive species. A long, continuous sentence, can be split and rephrased as " A single nest is capable of dispersing over 300,000 plant seeds; moreover, meat ants have formed symbiotic relationships with many insects. This ant may be used as a form of pest control to kill the cane toad, an invasive species."

Done.

• Link symbiotic.

Linked.

Taxonomy

• "described" may be linked to Scientific description (if you repeat links from the lead)

Linked, I'm sure it's OK to link it again.

• Binomial name may be linked to binomial nomenclature, and type to type (biology). Link synonym to Synonym (taxonomy), species complex, syntype, mitochondrial DNA, allele, paratype

Done.

• erected the new genus Iridomyrmex "new" appears redundant if he "erected" it.

Removed.

• Should Smith's work not be written in title case?

Done.

• Smith in the same year as "in" may be removed

Removed.

• Iridomyrmex purpureus sanguineus and I. purpureus viridiaeneus The second "purpureus" can be reduced to "p."

Haven't seen many instances of this (as in the abbreviaton), but I assume this is included when abbreviating a species binomial name. Done.

• but the taxon reclassified "was" reclassified

Done.

• Please don't repeat "Iridomyrmex", "detectus" and "purpureus" wherever possible. They need can be abbreviated even at the beginnings of paragraphs.

Done, I think.

• You can link and explain "sympatric" in non-sympatric

Done.

• Who is Shattuck? Please introduce the person in a few words.

American entomologist, I did a small tweak. Coincidentally he lives in the same city as I do in Australia.

• were examined and results show that "and the results showed that"

Done.

• Don't say "Greenslade (1987)", it is better to say "1987 study" than getting people confused about who Greenslade is. Often an FAC level point.

Done.

• Under the present classification, the meat ant ... containing ants, bees, and wasps. The extended classification might be treated as redundant, that is what we have the taxobox for.

Did you want it all removed?

• Can you add an inline explanation from pronotum?

Done.

Forms

• sanguineus and viridiaeneus Better say "I. sanguineus and I. viridiaeneus" for consistency with the rest of the article.

Done.

• Colouration varies from ants with a red head and thorax and a blue metallic sheen, to ants with a yellowish body and a bluish-purple gaster. The second "ants" may be replaced by "those" to avoid repetition.

Replaced.

• given no formal species description "not given any formal species description" reads better

Done.

• In 1993, all known forms and subspecies were either revived or classified at species level in an article revising the group, concluding the separation of the forms from each other. Source?

Oops, forgot to cite the sentence; it's from Shattuck (1993). Citation added.

Etymology and common names

• originally used as the specific name for the meat ant (Formica purpura) Better say "used by Smith for the meat ant (Formica purpura)" as we have been discussing such a lot of names, and "originally" may be hazy here.

Changed.

• The name of the genus of the meat ant, Iridomyrmex Here we can simply say "The generic name, Iridomyrmex".

Done.

• translates to "rainbow ants" add the language it originates from.

Done.

• The word Irido "I" need not be in caps here.

Done.

• another Greek word Is it Greek or Ancient Greek? Can be confusing, why not say "It is a compound of two Ancient Greek words–irido, meaning "rainbow", and myrmex, that means "ant" " ?

Done.

• Link vertebrate

Done.

• but it is also known as.... Better separate this part out as a separate line "Alternative names include..."

Done.

Description

• Please add brief inline explanations for mesothorax, propodeum, petiole, gastral tergite, mesosomal setae, pilosity, anterodorsal, allometric, genal, carinae, clypeal, posterior, fuscous, ferruginous, ovate, anterior, piceous, subhyaline, ventral, sensilla, apical, lobose, labial, glabrous. If possible, wording like pilosity can be removed in favour of simpler words, the lay reader will understand what is said and the expert will know the scientific term it could be associated with. If you think the explanations could get wordy, please let me know.

Doing.....

Done, did some additional tweaks and such.

First para

• Most of the time their heads and pronotums share similar colours "Most of the time" can be better rephrased as "generally".

Done.

• from green/blue to plain green and purple The same statement was made in the lead, can be tweaked likewise.

Done.

• Links should do for occipital and mandibular

Done.

• and the pilosity is common around the first gastral tergite Could be shifted to where you first bring up pilosity

Done.

• I was wondering if you could add a few words on what a worker ant and a queen is the first time you mention it. Should be a fairly common term in this field, but it has no link or explanation, so better leave no loose threads.

Added some sentences.

Hold on, actually.

I added some sentences that distinguish them from each other, but I don't know if it's necessary to tell what a worker or queen is.

Second para

• concolorous with "same in colour as" is easier.

Done.

• "antennal scape" should be linked in the earlier line

Done.

• and like the pronotum "and, like"

Done.

• The dorsum of the node...first gastral tergite around the gaster. Source?

From Heterick and Shattuck (2011), added.

Third para

• The thorax is ovate-shaped "ovate", not "ovate-shaped"

Fixed.

• At one place you say "nervure", at another "nervuvre"

Oops, fixed.

• Males are smaller than the queens no "the"

Removed.

• The first pair of the legs almost look ferruginous "look almost ferruginous"

Done.

• covered in black pubescence "with", not "in"

Done.

• The abdomen shows a bright green tinge when seen under certain light What light?

Not sure, that is what the source says too. I assume sunlight, but I'm not going to jump on OR.

Fourth para

• Larva measure 2.7–2.9 mm You could say "larvae"

Done.

• The body is stout-shaped and the dorsal Here dorsal is a duplink.

Removed.

• What exactly is "sub-parallel"?

Changed to "near parallel".

• The labrum is narrow and bilobed, consisting of two lobes "consisting of two lobes" should be bracketed.

Done.

Fifth para

• Workers of the meat ant I think "meat ant worker" or "worker meat ant" should sound more proper.

Done.

• appear similar, and are grouped no comma needed

Removed.

• shape of the pronotum when specimens are being examined "Pronotum" is a duplink. "when specimens are being examined" may be omitted, it is implied.

Done and removed.

• You can explain poly/monomoprhism again

Done.

• south-west of Western Australia "south-western" will be better

Done.

• have erect setae on the genae "setae" is linked way too late. Is "genae" linked or explained?

Delinked and explained.

• The colour of the setae found throughout the ants body may vary, and the iridescence also varies to some extent Can be rephrased as "The colour of the setae throughout the body and the iridescence may vary". "also varies to some extent" may be omitted unless it changes the meaning. Looking at the following line, you can say "vary geographically".

Done.

• southern coasts of Western Australia I think it should be "coasts"

Done.

• However, Shattuck (1993) could not separate populations with pale setae when other and more important key characteristics were used to separate species Not sure what this means. Also, Shattuck (1993) should be written as "in 1993, Shattuck".

Did some tweaks.

• especially around the humeri and frons "frons" is a duplink. Has "humeri" been linked or explained anywhere?

Done, but I only see one instance of frons.

• Northern Territory is a duplink.

Done.

Distribution and habitat

First para

• endemic to Australia with an enormous geographical range "...Australia; it has an enormous..."

Done.

• This large range "Large" could be reworded as "extensive" to avoid the repetition of "large"

Done.

• an abundant supply of materials used to construct nests It would be good to give an idea of the "materials", as we have not discussed this yet.

Done.

• but in the north, it is less common Could be rephrased as "...Western Australia, though not in the north"

Done.

• The CSIRO's Division of Entomology Could be reworded as "the Division of Entomology of the CSIRO"

Done.

• In Queensland, they are frequently encountered in the eastern areas of the state "the state" is redundant

Removed.

• I think there should be some chronology in how you give the stats of the distribution. For example, begin with the places the ant is most abundant in. Then come to where it is seen less or its status has not been monitored. This allows quick and easy navigation of the most important facts. As such, you should shift the line "They are widespread throughout New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria" above.

Usually I list states geographically, but I'll follow your suggestion for easy reading. I have reorganised.

• Duplinks: Western Australia, Northern Territory, New South Wales.

Delinked.

Second para

• These ants are adapted and I think it should be "adapted to".

Done.

• and areas with constant high temperatures are always warm Seems redundant, the lay reader should know this.

Removed "are always warm".

• some of which may cause harm to the ants or form rivalries with other ant species "ant", not "ants". I think you mean other ants can compete with the meat ant. Better shorten this to "or rival it". Better rephrase as "some of which may cause harm to the ant or rival it".

Done.

• Body size among meat ants may vary ... high humidity tend to be smaller than average This line should go to the last section of Description, where you discuss geographical variation in appearance. "depending on their location" can be reduced to "geographically".

Moved to description section, discussing monomorphism.

• Why is it Box-pine and not box-pine?

Fixed.

• Wikilink sclerophyll, munga, riparian, outcrop, subterranean, clover

Done.

• Eucalyptus woodland and eucalypt open woodland Can this not be "eucalypt woodland and open woodland"? Also, what is the difference between "woodland" and "open woodland"? May not be clear at first.

Done, removed "woodland".

• and wet sclerophyll woodland This is quite a distance away from "dry sclerophyll woodland". Can be combined.

Done.

• there is a rich supply of water and food resources It would be good to give an idea of the "food resources", as we have not discussed this yet.

Done.

• "irrigated" looks too common to be linked

Delinked.

• Meat ants are mostly found at altitudes of between 5 and 1,170 m (16 and 3,839 ft) above sea level, but most of the time they are not found above 915 m (3,002 ft) How about "Meat ants typically occur at altitudes of 5 to 915 m (16 to 3,002 ft) above sea level, though at times they can be found at heights of 1,170 m (3,839 ft)"? Please check so that the meaning is unchanged.

No meaning has been altered, used your suggestion.

• Those that are found at such altitudes What is "such" here?

Replaced word.

• Eucalyptus melliodora and Eucalyptus blakelyi Can be reduced to E. melliodora and E. blakelyi

Done.

• but they are absent from heavily timbered slopes Cut "they"

Removed.

• They also do not occur in "Other areas where the ants do not occur include"

Done.

• open treeless areas Is "open" not the same as "treeless"?

Done.

• and nests were numerous I think "were" should be substituted with "became"

Changed.

Nests

First para

• one or two metres in diameter Convert template.

Done.

• that are frequently encountered That depends on the location, doesn't it? Better say "...encountered in areas of occurrence...".

Done.

• accompanied with many entrance holes "associated" may be better than "accompanied"

Changed.

• Nests are often found in the sun and never in shaded areas, which allow the nests to warm up Better say "Nests are built in the sun and hardly in the shade (never may be too strong) to keep them warm."

Done sort of. What do you mean by never may be too strong?

• Convert "10 hectares"

Done.

• While meat ants are never aggressive to their nest mates, they are aggressive to those who live in different nests within the same colony Can be rephrased as "While they show no aggression toward to their nest mates, meat ants are aggressive to occupants of different nests within the same colony".

Done.

• Foraging efficiency is an important factor favouring polydomy within a colony, If I understand correctly that polydomy increases access over a large area and thus improves foraging efficiency (the term may confuse some), you can make this more direct by saying "Polydomy within a colony is typically favoured as it improves access to forage,..."

Done.

• to a nest that is closest "the", not "a"

Done.

• Are there any costs (demerits) involved in polydomy? Would be an interesting addition.

As far as I can tell, I haven't really found much in regards to this question.

Second para

• Such scenario leads to the extreme ageing of nests I think this wording can improve clarity: "Hence, nests can be very old,..."

Done.

• although it is unknown why they are not Would look more compact as "for unknown reasons" (remove the comma before it).

Done.

• sever their connections Did you mean "severe"?

No, as defined here.

• are recognised as non-mature "is", not "are"

Done.

• accepted a queen of their own "accept", not "accepted". Also, what exactly does "accepted" mean here?

Changed. It's pretty self explanatory, the workers will choose her as the queen of the colony and reproduce future generatios.

Third para

• Why are cm and in wikilinked?

Removed.

• "gallery systems" seems a bit confusing. What exactly is meant here?

Not too sure, di a little tweak.

• a satellite nest may easily develop maturity How does a nest become "mature"?

I can't really answer this question. I think it would be considered mature if the nest has a large enough work force and can reproduce virgin queens and males.

• and irregularly oval-shaped "is" after "and"

Done.

Foraging and dominance

First para

• The meat ant is a diurnal species and there is little overlap when their territory overlaps that of nocturnal ant species Unless it changes the meaning, this can be rephrased as "A diurnal species (active mainly during the day), the meat ant shows minimal interaction with nocturnal ant species when their territories overlap".

Done.

• "foliage" may be replaced with "leaves". Just that it is simpler.

Changed.

• Eucalyptus is a duplink

Delinked.

• other nests that are a part of a single colony (satellite nests) You can simply say "satellite nests" as you have already discussed all this.

Done.

• more successfully than any other species What species are being referred to? Ants or insects?

Ants.

• while they themselves cannot cannot what?

Removed.

• If the green head ant can not defend its resources from dominant ants as the meat ant, then how come it is unaffected by the meat ant? I am confused.

Green-head ants tend to avoid initating defensive behaviour against these ants.

Second para

• Nests do not occur in shaded areas and are located in open areas so the nest can warm up in the morning. Repetition from earlier section.

Removed.

• I think the third para (about dominance) should be shifted below the first (daily activity + dominance) to maintain continuity.

I assume "continuity" refers to the discussion of dominance. Shouldn't the last paragraph be lifted then?

I think the 3rd para (activity) should actually be the first one and should begin with the line A diurnal species (active mainly during the day), the meat ant shows minimal interaction with nocturnal ant species when their territories overlap (1st para). The rest of the 1st para should be separated out so that it comes 2nd. Leave the other two paras alone. So we discuss activity first and then dominance, as goes the heading of the section. Sainsf (talk · contribs) 09:13, 8 May 2016 (UTC)

OK cheers. Sorry for being a bit late with this one, just a lot of irl stuff happening at the moment. Burklemore1 (talk) 06:29, 10 May 2016 (UTC)

Third para

• the presence of meats ants does not affect abundant species and the myrmicines, which are highly competitive, are capable of defending themselves from foraging workers (4th para) Can we put these two parts near the green head ant?

Done, though you should see if it flows well.

Yeah, better. It flows well. Sainsf (talk · contribs) 09:13, 8 May 2016 (UTC)

• most of the time it is only Iridomyrmex ants that increase their activity rate Meaning?

Changed to "foraging rate".

Fourth para

• what resource they're dealing with "they are"

Never recalled doing that, done.

• factors may be the reason (i.e. food preference) "factors, such as food preference, may be involved".

Done.

• their success was affected at numerous food sources What does "they" refer to?

Both of the discussed ants.

• have semi-success with honey baits Something like "moderate success" would be better

Done.

Diet

First para

• Link invertebrate, annelid

Linked.

• Insects the meat ants prey on includes "include"

Done.

• Ogyris genoveva butterflies You can say "the butterfly genoveva azure (Ogyris genoveva)"

Done.

• Trichogramma wasp larvae You can say "the larvae of the wasp Trichogramma"

Done.

• are often attacked by workers in an effective manner, whereas the larvae are usually left alone by smaller Iridomyrmex species Can be shortened to "are attacked more effectively by meat ant workers than those of other Iridomyrmex species"

Done.

• Snakes, lizards, birds, foxes appear too common to be linked

Done.

• by any Australian ant was never recorded You mean "ant colony"?

Done.

Second para

• Link invasive species

Linked.

• "survivability" does not appear to be a difficult term, it may be delinked.

Delinked.

Third para

• 2% to 4% water content "2–4%" according to the MOS

Done.

Predators

• the virgin queens containing high levels of fat I would like to rephrase this and combine These queens can almost contain 47% fat with it to say "the high fat levels (up to 47%) in virgin queens"

Done.

• Link and explain nuptial flight (though it is linked later, where the link is needed) and specialist

Done.

• white-browed woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus) Reduce "Artamus" to "A."

Done.

• found in the feces "faeces", if you stick to BE

Done.

• As a result, many queens are consumed by birds, leaving many abandoned nest chambers. Source?

Added source.

• Link pheromone

Linked.

Life cycle and reproduction

• overshadowing is the main cause of a nests' demise "nest's"?

Done.

• Explain trophic egg, overwinter

Done.

• Polygynous is a duplink

Delinked

• Tolerance still occurred even when new reproductive females and males are born "occurs"?

Done.

• Physical fights between queens in the same colony are rare. Source?

Added source.

• Explain budding

Budding has already been explained: "budding" (also called "satelliting" or "fractionating"), where a subset of the colony including queens, workers and brood (eggs, larvae and pupae) leave the main colony for an alternative nest site."

• One example includes that "An example is that"

Done.

Ritualised fighting

• This paddling motion is aimed at each other during the fight, going on for three to five seconds on average. From this point on, this would determine who is a "loser" and who is the "winner". Source?

Done.

• Both ants their bodies and circle each other Error?

Not sure what that was, removed.

• What exactly is antennation?

Added explanation.

Relationship with other organisms

• Can you add a few words explaining myrmecophiles?

Done, though I'm not sure if I worded this well enough.

• Amitermes laurensis Is it a termite or another ant? Should be clear.

Termite, done.

Relationship with humans

• scientists have considered Scientists in Australia or worldwide?

Done.

• Poultry looks too common to be linked

Delinked.

• Has Greaves been introduced anywhere? Say "In 1973, Greaves..."

Done.

• Greaves concludes that dieldrin is the most effective insecticide to control meat ants, capable of killing the ants quickly and being the most long-lasting chemical used. Does ref. 60 account for this as well? Put it at the end of the line.

Yes.

• this was only effective when ten grams of bait ; only having five grams of bait Convert 10 g and 5 g

Done.

That should be it. As you can see, all of the above are not flaws, but suggestions for improvement. I have tried to take this article to FA quality through this review (I believe it can be an FA one day), so some comments may be a bit too precise. I deeply appreciate all the hard work you have put into this. These addressed, I would be happy to promote this. Cheers! Sainsf (talk · contribs) 04:56, 3 May 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for the thorough review and kind comments, perhaps after this, I may consider it. Coincidentally I have an ant article at FAC at the moment, so there's that. I have all day to address these issues so I will get onto it. Burklemore1 (talk) 05:04, 3 May 2016 (UTC)

Take your time and keep updating this page, I will see if I can help with your FAC, but Sphecomyrma will come first. Another impressive article! Sainsf (talk · contribs) 05:07, 3 May 2016 (UTC)

Thank you again! :-) I'm sure these articles will keep me busy. I'll focus on this one first and then put my efforts into Sphecomyrma. Cheers, Burklemore1 (talk) 05:18, 3 May 2016 (UTC)

Great, ready for promotion. Cheers! Sainsf (talk · contribs) 08:32, 10 May 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for providing a thorough and expansive review, I am very grateful! Burklemore1 (talk) 10:42, 11 May 2016 (UTC)