Revision of the Australian endemic ant genera Pseudonotoncus and Teratomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae)
Author
Shattuck, S. O.
Author
O’Reilly, A. J.
text
Zootaxa
2013
3669
3
287
301
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3669.3.5
6f2f13bc-de87-4d42-9db3-8b2c9105cb44
1175-5326
219935
46C8F244-E62F-4FC6-87DF-DEB8A695AB18
Pseudonotoncus hirsutus
Clark
(
Fig. 2
)
Pseudonotoncus hirsutus
Clark, 1934: 65
.
Pseudonotoncus turneri
Donisthorpe, 1937: 619
.
New synonym.
Types
.
P. hirsutus
:
Holotype
worker and worker and queen
paratypes
from Gellibrand, Victoria,
19–23 January 1932
, J. Clark (1
paratype
worker in ANIC, ANIC32-
010751
, examined).
P. t u r n e r i
:
Holotype
worker from Tambourine Mountain, Queensland,
19–26 April 1935
, R. E. Turner (BMNH, examined).
Diagnosis.
Petiole broader than long in dorsal view; in lateral view much higher than long and with the anterior face separated from the flat dorsal face by a rounded angle. Dorsal surface of petiole smooth or with small foveate depressions.
Pseudonotoncus hirsutus
is similar to
P. eurysikos
in all respects except the size and structure of the petiole. See
Diagnosis
under
P. eurysikos
for further details.
Worker description.
Body uniform chocolate brown. Paler specimens generally with a darker gaster. Head in frontal view with sides tapering slightly anteriorly, as wide as long. Mandibles with six teeth, the first, second and fourth larger than the remaining. Clypeus with a central carina, tapering anteriorly into a central tooth. Frontal carinae short and sharply margined. Eyes large, convex, positioned one third from the posterior margin of head, one and a half times longer than wide. Ocelli small but distinct. Scapes extending one third their length beyond the posterior margin of head. Mesosoma strongly rugose-punctate, the rugae distinctly longitudinal laterally and on the mesonotum, less distinctly on the pronotum and propodeum. In dorsal view pronotum transversely convex, twice as wide as long and wider than mesonotum and propodeum. Promesonotal suture convex and deeply impressed. Mesonotum and propodeum in dorsal view similar in width and very slightly convex. Mesonotum slightly longer than broad. Propodeum roughly square in dorsal view, with well developed, slightly curved spines at the angle and with two small spines just above the metapleural gland bulbs. Petiolar node higher than long, with anterior face separated from dorsal face by a sharply rounded angle, and two posterior facing spines which are angled slightly up and half as long as the width between their bases. In dorsal view petiolar node broader than long, its upper surface smooth or sometimes with small foveate depressions. Gaster simple, first segment (abdominal segment III) extending to half its length. Legs slender; tibiae and femora somewhat spindle shaped and with numerous erect hairs.
FIGURE 2.
Pseudonotoncus hirsutus
(Binna Burra, Queensland, ANIC 32-010581): A. Front of head; B. Side of body; C. Top of body; D. Dorsum of petiole; E. Distribution of material examined.
FIGURE 3.
Petiolar node length versus width (mm) when viewed dorsally.
Measurements.
Worker (n=10)—CI 91–103; PetW
0.33–0.39mm
; HL
0.88–1.21mm
; HTL
0.83–1.18mm
; HW
0.88–1.22mm
; LPetI 39–56; ML
1.20–1.58mm
; PetH
0.47–0.55mm
; PetNL
0.19–0.26mm
; SI 90–100; SL
0.88–1.16mm
.
Additional material examined
(ANIC).
Australia
:
New South
Wales
: Benmore Falls (top) (Liepa,Z.); Brindle Creek, Border Ranges Natl. Pk (Naumann,I.D.); Burringbar Range (Lowery,B.B.); Coachwood Nature Trail,
3km
SSW Blackheath (Shattuck,S.
O
.); Cobark For. Pk. Barrington Tops (Naumann,I.D.); Cobark Forest Pk., Barrington Tops State Forest (Weir,T.A.); Dalrymple Forest, Pymble (Lowery,B.B.); Dalrymple Forest, St. Ives, Sydney (Lowery,B.B.); Eastern fall, Clyde Mt. (Riek,E.F.); Ewingar (Kearney,E.); Lovett Bay, West Pittwater (Fletcher,M.J. & Macdonald,J.A.); Pymble, Sydney (Lowery,B.B.); Rosedale Beach (Lowery,B.B.); Rosedale, SE of Batemans Bay (Lowery,B.B.); Royal Nat. Park (Ward,P.S.); Sydney, Upper Cowan Crk. (Lowery,B.B.); Wallumbin SF, W of Mt. Warning (Lowery,B.B.).
Queensland
:
4km
NE Herberton (Hourse,A.P.N.);
7km
NNW North Tamborine (Ward,P.S.); Binna Burra (Ward,P.S.); Mt. Dryander summit (Monteith,G.); Mt. Elliot (Taylor,R.W.); Stanthorpe (Sutton,E.; Lowery,B.B.).
Victoria
: Gellibrand (Clark,J.).
Comments.
Pseudonotoncus hirsutus
appears to be a more generalist species than
P. eurysikos
.
Pseudonotoncus hirsutus
can be found along most of the east coast of
Australia
, with most samples coming from rainforest and wet sclerophyll forests, generally close to the coast. It is likely that this species prefers higher rainfall and more stable temperatures than
P. eurysikos
. It has been found primarily within dense forests.