Aphaenogaster Mayr

Shattuck, Steven O, 2008, Australian ants of the genus Aphaenogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 1677, pp. 25-45 : 27

Aphaenogaster Mayr

Diagnosis. Antennae 12 segmented (including the scape) with a 4 segmented club ( Fig. 9 ). In side view the propodeum depressed below the level of the pronotum and anterior region of the mesonotum, these two regions being connected by the steeply sloping posterior section of the mesonotum (Fig. 2). Monomorphic.

Aphaenogaster is most likely to be confused with Pheidole or possibly Pheidologeton . Workers of Aphaenogaster can be separated from those of Pheidole by the 4 segmented rather than 3 segmented club and the larger body size (over 3.4mm long), and from Pheidologeton by the 12 segmented antennae (11 segmented in Pheidologeton ). Additionally, both Pheidole and Pheidologeton have polymorphic workers while Aphaenogaster is monomorphic.

The Australian species of Aphaenogaster show differences which are little more than “variation on a theme.” This is in contrast to the nearby Papua New Guinea fauna where morphological variation is considerable ( Smith 1961). This difference suggests that the Australian fauna is composed of closely related species while that of PNG consists of several more distantly related lineages.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. A. kimberleyensis sp. n., holotype worker: Fig. 7, front of head; Fig. 8, lateral view of body. A. longiceps (Smith), worker: Fig. 9, front of head; Fig. 10, lateral view of body. A. mediterrae sp. n., holotype worker: Fig. 11, front of head; Fig. 12, lateral view of body.