Metapone tecklini, Taylor, Robert W. & Alpert, Gary D., 2016

Taylor, Robert W. & Alpert, Gary D., 2016, The myrmicine ant genus Metapone Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a global taxonomic review with descriptions of twelve new species, Zootaxa 4105 (6), pp. 501-545 : 543-544

28. Metapone tecklini sp.n.

( Figs 160–164 )

Type locality. Mt Sampson (15°48'S, 145°02'E,) northeast Queensland. Type deposition. ANIC (Type No. 32-069962).

Distribution, material examined. AUSTRALIA: N. E. QUEENSLAND: Mt Sampson (15°48'S 145°12'E, 600–790m) (27 Dec 1990 – 18 Jan 1991, 5– 10km W of Mossman (480m) flight intercept trap, holotype alate gyne. Mossman Bluff Track , 5–10km W of Mossman [16°28'S, 145°23'E], 480m (1–16 Jan 1989, GBM & GIT, ANZSES site 3) paratype alate gyne. Windsor Tableland (no coordinates) (27 Dec 1988 – 10 Jan 1989, E. Schmidt, ANZSES site 2. flight intercept trap) paratype alate gyne. Habitat is not indicated on labels, but all records are from known rain forested sites.

Gyne diagnosis. General features as illustrated and in the key to Australian Metapone species above. Somewhat similar to M. tricolor , with the following salient differences: (1) Head relatively short (CI 75–77 vs 66–68); (2) Mesosoma more robust (MSL 1.74–2.00, ScW 0.75–0.80 vs 2.16–2.33 and 0.74–0.79); (3) Petiole in dorsal view approximately as long as wide vs petiole clearly over 1.5x as long as wide; (4) subpetiolar extension a low triangle, smaller than the larger structure in M. tricolor ; (5) less intense sculpturation, as illustrated.

Dimensions: (holotype, paratype (Windsor Tableland) TL: ca 6.1, 6.7; HL: 1.08, 1.22; HW: 0.84, 0.92, CI: 77, 75; CpL: 0.41, 0.45; CpI: 38, 37; MSL: 1.74, 2.00; ScW: 0.75, 0.80; PetL: 0.38, 0.42; PetW: 0.36, 0.43; PetH: 0.59, 0.65; PpetL: 0.36, 0.47; PpetW: 0.50, 0.58; PpetH: 0.53, 0.59; GW: 0.89, 0.99.

Congeneric sympatric associations. Sympatric with Metapone mjobergi on Mt Sampson and Windsor Tableland, and with M. hoelldobleri at Mossman Bluff.

Etymology. Named with pleasure for Jerry E, Tecklin of the University of California, Davis and Nevada City California.

Figures

FIGURES 160 – 164. M. tecklini, holotype gyne, see text for dimensions.