Rhytidoponera, Crawley W. C., 1915

Crawley W. C., 1915, Ants from north and south-west Australia (G. F. Hill, Rowland Turner) and Christmas Island, Straits Settlements. Part 2, Ann. Mag Natur. Hist. 15, pp. 232-239 : 232-233

No. 89. Rhytidoponera (s. str.) flava , sp. n.

♂ - L. 8 mm.

Mandibles large, triangular, the terminal border regularly dentate; finely striate. Anterior border of clypeus regularly curved; frontal area indistinct. Head longer than broad, eyes'large, placed in the centre of the sides of head, of which they occupy three-quarters; ocelli large and prominent. Frontal carinas short, diverging behind; scape of 13-jointed antennae slightly shorter than the second joint of funiculus, first joint of latter as broad as long; from the second joint of funiculus, which is the longest, the joints gradually diminish in length until the terminal, which is slightly longer than the preceding one. Mesonotum high and arched, Mayrian furrows almost invisible; scutellum prominent, rather small, and wider in front; epinotum longer than broad, with convex sides, only slightly narrower behind than in front. Upper wings with two cubital closed and two discoidal cells. Pedicel long and narrow, somewhat cylindrical, only slightly higher behind; underneath in front is a long, very thin, vertical spine. Gaster a little more than twice as long as broad, first segment (or post-petiole) as long as the second, the constriction between them moderately pronounced. Tibiae of the two posterior pairs of legs with two spurs, the inner long and pectinate, very shortly so in the middle pair and longer in the posterior pair. Claws bifid.

Head and thorax coarsely rugose; on the declivous surface of epinotuin the rugosities radiate from a central ridge; node of pedicel transversely striate. First segment of gaster finely striate longitudinally, the lateral striae curving inwards and encircling the base; second segment finely striate transversely, the striai having a tendency to curve upwards; the remaining segments transversely striate. In one specimen the node and gaster are shining, the striæ on the. former being more feeble, those on the first segment of gaster are only apparent at the sides and base, and on the second segment they are diagonal, the central ones almost longitudinal.

Pilosity sparse and scattered, yellow; scapes and tibiæ with erect hairs.

Chestnut, head and mesonotum darker.

Darwin, N.T., 1. vi. 13 (Hill). 3 ♂ ♂.

As no ☿ ☿ were captured with these ♂ have thought it best to describe them provisionally as a new species, and have placed them in the subgenus Rhytidoponera (s. str.), although in the length of the scape and second joint of funiculus they do not entirely accord with Emery’s characters given in the 'Genera Insectorum/ The number o£ males known is, however, small.