THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 141 



SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ON THE QUEENSLAND 

 GREEN TREE ANT. 



By F. p. Dodd. 



(Bead be/vrt the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 9th December, U 01.) 



Since forwarding my notes in August I have paid much atten- 

 tion to the ants, and find that lately they are busier than ever in 

 nest constructing, and that larvse of all sizes, and pupse, are in 

 great numbers. In many nests larvee and pupae of queens are 

 abundant. Some of the latter will probably reach the mature 

 stage before the end of the month. 



With regard to the ants' acquaintances, two other species 

 of Lepidoptera are forwarded. These I have taken or reared 

 frequently. The first, a pretty brownish noctuid, I have captured 

 nearly always on trees in complete possession of the ants. Two 

 examples during this week, one of which was perched upon a leaf 

 within three inches of a body of ants forming a nest. If it were 

 not a friend it would scarcely have been there. The larva is 

 not unlike a centipede in appearance, and when progressing its 

 many curious filaments are kept moving like the legs of that creature. 

 To pupate it cuts through a portion of a leaf, which it rolls, and 

 forms its cocoon within. The larvae of the other moth (gn. and 

 sp. ?) I have always found full grown, and within an ant enclosure 

 or nest. It pupates there under a thin web, which the ants could 

 easily destroy. The moth varies in colour^ several I have showing 

 black markings. The geometer, Euddoris hypoltuca, I have 

 found more freely (luring the past few weeks. Upon one tree, 

 with young and succulent foliage, a large colony of ants was 

 forming nests amongst the leaves. The caterpillars were much 

 in evidence, and invaded these as fast as they were drawn 

 together, and ate so many holes through that the ants abandoned 

 the constructions and commenced others elsewhere. The cater- 

 pillars would follow and again perforate the intended dwellings. 

 There were many of these empty skeleton nests. From the tree 

 I took over 40 of the caterpillars, which, so far, are thriving, and 

 I hope to rear a good series of this splendid moth. 



In alluding to the ants' fighting attitudes, it was not stated 

 (owing to length paper had run to) that the abdomen is raised 

 considerably, and, at intervals, lilted forward ; however, as many 

 of the nippings 1 have had seemed to have been irritated by more 

 than the mere mandibles of the insect, and scratches or cuts 

 smarted very much during some of my researches, and, further, 

 that I upon stveral occasions experienced severe stinging pains 

 in the eyes, it appeared advisable to investigate the matter fully. 

 Therefore it was with much astonishment that I found that the 

 insect discharges a fluid with some force — not a mere drop, but 

 a regular spray, which can be sent several inches straight in front. 



