A REVISION OF THE GENUS PROMYRMECIA EMERY (FORMICIDAE) 105 
Promyrmecia infima Forel 
Plate XV, figs. 59-61 
Myrmecia picta Smith var. infima Forel, Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg., xliv, p. 54, 
1900, % ; Fauna Sudwest Austral., i, p. 267, 1907. 
Myrmecia (Myrmecia) picta Smith var. infima Emery, Genera Insect., fasc. 
118, p. 20, 1911. 
Myrmecia (Promyrmecia) infima Wheeler, Colony-founding among Ants, 
p. 62, 1933; Clark, Mem. Nat. Mus. Vict., viii, p. 14, 1934. 
Worker. Length 6-8 mm. 
Head, pronotum, mesonotum, postpetiole and gaster black. Mandibles yellow, 
apical third darker, clypeus, antennae and legs reddish-yellow, base of scapes 
darker, epinotum and node red. 
Mandibles striate, obliquely at apex, five large, shallow punctures on inner edge 
of apical half. Head very finely and longitudinally striate-rugose, densely reticu- 
late between rugae. Pronotum circularly rugose. Mesonotum rather coarsely 
reticulate, without striae or rugae. Epinotum and declivity transversely striate- 
rugose. Node irregularly rugose. Postpetiole and gaster microscopically reticulate. 
Hair yellow, long and erect, abundant throughout, short and suberect on legs. 
Pubescence greyish, very fine and adpressed, forming a slight covering on post- 
petiole and gaster but not hiding the sculpture. 
Head as long as broad, sides and occipital border feebly convex, angles broadly 
rounded. Mandibles shorter than head by fully their width at base, external border 
feebly concave, inner border convex, furnished with five large, sharp, erect teeth 
each preceded by a smaller tooth. Scapes barely as long as mandibles, not reaching 
the occipital border by fully their thickness; first and second segments of scapes 
equal in length, longer than third. Thorax two and one-half times longer than 
broad, pronotum one-fourth longer than broad, convex in all directions ; mesonotum 
circular, as long as broad, meso-epinotal excision deep and wide; epinotum one- 
fifth longer than broad, dorsum feebly convex transversely; in profile pronotum 
evenly convex from apex to base, mesonotum slightly higher than pronotum, highest 
at middle, convex, excision deep and wide, concave at bottom; dorsum of epinotum 
straight, declivity slightly convex rounded into dorsum. Node one-eighth broader 
than long, almost circular; in profile higher than long, almost dome-shaped above, 
ventral spine triangular, short, broader than long, sharp-pointed. Postpetiole twice 
as broad as long, hemispherical, constriction deep and wide. First segment of 
gaster one-eighth broader than long. Legs long and slender. 
Female, Length 8 mm. 
Differs from the worker only in being larger, more robust and winged. The 
sculpture slightly coarser, the scapes and femora slightly darker. 
Male. Length 7-8 mm. 
Colour, sculpture and pilosity as on the worker. Head as broad as long, almost 
circular. Mandibles furnished with three large, sharp teeth behind apex. Second 
segment of funiculus three times longer than scapes and five times longer than 
first segment. Thorax twice as long as broad. Pronotum three times as broad 
as long, strongly convex in all directions; mesonotum one-sixth broader than 
long, mayrian and parapsidal furrows sharply impressed. Scutellum almost as 
long as broad, strongly convex, epinotum broader than long, convex transversely. 
Node very slightly broader than long, broadest behind middle, convex in all direc- 
tions; in profile slightly higher than long, dome-shaped, ventral spine very short 
and sharp. Postpetiole one-fifth broader than long, broadest at posterior fourth, 
