8 NEW SPECIES OF AUSTRALIAN ANTS 



Melophorus into three sub-genera (Psyche 1935 p. 69) (i) 

 Melophorus sensu stricto, (ii) Erimelophorus and (iii) Tricho- 

 melophorus, is a useful one. Further knowledge of the habits of 

 the species may suggest an even more accurate division, for the 

 habits certainly differ greatly — some species are honey ants, 

 others harvest grain, and a third group, containing Melophorus 

 fulvihirtus Clark, live by raiding other ant nests. The interesting 

 ant, Melophorus potteri new species, described in this paper 

 presents still another difference of habit, for this ant attacks 

 termites. 



The habits and nest of M. potteri correspond closely to those of 

 the robber ant M. fulvihirtus, described by Clark (Mem. Nat. 

 Mus. Vict. 12, pp. 71-74, 1941). It is interesting to note that the 

 moundless nest, and the habit of closing the entrance with small 

 stones during the cooler part of the day, is common to other 

 species of Melophorus. Melophorus aeneovirens (Lowne) has 

 been observed at Pymble, N.S.W., and it was noted that the 

 entrance to the nest was open only from about eleven a.m. till 

 three p.m. on hot days, and that the small stones used to close the 

 entrance were kept inside the nest. The nest of M. potteri is 

 situated about three or four yards from the termite nest, and 

 when the temperature rises to above 90° Fahr. a few ants appear 

 and make their way to the termite nest. To quote Mr. Herbert 

 Potter, of Patho, Victoria, who discovered this species, "they 

 break into the cast of the termite nest on the surface of the 

 ground, enter, always come out backwards dragging the termites 

 after them, and go into their own nests in the same way." "They 

 are not very numerous, and there are not often more than three 

 or four on the track between the two nests." "They seem to live 

 entirely on termites and are never seen carrying anything else to 

 their nests." 



Wheeler, in his paper on the relationship between ants and 

 termites (Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sc. 71 (3) pp. 159-243, 

 1936), discusses at length the question of "Termitharpagy," but 

 the habits of M. potteri do not appear to correspond with those 

 of any ant he describes. Stigmaeros termitoxenus Wheeler, for 

 example, from Mullewa, W.A., lives in the nest of Tumulitermes 

 peracutus Hill apparently quite peacefully, though it is possible 

 that it steals termite eggs as do many of the species of Solenopsis. 

 The Ponerine ants, Termitopone and Megapone of Brazil attack 

 termite nests, and carry off termites, but they do this in close 

 columns, rather similar to the raiding columns of our Eusphinctus 

 when these carry off the eggs and larvae of other ants. The 

 Australian species Machomyrma dispar Forel engages in warfare 



