12 NEW SPECIES OF AUSTRALIAN ANTS 



1. Prolasius advena, Smith. (Plate I. figs. 1, 2, 3) 

 Formica advcna Smith, Trans. Ent. Soc. Loud. I (3) p. 53. 1862 ? $ 



Kirby, Journ. N. Zeal. Instit., 2. p. 70, 1884. $ 5 

 Prenolepis advena, Mayr, Verb. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien. 36, p. 362, 1886. 

 Lasius (Prolasiw) advena, Ford, Mitt. Schwiez. Ent. Ges. 8, p. 332, 1892. 



g s 9 



Melophorus (Lasiophanes) advena, Emery, Act. Soc. Sc, Chili, 5, p. 16, 1895. 

 Melophorus (Prolasius) advena, Emery, Genera Insect, fasc. 183, p. 14, 



1925. 

 Prolasius advena, Wheeler, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sc, 62, p. 127, 1927. 



Redescribed from specimens from Christchurch, N.Z. 



Worker : 



Length 3mm. Brown with thorax and legs a slightly lighter brown. 



Shining-; microscopically punctate throughout; legs densely punctate but the 

 promesonotum is very sparsely punctate. 



Hair yellow, long, erect but confined to the mandibles, clypeus and gaster. 



Pubescence greyish, very fine, adpressed, abundant throughout but not 

 hiding the sculpture. 



Head one fourth longer than broad, almost rectangular, with sides and the 

 occipital border feebly convex, and the corners broadly rounded. Mandibles 

 triangular, furnished with six strong sharp teeth, the first three being very 

 much longer than the others, Clypeus rounded in front and carinated. Frontal 

 area transversely triangular. Frontal carina; parallel, short, as long as their 

 distance apart. Scapes extend beyond the occipital border by barely a fourth 

 of their length. The first segment of the funiculus is slightly longer than the 

 two following taken together, the fourth to the tenth longer than broad, while 

 the apical segment is longer than the two preceding taken together. The eyes 

 are large and placed at the middle of the sides of the head. The ocelli are small. 



The thorax is twice as long as broad. The pronotum is a quarter broader 

 than long with the sides very strongly convex, and is fully twice as broad as 

 the rest of the thorax. Mesonotum is as long as broad and has the sides feebly 

 convex. The epinotum which is slightly wider behind than in front, is a shade 

 longer than broad. In profile the pronotum and mesonotum form an almost 

 even convexity, while the epinotum is much lower than the mesonotum. The 

 dorsum of the epinotum forms an almost straight line elevated towards the 

 back. The epinotal declivity is straight and twice as long as the dorsum. The 

 node is thorn-like, transversely convex, while in profile the anterior face is 

 faintly convex, the posterior face almost flat with a slight thickening towards 

 the base. Gaster slightly longer than broad. Legs long and slender. 



Female -. Described by Forel, Mitt. Schweiz. Ent. Gest. 8, p. 322, 1892. 



Length : 5-6mm. 



Head broader than long. Thorax high, broader than the head. Scale eniar- 

 ginate above. Head and gaster more plentifully provided with adpressed 

 pubescence than the worker. Mandibles with seven teeth. Anterior edge of 

 the clypeus as in the worker, triangular, produced medially. In other respects 

 like the worker. 



Male : Described by Forel. 



Length: 28 mm. 



Mandibles witli broad concave terminal edge which bears a pointed terminal 

 tooth with a small blunt tooth in front, Outer genitalia, particularly the plate 

 rather large. Scale rounded above, not emarginate. Wings almost water clear. 



Original habitat : Port Lyttleton, N.Z. 



