NEW SPECIES OF AUSTRALIAN ANTS 17 



Worker : 



Length: 3 5-4mm. 



Bright brown, gaster dark brown. Mandibles, funiculus and tarsi brownish 

 yellow. 



Hair reddish, sparse, fine on head and gaster. Pubescence reddish confined to 

 the limbs. 



Shining. Thorax and node almost wholly smooth. Head and limbs delicately 

 and finely reticulate rugose or punctate. Gaster also transversely rugose, and 

 with scattered reddish brown bristles. 



Head rectangular, about a quarter longer than broad, in front and behind 

 equally broad, with very feebly convex sides, almost straight occipital border and 

 rounded angles. Mandibles shining, distinctly and finely longitudinally striate 

 with scattered fine punctures, and furnished with six teeth, of which the last 

 two are longer. Clypeus carinated on anterior two thirds, rounded on frontal 

 border, but pointed in the middle. Frontal area triangular, rather convex and 

 smooth. Frontal carina? feebly diverging. Eyes large and feebly convex, placed 

 at the middle of the sides. Ocelli very small but moderately distinct. The scapes 

 extend beyond the occipital border by half their length. The segments of the 

 funiculus almost three times as long as broad. 



The pronotum as broad as long, convex on all sides. Mesonotum almost 

 twice as long as broad, more convex transversely than longitudinally. 

 Epinotum broader than the mesonotum. Dorsum of the epinotum about a third 

 longer than broad, feebly convex, hardly higher behind than in front, with the 

 mesonotum it forms a strong broad hump. The declivity of the epinotum upright, 

 even, longer than the dorsum, into which it turns with a sudden strong curve. 

 Node thick, above wholly bluntly rounded, almost twice as high as thick (long) 

 strongly inclined, anterior face convex, posterior face almost straight. Gaster 

 short. Legs very long. 



Malanda, Q. 



9. Prolasius nigriventris, new species. (Plate 1, tigs. 12-13). 

 Worker : 



Length : 3-4mm. 



Thorax ferruginous with legs much darker. Head in many specimens a reddish 

 brown with the antennae lighter — lighter than the colour of the thorax. Node 

 and gaster very dark blackish brown. 



Smooth and shining. 



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



Pubescence greyish, adpressed, abundant on antennae and legs, less noticeable 

 on head and rest of body. 



Head very slightly longer than broad, sides convex, occipital border straight, 

 angles rounded. Mandibles triangular, furnished with six strong, fairly even 

 teeth. Clypeus rounded in front, carinated. Frontal area rather rounded 

 behind. Frontal carina; moderately long, diverging outwards behind. Scapes 

 extend beyond the occipital border by more than a third of their length. First 

 segment of the funiculus nearly as long as the three following, rest longer than 

 broad, apical segment as long as the two preceding together. Eyes large, placed 

 about the middle of the sides. Ocelli small but distinct. 



Thorax twice as long as broad. Pronotum broader than long, with the sides 

 strongly convex. Mesonotum slightly longer than broad, with sides almost 

 straight, wider in front than behind. Epinotum slightly broader than long, 

 drawn in at the mesoepinotal suture, but with the sides almost straight, and 

 parallel. In profile pronotum and mesonotum are both convex, but the convexity 



B 



