10 
Psyche 
[Vol. 93 
extreme rarity of mature queenright colonies in nature could be 
attributed to a frequent transition to the worker-reproductive (Type 
B) colony structure, coupled with the sporadic production of queens 
in the first place. That R. metallica queens still function as dispersal 
units is suggested by the widespread retention of queen production. 
Among material in the ANIC and MCZ, there are alate or dealate 
females of R. metallica (s.l.) from Western Australia, South Austra- 
lia, New South Wales, and Queensland, i.e. throughout the range of 
this species (or species complex). Queens have also been collected 
throughout most of the geographical distribution of R. victoriae 
Andre, another species whose mature colonies are predominantly 
or entirely worker-reproductive. 
It is worth reiterating that queens are entirely unknown in the 
majority of Rhytidoponera species (including the large, robust- 
bodied forms found primarily in xeric habitats), and in such species 
aerial dispersal of females is impossible. If queens are effective aerial 
dispersers in R. metallica and other occasional queen-producers 
(including R. clarki Donisthorpe, R. inornata Crawley, R. tasma- 
niensis Emery, and R. victoriae), then this should result in differen- 
tial patterns of habitat island and offshore island occupancy by the 
two groups of Rhytidoponera. There are not sufficient data availa- 
ble to test this prediction — and the test would be complicated by 
differing habitat preferences of members of the two groups — but 
records in the ANIC do show that R. metallica and related species 
are found on a variety of small islands off the coasts of Western 
Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. 
Summary 
In colonies of the Australian greenhead ant, Rhytidoponera 
metallica (s.l.), female reproductive activities are almost invariably 
assumed by workers. Queens (deciduously winged females) are 
rarely produced, and were heretofore considered non-functional. 
Field observations in southeastern Queensland in August and Sep- 
tember, 1983 revealed an unusually high frequency of alate queens 
in several localities. Two of three alate queens, collected while dis- 
persing in the vicinity of male mating flights, proved to be insemi- 
nated. In the laboratory these mated queens both established 
functional queenright colonies under non-claustral, haplometrotic 
conditions. The R. metallica colonies grew more slowly than an 
