6 Psyche [Mar * 
has, however, been thoroughly established by studies of Clark, 
Wheeler, and many others. 
Brachyponera lutea is nearly ubiquitous in Australia, extend- 
ing from the tropics almost into the coldest areas of the con- 
tinent, and from the very moist soils of the extreme southwest 
into comparatively dry dune or rocky regions far from the 
coast. In some areas it is very common. It forms rambling 
meshes of galleries interwoven in a complex fashion, and prob- 
ably often extending well underground. These galleries are ex- 
cavated by preference underneath flat stones or fallen logs, but 
may occasionally show open craters. The colonies are unusu- 
ally populous for a Ponerine, and fully developed communities 
may well comprise over two thousand individuals. There seems 
to be good evidence that the species feeds extensively on ter- 
mites, and probably also on the larvae of other ants. Frequently, 
but not always, it nests close to or within the mounds of vari- 
ous species of termites, or near other ants, not excluding Myr- 
mecia. It is very probable that it commonly behaves as a faculta- 
tive, primitive thief ant. 
The habits of B. lutea have been described by Clark (1925, 
1938) and particularly by Wheeler (1933) who studied the 
method of colony foundation in the field. During November and 
December of 1911 and 1931 numerous recently fecundated 
females were taken by Wheeler in many localities in Australia 
including Queensland, New South Wales, and southwestern West 
Australia. All of them were isolated in cells under stones and 
logs, and in all cases these cells, unlike those typical of Myr- 
mecia females, were located so far from the edges of the over- 
lying cover that, in Wheeler’s view, it would have been difficult 
for the occupants to excavate galleries to the outside permitting 
them to emerge periodically to forage, after the manner of 
Myrmecia and Amblyopone. From this evidence, together with 
the great relative stature and the voluminous fat-body of the 
queen, Wheeler concluded that colony foundation occurred in 
the claustral fashion typical of higher ants. Since none of the 
females observed by him in the field had produced eggs by the 
end of December, however, he was unable to confirm this con- 
jecture. In the present study, it has been possible to observe the 
process of colony foundation in Brachyponera lutea in the arti- 
