1961] 
Taylor and Wilson — Ants 
139 
of South Island. It has undoubtedly been carried to the Chatham 
Islands by man (Brown, 1958). (It is further likely that 
Monomorium rapaense Wheeler (1936) of Rapa Island in the 
Austral group, is conspecific with some New Zealand form belonging 
to the present M. antarcticum complex. If this should be so the fact 
that New Zealand and Rapa were both important whaling ports in 
the nineteenth century may be significant with regard to the dispersal 
of this form.) 
Material examined: raoul island: Crater: nest in warm soil 
beside fumarole, June 3, 1956. Four workers without further data 
from the M. C. Z. collection. 
The M. C. Z. specimens were studied by Wheeler in preparing 
his 1935 paper and were probably collected by the W. R. B. Oliver 
expedition to Raoul Island during 1907-08. Wheeler apparently 
intended using these specimens as the types of a new species, to be 
described in a later paper which, however, was never published due 
to his death. It seems unlikely that they are specifically separate from 
some North Island samples of the antarcticum complex, and they have 
almost certainly been introduced to Raoul from New Zealand. 
The Kermadec ant fauna is thus characterized by a lack of endemic 
or native species and includes forms derived either from tropical 
Polynesia, or the nearest large land area, and known to have capacities 
for passive dispersal by man. The faunal tally of only three species 
is probably well below the possible maximum carrying capacity of the 
island (see Wilson, 1961). Although the present human settlement 
on Raoul consists only of the staff of a weather station, there have 
been several attempts to colowze it in the past. The parties concerned 
are known to have travelled from Fiji and New Zealand, and to have 
carried much produce as well as plants and seeds, thus providing 
adequate passage for ants. In its relationships and depauperate nature 
the ant fauna resembles those of other insect groups which have been 
studied (see Miller, 1956 p. 420 for references). 
Some interesting comparisons can be made with the faunas of Lord 
Howe and Norfolk Islands, which are about the same size as Raoul, 
and lie at approximately the same latitude, but much closer to 
Australia. 
The ants of these three islands may be grouped for analysis into 
three classes. 
Class I. Species which are probably native to the island concerned. 
This category includes forms found also in Australia, and endemic 
species (all of which are clearly derived from Australian stock). 
