26 
Psyche 
[March-June 
lateral surfaces of mandibles, antennae, cervix, legs and petiole very 
densely and finely punctulate, opaque except for lower sides of 
petiolar peduncle and posterodorsal face of petiolar node, which are 
weakly shining. Disc of postpetiole and all of gaster smooth and 
shining. Costulae at base of gaster fine, numerous, extending about 
1/4 the length of the basal segment. 
Specialized erect hairs long and fine, up to about 0.4 mm long, 
generally distributed over both surfaces of head behind clypeus, 
dorsa of trunk and both nodes, both surfaces of gaster, and on legs 
as far out as metatarsi. Paddle-shaped hairs of mandibles as shown 
in the figures. Ground pilosity of head consisting of fine, curved, 
short hairs — longer and standing more away from the surface on 
vertex, slightly broadened and appressed to subappressed on clypeus. 
Legs, underside of head, pronotal cervix and antennae with fine 
appressed and subappressed short hairs. Gastric apex with some 
short fine erect hairs. 
Color medium ferruginous, gaster a shade darker, more brownish; 
antennae more yellowish. 
Holotype (unique) from Trolac Forest Reserve, Perak, Malaysia, 
6 August 1967, leaf litter berlesate from second growth rain forest 
(R. H. Crozier leg.), deposited in the Museum of Comparative 
Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 
This odd species is related most closely to Smithistruma, but the 
unique mandibles and marginate trunk take it out of that genus. 
The anterior clypeal tooth is unknown in Smithistruma , but a sim- 
ilar, undoubtedly convergent structure is known in a species of 
Gymnomyrmex (dentinasis) from southern Brasil. Gymnomyrmex, 
though very different from the “average” Smithistruma , may be 
connected to the latter by a chain of intergradient species. In fact, 
the material now available indicates that the time for amalgamation 
of several of the short-mandibulate strumigenite genera is approach- 
ing. Unless new intergradient species are found in the future to 
connect Asketogenys acubecca to some other short-mandibulate 
strumigenite genus, it is distinct enough to survive any reasonable 
foreseeable revision as a genus apart. 
