284 
Psyche 
[Vol. 90 
Queen, dealate, from holotype nest series: TL 4.7, HL 0.80, HW 
0.71 (Cl 89), ML 0.34 (MI 43), MLO 0.57, SL 0.70 (SI 99), EL 0.18, 
WL 1.47 mm. 
Showing the usual ponerine differences of caste, and darker, deep 
brownish red, in color; scutum yellowish brown, with a broad, V- or 
Y-shaped median fascia of deep reddish brown; mandibles, anten- 
nae, legs, and indefinite patches on lateral areas of pronotum and 
upper mesopleura obscure yellowish brown. Punctures a little 
coarser and more conspicuous than in workers. An additional deal- 
ate queen apparently belonging to this^species, taken in 1901 by L. 
Biro (Hungarian Natural History Museum), comes from Friedrich- 
Wilhelmshafen (now Madang, Papua New Guinea); it is notably 
smaller (HL 0.62, HW 0.50 mm.) than either workers or queen from 
the type colony; and was found in the Hungarian collection placed 
with the M. tenuis. 
Holotype (MCZ) and paratypes (MCZ, BMNH, ANIC) from a 
colony collected in rain forest just west of the lower Busu River, 
near Lae, Papua New Guinea on 9 May 1955, by Wilson (No. 983). 
Wilson’s notes on this colony are slightly modified: 
“A colony of one queen and about 30 workers, with brood at all 
stages, none preponderant; in a crumbling small Passalus-sidigQ log, 
diameter about 5 inches, held in shape by intact bark. Ants rela- 
tively fast, nervous, similar to other [Myopias'] species. Workers and 
brood scattered through a number of indistinct galleries and 
chambers in the crumbling wood. In one chamber near larvae was a 
fresh, decapitated worker of a small Leptogenys species. Around 
another, large chamber was the kitchen midden, consisting of dis- 
carded [Myopias] cocoons and numerous remains of ants, mostly or 
entirely myrmicines, including at least two genera (q.v.).”The “q.v.” 
refers to the vial containing the whole colony. Unfortunately, the 
Myopias brood and the midden remains, left in alcohol after an 
adult sample had been mounted from the vial, was lost in transit by 
a colleague who had borrowed Wilson’s and Brown’s Myopias col- 
lection residues for study. 
From the circumstances of the collection as noted by Wilson, it 
seems likely that M. delta is an ant predator specializing on Myrmi- 
cinae, but perhaps occasionally accepting ponerines or other sub- 
families. We need further collections and field and laboratory 
