AUSTRALIAN SPECIES OF RHYTIDOPONERA MAYR 
59 
Hair yellow, not abundant, long and erect on front of clypeus and apex of 
gaster, short and sparse on head and body, very short and suberect on scapes 
and legs. Funiculi pubescent. 
Head one-sixth longer than broad, sides evenly convex, occipital border 
very feebly convex, angles broadly rounded, a small but sharp crest forms a 
straight line from angle to angle across the border. Mandibles with numerous 
small sharp teeth. Clypeus broadly convex above, convex and bluntly pro- 
duced in front. Frontal area broad and deep in front. Frontal carinae as 
long as broad in front, contracting suddenly behind. Scapes extend beyond 
occipital border by fully one-third their len^h. Second segment of funiculus 
one-eighth longer than first and very slightly longer than the two preceding 
together. Eyes large and convex, placed at posterior third of sides. Thorax 
fully twice as long as broad, sutures sharply impressed. Pronotum as long 
as broad, sides feebly convex, dorsum strongly convex transversely. In 
profile convex longitudinally, the sutures sharply impressed. Pronotum 
strongly convex on basal fourth, straight or very feebly convex in front, slop- 
ing downward. Mesonotum rather flatly convex, slightly higher than epi- 
notum, the latter convex from base to bottom of declivity. Node very slightly 
broader than long, almost circular, flat on top. In profile twice as high as 
long, anterior face straight and vertical, posterior face slightly convex, inclined 
forward and rounded on to dorsum, the latter straight, longer than posterior 
face, anterior edge short, the ventral spine long, slender and sharp, three times 
as long as broad at base. Postpetiole one-fourth broader than long, strongly 
convex in front. First segment of gaster one-sixth broader than long, strongly 
convex behind. The constriction between the two segments sharp and deep. 
Legs long and robust. 
Male. — Length, 9-5-10 mm. 
Mandibles, front of face to anterior ocellus, antennae and legs reddish, 
thorax and node brown, gaster chocolate-brown. Wings with a yellowish 
tinge, nervures brown. 
Mandibles very delicately striate longitudinally. Head very finely and 
densely reticulate, with scattered large shallow punctures, obsolete on clypeus. 
Pronotum, mesonotum and scutellum similar but the punctures deeper and 
shining at bottom. Epinotum very sparsely punctate. Node and gaster 
finely and densely reticulate-punctate. 
Hair yellow, very sparse, apparent only on head and apical segments of 
gaster, more numerous on antennae and legs but very short and adpressed. 
Head very slightly longer than broad, strongly convex behind. Mandibles 
with numerous small denticles. Clypeus broadly convex in front and above. 
S.VQB. indistinct. Frontal carinae as long as broad in front, with a 
strong central longitudinal carina extending to anterior ocellus. Scapes one- 
eighth shorter than second segment of funiculus, first segment as long as 
broad. Eyes large, occupying half the sides. Ocelli large and convex. Thorax 
twice as long as broad. Pronotum projecting slightly in front. Mesonotum 
as long as broad, broadly cone-shaped in front, mayrian furrows strongly 
impressed in front, becoming obsolete behind. Parapsidal furrows distinct but 
feebly impressed, a distinct but feebly longitudinal groove on the anterior 
fourth Scutellum fully one-third broader than long, anterior border straight, 
dome-shaped behind, a wide shallow longitudinal groove above. Metanotum 
five times broader than long, convex all ways. Epinotum convex transversely. 
In profile pro-mesonotal suture strongly impressed. Pronotum erect, sloping 
slightly backward above. Scutellum barely twice as long as high, dome- 
shaped Metanotum longer than high, bluntly pointed above. Epinotum 
