AUSTRALIAN SPECIES OF RHYTIDOPONERA MAYR 
31 
Worker. — Length, 12- 5-14 mm. 
Black. Mandibles, funiculi and legs dark brown. 
Mandibles and scapes very finely striate longitudinally. Shining. Head, 
mesonotum, epinotum and node coarsely and irregularly reticulate-rugose, 
pronotum transversely striate on anterior half, the striae wide apart, posterior 
half irregularly reticulate-rugose. Postpetiole transversely curved striate, the 
striae more or less obsolete in middle, sparsely punctate. First segment of 
gaster more or less longitudinally striate, the striae obsolete at middle, 
sparsely punctate. Coxae transversely rugose. 
Hair yellow, very short, erect and .sparse throughout. No pubescence. 
Head slightly longer than broad, broader in front than behind, sides 
feebly convex in front of eyes, strongly reduced behind, occipital border 
convex, angles sharp, slightly produced laterally and forward as sharp 
tubercles. Mandibles edentate. Clypeus strongly convex above and in front. 
Frontal area large and deep. Frontal carinae as long as broad in front. 
Scapes extend beyond occipital border by almost half their length. Second 
segment of funiculus longer than first and third, apical barely as long as the 
two preceding together. Eyes large and convex, placed at posterior third of 
sides. Thorax fully twice as long as broad, .sutures w'cll impressed. Pronotum 
broader than long, broader behind than in front, sides straight, the posterior 
angles pi'otruding slightly outward and upward, giving a concave appearance 
to posterior third. Mesonotum one-third broader than long, strongly convex 
in all directions, the anterior edge bluntly pointed and projecting into 
pronotum. Epinotum strongly convex transversely. In profile the pronotum 
and mesonotum forming an even convexity much higher than the epinotum 
which is also evenly convex, pronotal projection occupying the posterior 
third of pronotum, large and blunt on top, wart-like. Node one-third broader 
than long, broadest behind, strongly convex in front, a shallow longitudinal 
groove on top. In profile twice as high as long, anterior face vertical above, 
sloping forward below, dorsum convex, sloping backward and downward 
into posterior face, the spine in front below moderately long, broad and sharp, 
directed slightly backward. Postpetiole, and first segment of gaster, one- 
fourth broader than long, both strongly convex on sides. Legs long and 
robust. 
Male. — Length, 12- 5 mm. 
Chocolate-brown, mandibles, funiculi and tarsi lighter brown. Wings with 
a brownish tinge, nervures brown. 
Mandibles finely striate longitudinally, the striae somewhat broken up by 
numerous small punctures. Head coarsely and irregularly rugose, the rugae 
longitudinal on middle of clypeus, densely reticulate between the rugae. 
Pronotum transversely rugose, densely reticulate between the rugae. Meso- 
notum coarsely rugose on disc, more finely rugose in front and on sides, 
interstices on dorsum shining at bottom, densely reticulate on front and sides. 
Scutellum, epinotum and node coarsely rugose, but finer than on mesonotum, 
interstices finely reticulate. Gaster shining. Postpetiole smooth in middle, 
with traces of fine rugae on sides and behind, with numerous shallow obsolete 
punctures. Eirst segment of gaster smooth, finely reticulate on posterior 
margin, with numerous small piligerous punctures. 
Hair yellow, rather fine, long and very abundant throughout, shorter and 
suberect on antennae and legs. 
Head one-third longer than broad, not much broader behind than in front, 
strongly convex and not truncate behind. Mandibles with numerous strong 
sharp teeth. Clypeus broadly convex in front and above. Frontal area large. 
