30 
AUSTRALIAN SPECIES OF RHYTIDOPONERA MAYR 
ovate, twice as broad as long ; in profile barely twice as high as long, anterior 
face concave, dorsum flat, anterior edge sharp, posterior edge rounded 
into posterior face, latter vertical, shorter than dorsum; the ventral spine 
fully twice as long as broad at base, thorn-like, directed slightly backward. 
Postpetiole almost hemispherical, first segment of gaster one-fifth broader 
than long, strongly convex between the two segments. Legs long and rather 
slender. 
Habitat. — Central Australia: Alice Springs (E. Church, 1930; C. Barrett, 
1932). 
Described from four examples. 
Rhytidoponcra quadriceps sp. iiov. 
(PI. Ill, fig. 8.) 
Worker. — Length, 10-11 mm. 
Black. Mandibles and tarsi brownish, funiculi lighter. 
Mandibles finely and densely striate, with very numerous small piligerous 
punctures. Scapes and legs very finely and delicately striate longitudinally. 
Clypeus coarsely punctate-rugose. Head more coarsely rugose, the rugae 
almost parallel between frontal carinae, diverging outward behind. Thorax 
and node coarsely punctate-rugose. Both segments of gaster very finely 
and delicately striate longitudinally. 
Hair yellow, long and abundant on apex of gaster, shorter on clypeus, 
very short, erect and moderately abundant on rest of body, antennae and legs. 
Head about one-eighth longer than broad, slightly broader in front than 
behind, sides straight or feebly convex, occipital border deeply concave in 
middle, occipital angles bluntly rounded very slightly projecting outward. 
Mandibles sharp, irregularly crenulate, hardly dentate. Clypeus convex above, 
anterior border straight. Frontal carinae as long as broad in front, twice as 
broad in front as behind. Scapes extend beyond occipital border by one-third 
their length ; first and third segments of funiculi equal in length one-third 
shorter tlian second, apical as long as the two preceding together. Eyes large 
and convex placed at middle of sides. Thora.x twice as long as broad. 
Pronotum almost one-fourth broader than long, sides convex. Mesonotum 
one-third broader than long, conve.x in all directions. Epinotum as long as 
broad. In profile convex longitudinally, with a deep e.xcision at the pro- 
mesonotal suture and a distinct drop at the meso-epinotal suture, the dorsum 
and declivity of epinotum both rather straight. Node one-third broader than 
long, oval. In profile fully twice as high as long, the posterior and anterior 
faces parallel, dorsum convex, the ventral spine thorn-like, three times as long 
as broad at base. Postpetiole fully one-third broader than long, almost hemi- 
spherical. First segment of gaster one-third broader than long, sides strongly 
convex. A strong constriction between the two segments. Legs very robust. 
Habitat. — Northern Territory: Tennants Creek (C. Barrett). 
Rliytidoponera scahra Mayr. 
(PL III, figs. 9. 10.) 
Eclatomma scabrmn Mayr, Jour. Mus. Godeffroy, xii, p. 90, 1876, 
5 S . 
Rliytidoponera (Rliytidoponera) scabra Emery, Gen. Ins., fasc. 118, 
p. 38, 1911, $ ^ . 
