Leptomyrmex garretti, Smith, Derek J. & Shattuck, Steve, 2009

Smith, Derek J. & Shattuck, Steve, 2009, Six new, unusually small ants of the genus Leptomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 2142 (1), pp. 57-68 : 63

Leptomyrmex garretti sp. n.

( Figs 10–12 , 19, 20 , 22 )

Types. Holotype worker from Mt. Lewis, near Julatten , Queensland, 31 October 1966, R.W.Taylor. ( ANIC: ANIC032-038574 ); eight paratype workers, same data as holotype (2 in AMSA, 4 in ANIC, 2 in QMBA).

Diagnosis. Scapes long (SI> 174, Fig. 20 ); pubescence short sparse and adpressed; petiolar node weakly convex in anterior view; anterior mesonotum without a raised hump.

Worker description. In full face view vertex of head convex, rounding into sides of head, sides of head weakly rounded, widest at mid-length, eyes placed at mid-length of head capsule. Palps long extending just beyond the length of the head capsule. Posterior of pronotum slightly higher than the promesonotal suture, posterior margin of pronotum rounding to the suture; anterior portion of the mesonotum below the promesonotal suture then without an anterior mesonotal “bump”. Legs long; hind tibial spurs with reduced barbules, barbules absent from basal ¼. Honey brown colour, covered with dense short appressed pilosity, setae present on clypeus and sternites of gaster only.

Measurements. Worker (n = 25) - CI 69–80; EL 0.17–0.22; HL 0.84–0.97; HW 0.61–0.75; MTL 0.86–1.08; SI 175–214; SL 1.29–1.48; WL 1.35–1.58.

Additional material examined. Queensland: 3.5km W of Cape Tribulation (Site 7) (Monteith,G.B.) (ANIC); 4.5 km W of Cape Tribulation (Site 9) (Monteith, Yeates & Thompson) (ANIC); Devils Thumb area, 10km NW Mossman (Monteith, Yeates & Thompson) (ANIC); 3km W Cape Tribulation (Monteith,G.B.) (ANIC); Mt. Lewis nr. Julatten (Taylor,R.W.) (ANIC); Mary Creek (Burwell,C.J.; Yek,S.) (QMBA).

Comments. This rainforest species nests under rocks. It forages on the ground and on vegetation. Sympatric with L. dolichoscapus and L. pilosus it is more widespread than these and readily separated from them by the combination of normal length scapes and normal pilosity.

Figures

FIGURES 7–12. Leptomyrmex dolichoscapus sp. n. holotype worker. Fig. 7, front of head; Fig. 8, lateral view of body; Fig. 9, dorsal view of body. Leptomyrmex garretti sp. n. holotype worker. Fig. 10, front of head; Fig. 11, lateral view of body; Fig. 12, dorsal view of body.

FIGURES 19–20. Fig. 19, graph of head length versus head width. Fig. 20, graph of scape length versus head width.

FIGURES 21–22. Distribution of material examined during this study. Fig. 21, L. aitchisoni (triangle), L. burwelli (circle) and L. ramorniensis (square). Fig. 22, L. dolichoscapus (circle), L. garretti (triangle) and L. pilosus (square). Note the restricted range of most species, especially the set in Fig. 22, where all species are essentially sympatric.