Mayriella ebbei Shattuck & Barnett, 2007

Shattuck, S. O. & Barnett, N. J., 2007, Revision of the ant genus Mayriella., Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Homage to E. O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. (Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80), pp. 437-458 : 444-445

Mayriella ebbei Shattuck & Barnett , sp. nov.

Figures 6 - 9

TYPE MATERIAL

Holotype worker from Australia, Booroomba Rocks, 35 ° 33 ' S 148 ° 59 ' E, Australian Capital Territory, 16 March 1992, S. O. Shattuck, eucalypt woodland ( ANIC) ; ca. 60 worker and 1 dealate queen paratypes, same data as holotype ( ANIC, BMNH, MCZC) (as well as numerous additional larvae and worker pupae and 2 male pupae).

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

(In ANIC unless otherwise noted). Australia, ACT: 5 km SW Orroral Tracking Station (Lowery, B. B.) ; Black Mt. , S slope (lake road) (Taplin, I. C.) ; Blundells Creek Rd, 3.5 km E Piccadilly Circus (Lawerence, J.) ; Booroomba Rocks, 35 ° 33 ' S 148 ° 59 ' E (Shattuck, S. O.) ; Brindabella Range (Lowery, B. B.) ; Wombat Creek, 6 km NE Piccadilly Circus , 35 ° 19 ' S 148 ° 51 ' E (Weir, Lawerence & Johnson) ; foot of Mt. Majura (Lowery, B. B.); nr. Lees Spring , Brindabella Range (Taylor, R. W.) ; New South Wales: 4.5 km WNW Pigeon House Mt. , 35 ° 21 ' S 150 ° 13 ' E (Hill, L.) ; Burns Bay, Lane Cove , Sydney (Lowery, B. B.); Castle Flat , Clyde River floodplain, 32 ° 21 ' S 150 ° 13 ' E (Hill, L.) ; Gerroa , 10 mi S Kiama (Lowery, B. B.) ; Kanangra Brook and Rocky Spur , Kanangra-Boyd Natl Pk (Hill, L.) ; Kanangra-Boyd Natl Pk (Hill, L.) ; Lane Cove , Sydney (Lowery, B. B.); Riverview College , Lane Cove , Sydney (Lowery, B. B.); Tallaganda State Forest , Captain's Flat (Lowery, B. B.); Tamborine Bay, Lane Cove, Sydney (Lowery, B. B.); Tamborine Bay , Sydney (Lowery, B. B.); South Australia: Belair (Greenslade, P. J. M.) ; Bridgewater (Hutson) ; Bridgewater , Englebrook (Greenslade, P. J. M.) ; Christenson Park , Sevenhill (Lowery, B. B.) ; Maclaren Flat (Kirkby, C. A.); Mt. Lofty , S Para (Hutson) ; Sevenhill (Lowery, B. B.) ; West Bay, Kangaroo Island (Greenslade, P. J. M.); Tasmania: Eddystone Point (Trueman, J. & Cranston, P.) ; Victoria: 12 km E Warburton ( Newton, A. & Thayer, M. ) ; Arthur's Seat (McCrae) (Brown, W. L.) ( MCZC) ; Mt. Buffalo Natl Pk (Newton, A. & Thayer, M.) ; Narbethong (McAreavy, J.) ; Oberon Creek , Summit Mt. , Wilsons Prom . (Ettershank, G.) ; One Tree Hill , Melbourne ( Lowery , B. B.); Portland (Beauglehole, C.) ; Queenstown , nr. Hurstbridge (Lowery, B. B.) .

DIAGNOSIS

This species can be separated from others in this genus by the presence of numerous erect hairs on the gaster. It shares the shape of the outer margins of the postpetiole with M. spinosior , but differs from this species in the shape of the petiolar node and in having more than four erect hairs on the postpetiole.

WORKER DESCRIPTION

Sculpturing in posterior section of antennal scrobe well developed and distinct; sculpturing on dorsal surface of mesosoma consisting of large, closely spaced pits; propodeal spines relatively long and thin; dorsal surface of petiole in lateral profile uniformly convex, without distinct dorsal and posterior faces and forming an obtuse angle with the anterior face; in dorsal view, anterior region of postpetiole expanded relative to posterior region; dorsum of postpetiole with more than four erect hairs; dorsum of gaster with numerous erect hairs.

Measurements. Worker (n = 10) - CI 0.90 - 0.98; HL 0.47 - 0.58; HTL 0.26 - 0.34; HW 0.43 - 0.54; ML 0.49 - 0.64; PW 0.30 - 0.40; SI 0.62 - 0.66; SL 0.27 - 0.35.

COMMENTS

This is the southernmost species of Mayriella and occurs in generally drier sites compared to other species. Although widely distributed it shows minimal geographic variation in the characters examined during this study. Biologically, this species is found primarily in drier habitats such as sclerophyll woodlands, low scrub, ti-tree scrub and coastal heath and less commonly in wet sclerophyll and rainforests. Nests occur in soil in the open or under stones or other objects on the ground, and in rotten wood.