Strumigenys wallacei

All of Wilson's samples were taken in rain forest; the Bisianumu series came from a rotten log, the Karema lot was taken as strays in leaf litter berlesate, and the Nganduo sample came from a nest containing 100+ workers in the soil under fern rhizomes; near this last colony, workers were found foraging on the ground during a dark, rainy afternoon. The Wau sample consisted of 2 stray workers berlesed from rain forest leaf mold. (Brown 1973)

Identification
Bolton (2000) 	- A member of the Strumigenys wallacei-group. S. wallacei is characterised within the group by its lack of a humeral hair, the shape of its mesonotum in profile and its completely reticulate-punctate lateral alitrunk. Apart from this Strumigenys diasphax has stout standing hairs on both head and promesonotum, and Strumigenys gnathosphax has two intercalary denticles and its scrobe is well developed behind the level of the eye; in wallacei standing hairs are absent from head and alitrunk, the apical fork lacks intercalary denticles and the scrobe is vestigial behind the eye. A closely related species, Strumigenys opaca, occurs in Australia.

Brown (1973) - The outstanding characteristics of this species are its broad head and the peculiar form of its promesonotum. The pronotal disc is nearly flat, submarginate laterally, and tilted downward toward the front; behind it, the mesonotum forms a high tumulus and then drops off steeply through a concave portion which blends into the nearly plane propodeal dorsum. The promesonotum thus forms a high, blunt angle contrasting sharply with the generally concave posterior truncal outline.

The gaster bears short longitudinal costulae at its base, and in some samples there is more or less extensive striato-punctulation near the base as well, but the first tergum (when perfectly clean) is predominantly smooth and shining.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia, New Guinea.

Nomenclature

 *  wallacei. Strumigenys wallacei Emery, 1897c: 578, pl. 14, fig. 7 (w.) NEW GUINEA. See also: Brown, 1973c: 267; Bolton, 2000: 912.

Worker
Bolton (2000) - TL 2.7-3.1, HL 0.68-0.84, HW 0.59-0.78, CI 86-95, ML 0.42-0.48, MI 52-62, SL 0.48-0.54, SI 68-80, PW 0.30-0.36, AL 0.64-0.78 (10 measured).

Apical fork of mandible without intercalary denticles. Scrobe in profile vestigial behind level of eye. Mesonotum in profile forming a prominent hump or bulge, with a nearvertical posterior declivity. Propodeum armed with a pair of narrow spines, subtended by weak carinae on the declivity. These latter may be slightly broadened ventrally but are not expanded into bluntly triangular projecting lobes. Ventral spongiform curtain of petiole narrow, at deepest only half the depth of the peduncle, or less. Dorsal surfaces of head and alitrunk without standing hairs; dorsolateral margin of head without projecting hairs and pronotal humeral hair absent. Dorsal surfaces of head and pronotum with appressed spatulate to narrowly scale-like hairs. Appressed anteriorly curved hairs that fringe upper scrobe margin minute, much smaller than hairs on leading edge of scape. First gastral tergite with erect stiff hairs that are thick and frequently weakly remiform. Entire side of alitrunk and disc of postpetiole reticulate-punctate.

Type Material
Bolton (2000) - Syntype workers, PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Aitape (= Berlinhafen) (L. Biro) [examined].