Chelaner leae

Identification
Heterick (2009) - Workers of the M. rubriceps group found in the SWBP are all yellow, orange or red; some species also have brown infuscation of the mesosoma. Monomorium leae is the most widespread and variable of these species, being found throughout Australia. Western Australia lacks the beautiful, bicoloured purplish brown-and-yellow race of the east coast rain forests and also the bright yellow form (formerly Monomorium hemiphaeum). Western Australian M. leae are orange to reddish, and exhibit some polymorphism. Larger workers have distinct propodeal denticles, while the propodeum is more rounded in smaller workers (which resemble yellow Monomorium sydneyense but with a 12-segmented antenna). In the SWBP, M. leae appears to be most abundant in more humid environments, e.g. near watercourses and around the boles of eucalypts in wetter parts of the south-west.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Castes
Fersch et al. (2000) described a queen polymorphism: winged and ergatoid

Nomenclature

 *  leae. Monomorium leae Forel, 1913g: 185 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Heterick, 2001: 429 (m.). Combination in M. (Notomyrmex): Emery, 1922e: 169; in Chelaner: Ettershank, 1966: 97; in Monomorium: Taylor, 1987b: 3. Senior synonym of hemiphaeum: Ettershank, 1966: 97; of flavipes, insularis: Heterick, 2001: 427.
 * hemiphaeum. Monomorium (Notomyrmex) hemiphaeum Clark, 1934c: 61, pl. 4, figs. 19, 20 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of leae: Ettershank, 1966: 97.
 * flavipes. Monomorium (Notomyrmex) flavipes Clark, 1938: 369, fig. 8 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in Chelaner: Ettershank, 1966: 96; in Monomorium: Taylor, 1987b: 2. Junior synonym of leae: Heterick, 2001: 427.
 * insularis. Monomorium (Notomyrmex) insularis Clark, 1938: 368, fig. 7 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in Chelaner: Ettershank, 1966: 97; in Monomorium: Taylor, 1987b: 3. Junior synonym of leae: Heterick, 2001: 427.