Metapone hewitti

Described and known from two male types.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia.

Nomenclature

 * . Metapone hewitti Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 62 (m.) BORNEO (East Malaysia: Sarawak).
 * Type-material: lectotype male (by designation of Taylor & Alpert, 2016: 518), 1 paralectotype male.
 * Type-locality: lectotype Malaysia: Sarawak, Kuching, 1908 (J. Hewitt); paralectotype with same data.
 * [Note: original description mentions 4 syntype males.]
 * Type-depository: MCZC.
 * Status as species: Wheeler, W.M. 1919h: 189 (redescription); Chapman & Capco, 1951: 114; Gregg, R.E. 1958: 119; Kusnezov, 1960a: 126; Bolton, 1995b: 258; Pfeiffer, et al. 2011: 47; Taylor & Alpert, 2016: 517 (redescription).
 * Distribution: Malaysia (Sarawak).

Taylor and Alpert (2016) - Known only from two male specimens (MCZC—with red “Cotype” labels originally added by Wheeler). One has the postpetiole and gaster detached and glued to its mounting point, the other is undamaged. The latter is here designated lectotype, the former paralectotype (both so labelled). Their dimensions are respectively: HW (across eyes) 1.26, 1.24; MSL 2.32, 2.33. The lectotype is illustrated here. Because it is male based, the epithet M. hewitti is functionally inaccessible as a species name, or a potential junior or senior synonym of other species recognized here, until males considered conspecific with the lectotype are collected with conspecific workers or gynes. The species, of course, is probably not yet represented in collections by its gyne or worker castes, so conspecificity and junior synonymy with prior species seems statistically unlikely. We consider the lectotype not to be conspecific with the male investigated phylogenetically by Ward et.al (2014), or with male types of the Sri Lankan Metapone greeni, the Bornean Metapone quadridentata or the Javanese Metapone javana, which have been examined here.

Type Material
Taylor and Alpert (2016) - Male; Type locality: Kuching [01N, 110E], Sarawak, Malaysia.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
 * Gregg R. E. 1958. Two new species of Metapone from Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 60: 111-121.
 * Kusnezov N. 1960. La posición sistemática del género Metapone Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Acta Zoologica Lilloana 18: 119-126.
 * Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
 * Smith M. R. 1947. A new species of Metapone Forel from New Guinea (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 49: 75-77.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1919. The ants of Borneo. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63:43-147.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1919. The ants of the genus Metapone Forel. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 12: 173-191.