Metapone tecklini

Habitat is not indicated on labels, but all records are from known rain forested sites. (Taylor and Alpert 2016)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Biology
Sympatric with Metapone mjobergi on Mt Sampson and Windsor Tableland, and with Metapone hoelldobleri at Mossman Bluff.

Nomenclature

 * . Metapone tecklini Taylor & Alpert, 2016: 543, figs. 160-164 (q.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
 * Type-material: holotype queen, 2 paratype queens.
 * Type-locality: holotype Australia: NE Queensland, Mt Sampson, 480 m., 27.xii.1990-18.i.1991, 5-10 km. W Mossman, flight intercept trap (no collector’s name); paratypes: 1 queen Queensland, Mossman Bluff Track, 5-10 km. W Mossman, 480 m., 1-16.i.1989, ANZSES site 3 (G.B. Monteith & G.I. Thompson), 1 queen Queensland, Windsor Tableland, 27.xii.1988-10.i.1989, ANZSES site 2 (F. Schmidt).
 * Type-depository: ANIC.
 * Distribution: Australia.

Queen
(holotype, paratype (Windsor Tableland) TL: ca 6.1, 6.7; HL: 1.08, 1.22; HW: 0.84, 0.92, CI: 77, 75; CpL: 0.41, 0.45; CpI: 38, 37; MSL: 1.74, 2.00; ScW: 0.75, 0.80; PetL: 0.38, 0.42; PetW: 0.36, 0.43; PetH: 0.59, 0.65; PpetL: 0.36, 0.47; PpetW: 0.50, 0.58; PpetH: 0.53, 0.59; GW: 0.89, 0.99.

Gyne. General features as illustrated and in the key to Australian Metapone species above. Somewhat similar to Metapone tricolor, with the following salient differences: (1) Head relatively short (CI 75–77 vs 66–68); (2) Mesosoma more robust (MSL 1.74–2.00, ScW 0.75–0.80 vs 2.16–2.33 and 0.74–0.79); (3) Petiole in dorsal view approximately as long as wide vs petiole clearly over 1.5x as long as wide; (4) subpetiolar extension a low triangle, smaller than the larger structure in M. tricolor; (5) less intense sculpturation, as illustrated.

Type Material
Mt Sampson (15°48'S, 145°02'E,) northeast Queensland. (Type No. 32-069962).

Etymology
Named with pleasure for Jerry E. Tecklin of the University of California, Davis and Nevada City California.