Teratomyrmex tinae

This species is known from a handful of locations in Far North Queensland, stretching from Mount Windsor Tableland in the north to Tully in the south. All collections were made in rainforest and most specimens were associated with vegetation (having been collected using pyrethrum knockdown or by sweeping vegetation). The limited available information suggests that these are arboreal foraging ants which are limited to rainforest habitats.

Identification
Head and mesosoma dark brown, gaster slightly paler; coxae, trochanters and basal first third of femora white, remainder of femora brown; apex of petiolar node pale yellowish-white, distinctly paler than remainder of petiole. Pronotum with small and angular humeral angles, lacking large wing-like structures. Body with both long, erect hairs and short, flat-lying hairs (short hairs absent from first segment of gaster). Dorsum of head, pronotum and mesonotum with abundant shallow foveae. This species is similar to Teratomyrmex substrictus but differs in pilosity, sculpturing and colour as outlined above.

Key to Teratomyrmex Species

Distribution
Far northeastern Queensland, from the Mount Windsor Tableland south to Tully.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Castes
Known only from the worker caste.

Nomenclature

 *  tinae. Teratomyrmex tinae Shattuck & O'Reilly, 2013: 298, fig. 8 (w.) AUSTRALIA.

Worker
(n=13)—CI 99–113; HL 0.81–1.09 mm; HW 0.80–1.17 mm; ML 0.98–1.35 mm; MTL 0.67–0.92 mm; PronW 0.56–0.80; SI 99–106; SL 0.85–1.17 mm.

Head and mesosoma dark brown, gaster slightly paler. Coxae, trochanters white. Tibiae basally white, changing to light brown at one third length. Petiole light brown ventrally and graduating to white dorsally. Scattered long setae on head, antennae, gaster, tibiae, tarsi and dorsal side of mesosoma. Pubescence on antennae and dorsal side of head, mesosoma and gaster. Head roughly square, concave on the sides and widest at eyes. Mandibles triangular, paler in colour than the head but with dark teeth. Mandibles with six teeth, the first, second and fourth the largest. Clypeus semicircular, with rounded posterior margin, straight anterior margin. Frontal area with small foveate depressions associated with pubescence. Frontal carinae very small, only slightly extending past antennal socket. Eyes large, convex, positioned one third from posterior margin of head, one and a half times longer than wide. Ocelli very small but distinct. Scapes extending one third their length beyond posterior margin of head, paler in colour than head. Mesosoma mostly smooth, with broad longitudinal striations on the side of the mesonotum and propodeum. Small foveate depressions on the dorsal surface of pronotum and mesonotum, associated with pubescence. In dorsal view pronotum roughly hexagonal, wider than propodeum, with sides tapering into small wing-like projections with points at the pronotal humeri. Promesonotal suture convex and sharply impressed. In dorsal view mesonotum roughly oval, the anterior margin straight and the posterior margin tapering sharply. Propodeum roughly square in dorsal view, with small spines on upper margin. Petiole much taller than long, flat on dorsal surface, with two very small points on the outer margins. Gaster rectangular, first two segments (abdominal segments III & IV) the largest. Legs slender, tibiae and femora somewhat spindle shaped.