Meranoplus armatus

Distribution
Taylor (2006) - Widespread in Western Melanesia and the Moluccas. Probably indigenous to northern Australia.

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

Nomenclature

 *  armatus. Meranoplus armatus Smith, F. 1862d: 413, pl. 12, fig. 7 (w.) INDONESIA (Sumatra). Senior synonym of rugifrons: Taylor, 1990c: 35.
 * rugifrons. Meranoplus spinosus subsp. rugifrons Emery, 1897d: 569, pl. 1, figs. 13-15 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Viehmeyer, 1914c: 525 (q.). Raised to species: Donisthorpe, 1941c: 136. Junior synonym of armatus: Taylor, 1990c: 35.

Type Material
Taylor (2006) - Worker. Either Sumatra or Celebes (=Sulawesi), Indonesia. Sulawesi seem the more likely of the alternative original localities.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * CSIRO Collection
 * 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
 * Donisthorpe H. 1941. Descriptions of new species of ants from New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (11)7: 129-144.
 * Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
 * Lucky A., L. E. Alonso, E. Sarnat, and J. Hulr. 2015. Ants and scolytine beetles. In: Richards, S.J. and N. Whitmore (editors) 2015. A rapid biodiversity assessment of Papua New Guinea's Hindenburg Wall region. Wildlife Conservation Society Papua New Guinea Program. Goroka, PNG.
 * Snelling R. R. 1998. Insect Part 1: The social Hymenoptera. In Mack A. L. (Ed.) A Biological Assessment of the Lakekamu Basin, Papua New Guinea, RAP 9. 189 ppages
 * Taylor R. W. 1990. The nomenclature and distribution of some Australian and New Caledonian ants of the genus Meranoplus Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). General and Applied Entomology 22: 31-40.
 * Taylor R. W. 2006. Ants of the genus Meranoplus F. Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): three new species and others from northeastern Australian rainforests. Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 21-29.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1914. Papuanische Ameisen. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1914: 515-535.