Mayriella

Mayriella is an Indo-Australian ant genus. There are presently nine described species. Workers are small and, for those for which nests have been found, form colonies of 50 - 100 individuals.

Identification
Workers of Mayriella may be separated from other members of the Myrmicinae by the presence of a 10-segmented antenna with a 2-segmented club; well developed antennal scrobes; the clypeus with the mediolateral regions concave and the anterior margin with a bidentate process (these structures combining to form an extension of the scrobes which receive the terminal segments of the antennae when the antennae are retracted); and elongate compound eyes which are narrowed anteroventrally. These characters, especially the shape of the eyes and the configuration of the clypeus, are distinctive within the subfamily and it is unlikely these ants will be confused with close relatives. (Shattuck and Barnett 2007)

Biology
Species of Mayriella show strong preference for moist, forested areas. Most specimens have been collected from rainforest or wet sclerophyll woodlands with relatively few collections from dry sclerophyll or scrub habitats (and these are restricted to Australia). Nests are normally found in soil under stones or with a small mound of loose dirt at the entrance. They have also been found nesting in rotten logs and occasionally arboreally. The number of workers in nests averages between 50 and 100 and about one-half of the nest series containing queens contain more than one, suggesting that species are polygynous. Foraging workers are most commonly collected from litter samples. Nests appear to be locally abundant although patchily distributed on a larger scale. For example, in the Brindabella Ranges near Canberra, ACT, Mayriella ebbei is infrequently encountered and is known from only a few localities. However, near Baroomba Rocks (located on the eastern slope of the Brindabella Ranges) M. ebbei occurs commonly under rocks in an area covering several hundred square meters. This population appears limited to this small area as nests could not be found in areas with similar geography and vegetation located several kilometers away. However, observations are limited and additional data will be required to determine if these habits are widespread and/or occur in other species. Additionally, while Taylor (1961) made similar observations for Mayriella abstinens, these were based on the introduced population found in New Zealand and should be confirmed for naturally occurring populations of the genus. (Shattuck and Barnett 2007)

Nomenclature

 *  MAYRIELLA [Myrmicinae: Solenopsidini]
 * Mayriella Forel, 1902h: 452. Type-species: Mayriella abstinens, by monotypy.