Colobostruma foliacea

This is the only species in the genus that occurs outside of Australia.

Identification
Immediately recognisable by its extremely flattened head and, to a lesser extent, body. Known specimens placed together show considerable variation in colour and sculpture. They can be broadly divided into two sets: lightly coloured individuals with weakly developed sculpture on the dorsal alitrunk, and darkly coloured individuals with well developed sculpture on the dorsal alitrunk. It is possible that these two sets represent separate taxa (Shattuck 2000).

Distribution
Known from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

This taxon was described from New Guinea.

Nomenclature

 *  foliacea. Epopostruma foliacea Emery, 1897c: 573, pl. 15, figs. 20, 21 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Combination in Alistruma: Brown, 1948e: 117; in Colobostruma: Bolton, 1995b: 146. See also: Shattuck, in Bolton, 2000: 40.

Worker
TL 2.5 - 2.9, HL 0.66 - 0.75, HW 0.66 - 0.80, CI 100 - 107, ML 0.19 - 0.23, MI 27 - 31, SL 0.29 - 0.34, SI 38 - 44, PW 0.38 - 0.50, AL 0.68 - 0.86 (4 measured). Head grossly flattened, its lateral margin a narrow convexity, the eyes even with, and extending between, the dorsal and ventral surfaces. Mandibles broadly triangular, their dorsal surfaces weakly concave and parallel with the dorsal surface of the head. Hairs absent from dorsum of head. Posterior margin of head uniformly concave. Antenna with 6 segments. Scape strongly elbowed and with the widest point at the elbow, but without a subbasal lobe. Propodeum moderately high, its posterior face distinct and with dorsal posteriorly directed extensions which are connected to the ventral regions by a thin lamella; in profile the dorsal, mesonotal and propodeal surfaces essentially flat. Lateral postpetiole drawn outwards into thin flange-like wings, the wings with translucent windows along both their anterior and posterior margins, the windows separated by a narrow band of thickened integument and the anterior windows smaller than the posterior windows. First gastral tergite smooth and shiny, superimposed with a fine reticulate network; a narrow row of low carinae present along the extreme anterior margin. Body colour varying from yellow to dark red-brown, antennae, mandibles and tibiae always yellow.

Type Material
Holotype worker, PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Aitepe (= Berlinhafen) (L. Biró) (TM) [not seen].

Additional References

 * Shattuck, S. O. 2000. Genus Colobostruma. Genus Mesostruma. Genus Epopostruma. Pp. 31-67 in: Bolton, B. The ant tribe Dacetini. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 65: 1-1028.