Chelaner pubescens

Surprisingly, this ant is known from one series of five workers collected in the old established Perth suburb of Mosman Park, and (after completion of this study) a single worker from Rottnest Island, Western Australia.

Identification
Heterick (2001) - A member of the bicorne group. The taxon closely resembles Chelaner rufonigrum, which also occurs in the Perth region, and may simply represent aberrant individuals (e.g. nanitic or callow minor workers) of this fairly common species. All individuals of C. pubescens, however, lack stout erect or suberect setae on the alitrunk, and are much paler than any C. rufonigrum minor worker I have seen.

Heterick (2009) - Workers are very similar to minor workers within polymorphic populations of Chelaner rufonigrum.

Distribution
Heterick (2009) - WA. Known from the Perth region (Mosman Park) and, more recently, from Eneabba.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 *  pubescens. Monomorium pubescens Heterick, 2001: 373, fig. 21 (w.) AUSTRALIA.
 * Combination in Chelaner: Sparks et al., 2019: 233.

Worker
Holotype. HML; 1.39; HL 0.53; HW 0.48; Cel 91; SL 0.36; SI 74; PW 0.30. Other. HML 1.35-1.51; HL 0.49-0.57; HW 0.43-0.52; Cei 88-96; SL 0.34--0.38; SI 72-79; PW 0.25-0.28 (4 measured, including alcohol specimens).

As for light coloured minor workers of Chelaner rufonigrum but with the following apomorphies.

Alitrunk. Promesonotal sculpture present in form of uniform microreticulation with few mesopleural striolae; dorsal promesonotal face convex anteriad, otherwise flattened; erect and suberect setae absent on promesonotum; setulae appressed. Propodeal angle present; length ratio of dorsal face to declivitous face near 2:1 to near 4:3; declivitous face of propodeum flat. Erect and suberect propodeal setae absent or very sparse; propodeal setulae appressed.

Petiole and postpetiole. Petiolar node conical, sharply tapered; sculpture present in form of microreticulation. Ratio of greatest node breadth (viewed from front) to greatest node width (viewed in profile) near 4:3. Height ratio of petiole to postpetiole near 1:1; height-length ratio of postpetiole near 2:1 to near 4:3.

Gaster. Pilosity of first gastral tergite consisting mainly of decumbent and subdecumbent setulae.

General characters. Colour of body and appendages tawny yellow, head darker. Worker caste monomorphic.

Type Material
Holotype. Worker, Western Australia, Mosman Park, l.v.l988, B. E. Heterick, in remnant native vegetation on edge of urban golf course. Paratypes. Western Australia: I worker with same data as holotype ; 1 worker, collection details as for holotype, other data “mixed native/exotic veg., urban parkland, 393/6MonBH29”.



Etymology
Latin: “the down of puberty”.