Heteroponera rhodopygea

Specimens have been collected from rainforest with many found as a single worker collected by Berlese funnel from leafmould or litter. Sympatric variously with Heteroponera trachypyx, Heteroponera viviennae and Heteroponera wilsoni.

Identification
Closely similar to the allopatric Heteroponera relicta but with the head, mesosoma and node medium-brown and the gaster more brightly orange brown, matching the antennae and legs. Sculpturing of scrobes, propodeal declivity and node posteriorly, and of borders of propodeal declivity as described for H. relicta.

Identification Keys including this Taxon

 * Key to Australian Heteroponera Species

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 * . Heteroponera rhodopygea Taylor, 2015b: 161, figs. 10-13 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
 * Type-material: holotype worker, 20 paratype workers (“from 4 separately collected colony series”).
 * Type-locality: holotype Australia: Queensland, Thornton Range (16°14’S, 145°26’E), 150-180 m., 23.vi.1971, ANIC vials 12/27, 32, 35, 36, ANIC berlesate 327 (R.W. Taylor & J.D. Feehan); paratypes with same data.
 * [Note: there is no separate indication of the vial/berlesate number of the holotype.]
 * Type-depositories: ANIC (holotype); ANIC, QMBA (paratypes).
 * Distribution: Australia.

Worker
(holotype (Thornton Range); smallest paratype (Thornton Range), largest paratype (Mt Finnigan summit)): (ca): 5.4, 5.0, 6.0; HW: 1.27, 1.18, 1.39; HL: 1.22, 1.11, 1.30; CI: 104, 106, 106; EL: 0.25, 0.20, 0.26; SL: 0.76, 0.67, 0.77; SI: 59, 57, 55; PW: 0.91, 0.82, 0.96; WL: 1.55, 1.42, 1.66; petW: 0.52, 0.51, 0.60; GW 1.02, 0.92, 1.13.

Type Material
Australia: Queensland: Thornton Range (16°14'S, 145°26'E). Holotype and 20 worker paratypes from 4 separately collected colony series. Holotype worker. Paratypes in ANIC (including gyne) and.

Etymology
The name (a noun in apposition) refers to the reddish gaster.

Determination Clarification
Heteroponera rhodopygea was included in Feitosa’s (2011) phylogenetic analysis as “Heteroponera sp A”, sister to H. relicta.