Romblonella heatwolei

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia. Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea.

Nomenclature

 *  heatwolei. Romblonella heatwolei Taylor, 1991a: 282, figs. 1-3 (w.m.) AUSTRALIA.

Worker
The holotype has the following dimensions (mm): Aggregate Total Length (TL) ca 3.7; Maximum Head Length (HL) 0.80; Head Width (HW) (across eyes) 0.82, (maximum behind eyes) 0.77; Cephalic Index (HW behind eyes )< 100/HL) (CI) 87; Scape Length (SL) 0.53; Scape Index (SL 100/HW behind eyes) (SI) 62; Maximum Pronotum width (PW)0.52; Weber’s Length of mesosoma (WL) 1.00; midline length of petiolar node (dorsal view) 0.32; petiolar node width (dorsal view) 0.36; midline length of postpetiole (dorsal view) 0.32; postpetiole width (dorsal view) 0.41. The paratypes have HW (across eyes) 0.79 or 0.81, with other dimensions proportionate.

General features as in accompanying figures. Similar to Romblonella scrobifera. The two taxa may be distinguished by the following couplet, which adequately characterizes R. heatwolei:

Frons between frontal carinae moderately coarsely reticulate, areas between recticulae distinctly, densely microsculptured; first gastral tergite opaque, with a distinct, fine, dense raised microreticulum, which has a longitudinal trend on the disc of the sclerite R. scrobifera

Frons between frontal carinae with broken, somewhat erratic spaced longitudinal costulae, with little trace of cross-ribbing, and only weak, partly effaced intervening micro-sculpture. First gastral tergite shining, with only faint traces of fine, incised micro-reticulation, which is without a longitudinal trend R. heatwolei

Type Material
Holotype worker, three paratype workers, paratype male, collected together (3 Aug. 1974, H. Heatwole). Deposited in (type number 7868). The holotype has been gold-palladium coated for scanning electron microscopy; it originally matched the colour of the darkest paratype.



References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * CSIRO Collection
 * Sarnat Eli M. 2009. The Ants [Hymenoptera: Formicdiae] of Fiji: Systematics, Biogeography and Conservation of an Island Arc Fauna. 80-252
 * Taylor, R. W. 1991. Notes on the ant genera Romblonella and Willowsiella, with comments on their affinities, and the first descriptions of Australian species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Psyche (Cambridge) 97: 281-296.