Froggattella

Froggattella is sporadically distributed and uncommonly encountered. They generally forage arboreally while nesting either in soil or arboreally. Workers are most often encountered as they forage in distinct trails on low vegetation or small trees.

Although fairly common in Australia, these ants have received limited discussion in the literature. They were examined by Wheeler (1936), who established 4 new subspecies of F. kirbii and the species F. latispina Wheeler. He also provided an overview of their biology as know at that time. More recently, Wheeler and Wheeler (1951, 1966) examined the larvae, and Shattuck discussed the relationship of Froggattella to Turneria (Shattuck 1990) as well as the placement of Froggattella within the Dolichoderinae (Shattuck 1995). More detailed studies have not been undertaken and available information is limited.

Froggattella was established by Forel (1902) for the species Acantholepis kirbii Lowne (1865) and the newly described F. kirbii bispinosa Forel. Earlier, A. kirbii had been transferred to Hypoclinea by Mayr (1870) and then to the related genus Dolichoderus by Dalla Torre (1893). The placement of these species in a distinct genus, as suggested by Forel (1902), was followed by Wheeler (1936) during his species-level revision of the group, and by Shattuck (1992) as part of a generic-level reevaluation of the subfamily Dolichoderinae.



Worker of K. kirbii from Western Australia.

Identification
Workers of Froggattella are immediately recognisable by the unique elongate, flattened, rearward-directed, blunt spines on the propodeum, and by the location of the propodeal spiracles which are found on the spines near their bases. No other group of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae has this combination of features.

The only other dolichoderine genus with similar placement of the propodeal spiracles is Turneria, but here the propodeum lacks spines, the spiracles are located on the propodeum proper and the petiolar node is only weakly inclined anteriorly and with distinct anterior and posterior faces. In Froggattella the petiolar node is strongly inclined anteriorly and the anterior face is short.

Queen: First gastral segment elongate posteriorly and smooth, without a groove or indentation near the petiolar insertion; anterior clypeal margin with a lateral shoulder, a central projection, either pointed or rounded (sometimes only feebly projecting), and 2 to 4 setae; dorsum of petiole rounded and venter without a lobe.

Male: Mandible without teeth or denticles (tip of mandible rounded and without a differentiated tooth); petiolar scale rounded and forming an even arch dorsally; venter of petiole with a slight or reduced lobe; first gastral segment vertical and not concealing the petiole in dorsal view.

Distribution and Habitats
Australian distribution

Regional Species Lists

 * Australia

Keys to Species

 * Australia