Meranoplus armatus

Distribution
Taylor (2006) - Widespread in Western Melanesia and the Moluccas. Probably indigenous to northern Australia.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia, New Guinea.

Nomenclature

 * . Meranoplus armatus Smith, F. 1862d: 413, pl. 12, fig. 7 (w.) INDONESIA (Sulawesi or Sumatra).
 * Type-material: holotype worker.
 * Type-locality: Indonesia: locality equivocal, Sumatra or Sulawesi (no collector’s name).
 * [Note: Smith states “Hab. Sumatra”. However, his material was collected,“by a friend who took a few insects at Celebes (= Sulawesi) and also at Sumatra; all the ants he believed were from the latter locality”. Discussed in Taylor, 1990c: 35; Taylor, 2006: 28, says, “Sulawesi seems the more likely”.]
 * Type-depository: not in BMNH or OXUM, presumed lost..
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1886c: 362; Dalla Torre, 1893: 136; Emery, 1924d: 228; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 112; Taylor, 1990c: 35; Bolton, 1995b: 250; Taylor, 2006: 28.
 * Senior synonym of rugifrons: Taylor, 1990c: 35; Bolton, 1995b: 250; Taylor, 2006: 28.
 * Distribution: Australia, Indonesia (Sulawesi or Sumatra), Papua New Guinea.
 * rugifrons. Meranoplus spinosus subsp. rugifrons Emery, 1897d: 569, pl. 1, figs. 13-15 (w.) NEW GUINEA (Papua New Guinea).
 * Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
 * [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
 * Type-locality: Papua New Guinea: Paumomu River, Moroka, Ighibirei (L. Loria).
 * Type-depository: MSNG.
 * Viehmeyer, 1914c: 525 (q.).
 * Subspecies of spinosus: Viehmeyer, 1914c: 525; Emery, 1924d: 228.
 * Status as species: Donisthorpe, 1941c: 136; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 113.
 * Junior synonym of armatus: Taylor, 1990c: 35; Bolton, 1995b: 251; Taylor, 2006: 28.
 * similis. Meranoplus nanus subsp. similis Karavaiev, 1931d: 44, fig. 3 (w.) KENYA.
 * Type-material: holotype worker.
 * Type-locality: Kenya (“Englisch Ostafrika”): Mabira (Dogiel & Sokolow).
 * Type-depository: SIZK.
 * [Junior primary homonym of Meranoplus similis Viehmeyer, 1922: 208.]
 * Replacement name: Meranoplus nanus subsp. affinis Baroni Urbani, 1971b: 361.

Type Material
Taylor (2006) - Worker. Either Sumatra or Celebes (=Sulawesi), Indonesia. Sulawesi seem the more likely of the alternative original localities.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * CSIRO Collection
 * Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
 * Donisthorpe H. 1941. Descriptions of new species of ants from New Guinea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (11)7: 129-144.
 * Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
 * Lucky A., L. E. Alonso, E. Sarnat, and J. Hulr. 2015. Ants and scolytine beetles. In: Richards, S.J. and N. Whitmore (editors) 2015. A rapid biodiversity assessment of Papua New Guinea's Hindenburg Wall region. Wildlife Conservation Society Papua New Guinea Program. Goroka, PNG.
 * Snelling R. R. 1998. Insect Part 1: The social Hymenoptera. In Mack A. L. (Ed.) A Biological Assessment of the Lakekamu Basin, Papua New Guinea, RAP 9. 189 ppages
 * Taylor R. W. 1990. The nomenclature and distribution of some Australian and New Caledonian ants of the genus Meranoplus Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). General and Applied Entomology 22: 31-40.
 * Taylor R. W. 2006. Ants of the genus Meranoplus F. Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): three new species and others from northeastern Australian rainforests. Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 21-29.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1914. Papuanische Ameisen. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1914: 515-535.