Zasphinctus steinheili

Brown (1975) - A raid of Sphinctomyrmex steinheili observed by me in Victoria, Australia (Wilson, 1958: 136) was waged against a small Stigmacros (Formicinae) species during the afternoon the Sphinctomyrmex ran over bare soil, but took advantage of cracks in the earth where they could. The Stigmacros workers were seen' scattering and hiding on pieces of eucalypt bark and dead leaves lying on the ground, often carrying their own larvae. Their behavior recalled that of Formica fusca- or pallidefulva group species raided by F. sanguinea-group slavemakers in the Northern Hemisphere, and may imply the use of “propaganda” allomones such as those sprayed by the slavemakers to spread panic in the slave Formica colonies they are attacking (Wilson and Regnier, 1971).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Castes
A total of 20 ergatoid queens from 3 colonies were dissected mostly soon after collecting, during an egg-laying period (Buschinger et al. 1989). Sixteen females were all mated and fully fertile, having long ovarioles (when straightened out, as long as both gaster and petiole). Growing as well as mature oocytes, and corpora lutea were present in most of the ovarioles, indicating previous egg-laying. Colonies are thus polygynous.

Nomenclature

 *  steinheili. Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) steinheili Forel, 1900b: 72 (q., not w. as stated) AUSTRALIA.
 * [Note: holotype is a q., not a w. as stated; see Clark, 1925a: 62.]
 * Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225 (w.l.); Wheeler, G.C. 1950: 104 (l.); Imai, Crozier & Taylor, 1977: 348 (k.).
 * Combination in Eusphinctus (Eusphinctus): Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225;
 * combination in Sphinctomyrmex: Brown, 1975: 33;
 * combination in Zasphinctus: Borowiec, M.L. 2016: 243.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1911d: 7; Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225 (redescription); Clark, 1925a: 62; Wilson, 1958c: 136; Brown, 1975: 33, 79; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51; Buschinger, Peeters & Crozier, 1990: 287; Bolton, 1995b: 392.
 * Senior synonym of fallax: Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51.
 * Senior synonym of fulvipes: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51.
 * Senior synonym of hedwigae: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51.
 * Senior synonym of hirsutus: Brown, 1975: 33; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 51.
 * fallax. Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) fallax Forel, 1900b: 73 (w.) AUSTRALIA.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1911d: 7.
 * Junior synonym of steinheili: Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 225.
 * hedwigae. Sphinctomyrmex (Eusphinctus) fallax subsp. hedwigae Forel, 1910b: 21 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA.
 * Combination in Eusphinctus (Eusphinctus): Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 228.
 * Subspecies of fallax: Emery, 1911d: 7; Emery, 1914b: 179.
 * Subspecies of steinheili: Wheeler, W.M. 1918a: 228; Clark, 1925a: 63.
 * Junior synonym of steinheili: Brown, 1975: 33.
 * hirsutus. Eusphinctus hirsutus Clark, 1929: 118, pl. 1, figs. 1, 2 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA.
 * Junior synonym of steinheili: Brown, 1975: 33.
 * fulvipes. Eusphinctus fulvipes Clark, 1934c: 49, pl. 4, fig. 1 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA.
 * Junior synonym of steinheili: Brown, 1975: 33.