Ponera leae

This widespread ant probably owes its great range in part to dispersal by man. It seems probable that leae is a relatively recent human introduction into New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It may be native to New Caledonia. Color, sculpturation, pubescence, and relative height of the petiolar node and width of the head is correlated with the size of the specimen.

Identification
Moderately small size, distinctly 4-segmented antennal club. Pronotal width 0.29 - 0.30 mm; scape index 80-86; entire petiolar node when viewed from directly above forming almost an exact half-circle. There is an incised mesometanotal suture on the worker mesosomal dorsum and the palpal formula in both workers and queens is Maxillary 2: Labial 2.

Distribution
This taxon was described from Australia (Tasmania). It is also found in New Caledonia, New Zealand and Norfolk Island.

Biology
This is an abundant and adaptable ant within its range. It is found among the more common ant species in most of the localities in southern and eastern New Caledonia, extending from dry, semideciduous lowland forest at Chapeau Gendarme to the cool, wet clould forest on the summit ridge of Mt. Mou. Colonies are generally small. At Chapeau Gendarme they were found nesting exclusively in large rotting logs, while in the moister forests of Mt. Mou and Ciu they occurred mostly in the soil beneath rocks. Solitary workers were found foraging during the day on the forest floor.

Castes
Males are unknown.

Nomenclature

 *  leae. Ponera leae Forel, 1913g: 175 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Tasmania). Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1210 (l.). Senior synonym of caledonica, excedra, norfolkensis: Taylor, 1967a: 89.
 * oculata. Ponera leae subsp. oculata Wheeler, W.M. 1927i: 130, fig. 1 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. [Junior primary homonym of oculata Smith, F. 1858b: 93, above.] Replacement name: norfolkensis Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 72.
 * norfolkensis. Ponera leae subsp. norfolkensis Wheeler, W.M. 1935c: 72. [Also described as new by Wheeler, W.M. 1935g: 13.] Replacement name for oculata Wheeler, W.M. 1927i: 130. [Junior primary homonym of oculata Smith, F. 1858b: 93.] Junior synonym of leae: Taylor, 1967a: 89. See also: Taylor, 1960: 179.
 * caledonica. Ponera caledonica Wilson, 1957b: 361, fig. 2 (w.q.) NEW CALEDONIA. Junior synonym of leae: Taylor, 1967a: 89.
 * excedra. Ponera excedra Wilson, 1957b: 364 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of leae: Taylor, 1967a: 89

Ponera leae type material

Holotype worker from Tasmania.

Ponera leae oculata type material

Syntype worker(s), queen(s) from Norfolk Island (museum unknown).

Ponera exedra type material

Holotype worker from Arthurs Seat at McCrae, Victoria ; paratype worker from Pymble, New South Wales.

Description
Holotype Worker. HW 0.40 mm, HL 0.52 mm, SL 0.32 mm, CI 77, SI 80, PW 0.30 mm, petiole height 0.31 mm, petiole node length 0.18 mm, dorsal petiole width 0.25 mm. Mandibles with three well developed teeth occupying approximately the apical two-fifths of the masticatory border; the remainder of the border occupied by an indeterminate number of minute denticles. Eyes minute, consisting of a single ommatidium. Antennal club distinctly 4-jointed, considerably longer than the entire remainder of the funiculus. Head seen in full-face view with nearly straight sides, feebly concave occipital border. Petiolar node in side view massive, subrectangular, tapering only very slightly dorsally; seen from directly above, its dorsal surface forming an almost exact half-circle, the posterior face concave. Subpetiolar process somewhat reduced, its apex right-angular.

Dorsum of head densely punctate and subopaque to opaque; sides of head also densely punctate, but the punctures relatively shallow and the surface feebly shining. Entire dorsal and lateral surfaces of the alitrunk covered by puncturation or shagreening of variable density but everywhere shallow and feeble, so that the surface varies from feebly to strongly shining. The dorsal petiolar surface and gastric tergites are also feebly sculptured and their surfaces overall feebly shing.

Body pilosity sparse, being limited almost entirely to a few hairs on the anterior clypeal border, posterodorsal border of the petiolar node, and entire surfaces of the gastric tergites. Appendages mostly bare, except for terminal surfaces of tibiae and tarsal segments. Body and appendage pubescence everywhere dense, very short and predominantly ferruginous; appendages light brownish to clear yellow.

Additional references

 * Forel, A. (1913). Fourmis de Tasmanie et d'Australie récoltées par MM. Lae, Froggatt etc. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles, (5)49: 173–195.
 * Smith, F. (1858). Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part 6. Formicidae. London: British Museum. pp. 1–216.
 * [[Media:Taylor 1967a.pdf|Taylor, R. W. 1967a. A monographic revision of the ant genus Ponera Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pac. Insects Monogr. 13: 1-112]].
 * Wheeler, W. M. (1927). The ants of Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 62: 121–153.
 * Wheeler, W. M. (1935). Myrmecological notes. Psyche (Cambridge), 42: 68–72.
 * Wheeler, W. M. (1935). Check list of the ants of Oceania. Occasional Papers of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, 11: 1–56.
 * [[Media:Wilson 1957b.pdf|Wilson, E. O. 1957b. The tenuis and selenophora groups of the ant genus Ponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 116: 355-386]].