Ponera szaboi

Known only from workers taken in coastal rain forest at several NE New Guinea localities. Some of these records are noted as being strays taken from the ground in primary lowland rain forest.

Identification
Taylor (1967) - Preliminary diagnosed by small size, with the tenuis group characters (4-segmented antennal club, lack of a differentiated mesmetanotal suture). Distinguished from Ponera petila by characters given in the diagnosis of that species. Differing from Ponera szentivanyi as follows:

1. Size smaller (HW 0.30-0.31 mm, PW 0.23 mm, DPW 0.15 mm; opposed to 0.34 mm, 0.28 mm and 0.21-0.24 mm respectively in szentivanyi).

2. Scapes relatively short (SI 79-83, against 94 in szentivanyi).

3. Sculpturation of mesosoma less intense. In petila its lateral surfaces are very feebly shagreened, to smooth and shining; in szentivanyi they are moderately shagreened to opaque.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Wallis and Futuna Islands.

Biology
Little is known about the biology of Ponera szaboi

Nomenclature

 * mocsaryi. Cryptopone mocsaryi Szabó, 1910b: 186, 2 figs. (w.) NEW GUINEA. Combination in Pseudocryptopone: Wheeler, W.M. 1933g: 14. [Junior secondary homonym of Ponera mocsaryi Emery, 1900c: 320, above.] Replacement name: Ponera szaboi Wilson, 1957b: 371.
 *  szaboi. Ponera szaboi Wilson, 1957b: 371. Replacement name for Cryptopone mocsaryi Szabó, 1910b: 186. [Junior secondary homonym of Ponera mocsaryi Emery, 1900c: 320.] See also: Taylor, 1967a: 103.



Worker
HW 0.30-0.31 mm; HL 0.40 mm; SL 0.25 mm; CI 76-78; SI 79-83; PW 0.23 mm; petiole height (single measurement) 0.24 mm; petiolar node length 0.15 mm; dorsal petiole width (single measurement) 0.15 mm. Mandible linear-subtriangular. The apical half of the masticatory border occupied by three distinct, acute teeth; the basal half occupied by an indeterminate number of minute denticles. Eyes minute, consisting of a single ommatidium. Antennal club massive, distinctly 4-jointed, considerably longer than the entire remainder of the funiculus. Head in full-face view subrectangular, with very feebly convex sides and feebly concave posterior border. Petiolar node seen from the side relatively thick, tapering slightly dorsally, with a feebly convex dorsal border; seen from directly above, with the posterior face aligned with the plane of vision, the node forms distinctly more than a half-circle, and the posterior border appears almost perfectly straight. Subpetiolar process well-developed, its apical angle obtuse.

Mandibles smooth and shining; clypeus smooth and feebly shining; remainder of head finely and evenly shagreened and subopaque. All of alitruncal surfaces finely shagreened and subopaque, except the episterna and declivitous faces of the propodeum, which bear only scattered fine punctures and are relatively smooth and more or less shining. Various surfaces of the petiolar node bearing variably dense but fine and separated punctures, and otherwise smooth and more or less shining. Gastric tergital surfaces shagreened and sub opaque, except for the anterior declivity of the first gastric tergite, which is smoother and feebly shining.

Pilosity and pubescence as described for P. caledonica Wilson.

Alitrunk and petiole yellowish brown; head and gaster somewhat darker, approaching medium brown; appendages nearly clear yellow.

Taylor (1967) - The original description did not mention absence of an incised mesometanotal suture. Palpal forula: Maxillary 2: Labial 2 (by inspection). Diagnostically important sculptural characters thus: head subopaque, closely punctate, punctures coarser and more closely packed than in petila. Mesosomal dorsum moderately shining, closely and finely punctate (much as on frons of petila), mesonotal and propodeal dorsa distinctly more coarsely and closely punctate than pronotum. Dimensions of Wilson’s (1957) specimens are: HW 0.30-0.31; HL 0.40; SL 0.25 mm; CI 76-78; SI 79-83; PW 0.23 mm; PNL 0.15 mm; PH 0.24 mm; DPW 0.15 mm; PNI 65.

Type Material
Taylor (1967) - Frederich-Wilhemshafen (=Madang) NE New Guinea.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * CSIRO Collection
 * Emery C. 1900. Formicidarum species novae vel minus cognitae in collectione Musaei Nationalis Hungarici quas in Nova-Guinea, colonia germanica, collegit L. Biró. Publicatio secunda. Természetrajzi Füzetek 23: 310-338.
 * Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
 * 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., E. Sarnat, and L. Alonso. 2011. Ants of the Muller Range, Papua New Guinea, Chapter 10. In Richards, S. J. and Gamui, B. G. (editors). 2013. Rapid Biological Assessments of the Nakanai Mountains and the upper Strickland Basin: surveying the biodiversity of Papua New Guineas sublime karst environments. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 60. Conservation International. Arlington, VA.
 * Lucky A., K. Sagata, and E. Sarnat. 2011. Ants of the Nakanai Mountains, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea, Chapter 1. In Richards, S. J. and Gamui, B. G. (editors). 2013. Rapid Biological Assessments of the Nakanai Mountains and the upper Strickland Basin: surveying the biodiversity of Papua New Guineas sublime karst environments. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 60. Conservation International. Arlington, VA.
 * Snelling R. R. 2000. Ants of the Wapoga river area, Irian Jaya, Indonesia. In Mack, Andrew L. and Leeanne E. Alonso (eds.). 2000. A Biological Assessment of the Wapoga River Area of Northwestern Irian Jaya, Indonesia. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 14, Conservation International, Washington, DC.
 * Taylor R. W. 1967. A monographic revision of the ant genus Ponera Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Pacific Insects Monograph 13: 1-112.
 * Taylor R. W. 1976. The ants of Rennell and Bellona Islands. Natural History of Rennell Island, British Solomon Islands 7: 73-90.
 * 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.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1933. Three obscure genera of ponerine ants. American Museum Novitates 672: 1-23.
 * Wheeler W. M., and J. W. Chapman. 1925. The ants of the Philippine Islands. Part I, Dorylinae and Ponerinae. Philipp. J. Sci. 28: 47-73.
 * Wilson E. O. 1957. The tenuis and selenophora groups of the ant genus Ponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 116: 355-386.
 * Wilson E.O., and G.L. Hunt. 1967. Ant fauna of Futuna and Wallis islands, stepping stones to Polynesia. Pacific Insects 9(4): 563-584.
 * Wilson EO & Hunt GL. 1967. Ant fauna of Futuna and Wallis Islands, stepping stones to Polynesia. Pacific Insects 9.4: 563-584.
 * Wilson Edward O. 1959. Adaptive Shift and Dispersal in a Tropical Ant Fauna. Evolution 13(1): 122-144
 * Wilson, Edward O. and George L. Hunt. 1967. Ant Fauna of Futuna and Wallis Islands, Stepping Stones To Polynesia. Pacific Insects. 9(4):563-584.
 * Wilson, Edward O. and Hunt, George L. Jr. 1967. Ant Fauna of Futuna and Wallis Islands, Stepping Stones to Polynesia. Pacific Insects. 9(4):563-584