Myrmecia pilosula

Myrmecia pilosula is considered by Taylor (2015) to comprise two geographical races. M. pilosula (Western Race) includes all Jack-jumper specimens known from western Victoria, southeast mainland South Australia and Kangaroo Island. It occurs widely in Tasmania (from where M. pilosula was originally described) and is found there sympatric with M. haskinsorum at higher elevations. It is common in Tasmania from sea level to at least 1,000 meters.

The Eastern Race of Myrmecia pilosula is abundant at moderate to high elevations in components of the Great Dividing Range in eastern Victoria, eastern New South Wales and the ACT. Its most northern records are in the high ranges east of the New England Tableland in northern central-eastern New South Wales, including mile-high Point Lookout and nearby Cathedral Rock National Park. It has not been collected at lower elevations westward on the Tableland proper towards Armidale, where Myrmecia croslandi and Myrmecia impaternata are sympatrically common. In the southwest of its range M. pilosula (Eastern Race) is found in the vicinity of Melbourne, west to Ballarat across central Victoria and southeast to Mornington Peninsula, where its distributional range encounters that of the putatively conspecific Western Race.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 *  pilosula. Myrmecia pilosula Smith, F. 1858b: 146 (w.q.m.) AUSTRALIA. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971d: 252 (l.); Imai, Crozier & Taylor, 1977: 345 (k.). Combination in M. (Halmamyrmecia): Wheeler, W.M. 1922b: 195; in M. (Promyrmecia): Wheeler, W.M. 1933i: 56; in Promyrmecia: Clark, 1943: 109; in Myrmecia: Brown, 1953j: 6. Senior synonym of ruginoda: Brown, 1953j: 6. See also: Crawley, 1926: 383; Clark, 1951: 202; Crosland, Crozier & Imai, 1988: 13; Ogata, 1991a: 361.
 * ruginoda. Ponera ruginoda Smith, F. 1858b: 93 (m.) AUSTRALIA. Crozier, 1970: 123 (k.). Combination in Ectatomma: Roger, 1861b: 168; in Rhytidoponera: Emery, 1911d: 38; in Myrmecia: Brown, 1953j: 6. Junior synonym of pilosula: Brown, 1953j: 6.