Turneria postomma

This species is known from several collections from lowland rain forests in Papua New Guinea. Its biology and nesting habits are unknown.

Identification
Relative eye length (eye length/head width) 0.35-0.42, occiput-ocular distance < 0.16, frontal lobes with a single erect hair, lateral areas of head weakly imbricate and with integument shiny, area between propodeal protuberances concave, bicolored with yellow head and thorax and dark brown gaster. The clypeus possesses between 14 and 20 erect hairs. This species superficially resembles T. pacifica or T. bidentata in color pattern but can easily be diagnosed with the above characters.

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

Nomenclature

 *  postomma. Turneria postomma Shattuck, 1990: 112, figs. 15, 16 (w.) NEW GUINEA.

Holotype worker from Didiman Creek, Lae, Morobe District, Papua New Guinea, 8.v.1955, E. O. Wilson #979, lowland rain forest : 8 paratype workers, same data as holotype.

Description
Holotype measurements: OOD 0.14, EL 0.24, OCD 0.10, CL 0.16, HL 0.64, LES 0.04, EW 0.13, ES 0.27, HW 0.62, SL 0.49, PnL 0.40, ML 0.25, PpL 0.23, PnW 0.42, MW 0.26, PpW 0.34, PO 0.05, FFL 0.51, FFW 0.19, MH 0.38, PpH 0.31, CI 0.97, OI 0.56, REL 0.39, SI 0.79, FI 0.38, PI 0.68, PpI 0.69, ROOD 0.23, POI 0.15, RPO 0.08, RMW 0.41, RLES 0.06, RES 0.43, RFFL 0.82.

Worker measurements (n=13): OOD 0.13-0.17, EL 0.22-0.24, OCD 0.10-0.14, CL 0.13-0.16, HL 0.60-0.70, LES 0.03-0.06, EW 0.12-0.14, ES 0.24-0.29, HW 0.58-0.67, SL 0.45-0.51, PnL 0.33-0.41, ML 0.23-0.27, PpL 0.20-0.24, PnW 0.38-0.45, MW 0.24-0.27, PpW 0.30-0.37, PO 0.04-0.09, FFL 0.46-0.54, FFW 0.16-0.21, MH 0.37-0.43, PpH 0.28-0.33, CI 0.92-0.97, OI 0.55-0.63, REL 0.35-0.39, SI 0.75-0.83, FI 0.33-0.41, PI 0.64-0.70, PpI 0.63-0.71, ROOD 0.21-0.26, POI 0.12-0.27, RPO 0.06-0.13, RMW 0.41-0.45, RLES 0.04-0.09, RES 0.42-0.43, RFFL 0.79-0.88.

Definitions of measurements cited above
 * CL: Clypeal Length: measured in full face view.
 * CI: Cephalic index: HL/HW.
 * EL: Eye Length: measured in full face view.
 * ES: Eye Spread: distance between inner-most edges of eyes measured in full face view.
 * EW: Eye width measured in full face view.
 * FFL: Fore Femur Length: maximum length of fore femur measured in lateral view.
 * FFW: Fore Femur Width: maximum width of fore femur measured in lateral view.
 * FI: Femur Index: FFW/FFL.
 * HL: Head Length: maximum length of head in full face view, from the anterior clypeal margin to the midpoint of a line drawn across the occipital margin.
 * HW: Head Width: maximum width of head in full face view, excluding eyes in workers and queens, including eyes in males.
 * LES: Lateral Eye Space: distance from lateral edge of head to lateral edge of eye measured in full face view.
 * MH: Mesothoracic Height: maximum height of the mesothorax measured perpendicular to the measuring axis.
 * ML: Mesonotal Length: distance from the pronotal-mesonotal suture to the metanotal groove measured parallel to the measuring axis.
 * MW: Mesonotal Width: minimum width of mesonotum in dorsal view profile.
 * OCD: Ocular-Clypeal Distance: distance between anterior margin of eye and posterior margin of clypeus measured in full face view.
 * OI: Ocular Index: EW/EL.
 * OOD: Occiput-Ocular Distance: distance between posterior margin of eye and posterior extremity of occipital border measured in full face view.
 * PI: Pronotal Width Index: PnW/HW.
 * PnL: Pronotal Length: distance from the anterior edge of the pronotal collar to the pronotal-mesonotal suture measured parallel to the measuring axis.
 * PnW: Pronotal Width: maximum width of pronotum, measured in dorsal view.
 * PO: Propodeal Overhang: distance from the posterior-most point of the propodeal tubercles to the posterior-most point of the petiolar insertion measured parallel to the measuring axis.
 * POI: Propodeal Overhang Index: PO/PpH.
 * PpH: Propodeal Height: maximum height of the propodeum measured perpendicular to the measuring axis.
 * PpL: Propodeal Length: distance from the metanotal groove to the posterior-most point of the propodeal tubercles measured parallel to the measuring axis.
 * PpI: Propodeal Length Index: PpL/HW.
 * PpW: Propodeal Width: maximum width of the dorsal propodeal surface in dorsal view.
 * REL: Relative Eye Length: EL/HW.
 * RFFL: Relative Fore Femur Length: FFL/HW.
 * RES: Relative Eye Spread: ES/HW.
 * RLES: Relative Lateral Eye Space: LES/HW.
 * RMW: Relative Mesonotal Width: MW/HW.
 * ROOD: Relative Occiput-Ocular Distance: OOD/HW.
 * RPO: Relative Propodeal Overhang: PO/HW.
 * SI: Scape index: SL/HW.
 * SL: Scape Length: length of the first antennal segment (scape) excluding the basal radicle.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * CSIRO Collection
 * 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.
 * Klimes P., M. Janda, S. Ibalim, J. Kua, and V. Novotny. 2011. Experimental suppression of ants foraging on rainforest vegetation in New Guinea: testing methods for a whole-forest manipulation of insect communities. Ecological Entomology 36: 94-103.
 * Shattuck S. O. 1990. Revision of the dolichoderine ant genus Turneria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology 15:101-117.
 * Shattuck S. O. 1994. Taxonomic catalog of the ant subfamilies Aneuretinae and Dolichoderinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). University of California Publications in Entomology 112: i-xix, 1-241.
 * 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