W. M. Wheeler.
The Ant Genus Lordomyrma.
Psyche 26(4):97-106, 1919.

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WheelerÌÔTh Ant Genus Lordomyrma Emery
THE ANT GENUS LORDOMYRMA EMERY.l
Lordomyrma is one of the few ant genera,, 1ikeLeptomyrmex and Opisthopsis, which are confined to the Papuan and Australian regions. Although Emery established it as long ago as 1897 on Podomyrma caledonica Ern. Andre from New Caledonia and two species from German New Guinea, only a variety has since been added to the genus. It evidently comprises, however, two unde- scribed species in my collection, one taken by Mr. A. M. Lea of the Museum of South Australia on Lord Howe Island, off the coast of New South Wales and the other taken by myself in Queensland. Of the three species recognized by Emery only the worker is known. I have seen the male of the species from Lord Howe Island, but the females of all the forms still remain to be discovered. They are probably very similar to the female of Podomyrma and but slightly larger than the worker. I append descriptions of the genus and of the five known species, together with a table for their identification.
Lordomynna Emery.
Emery, Termeszetr. Fuzetek, 20, 1897, p. 591. S .
Worker. Small, monomorphic. Eyes small, elongate, rather flat, just'in front of the middle of the head; ocelli absent. Mandi- bles triangular, with 3-4 apical and numerous small basalteeth. Clypeus well-developed, elevated in the middle behind, bicarinate, at least in most species, with entire anterior border, sinuate on the sides. Frontal area distinct, impressed; frontal groove absent. Frontal carinse prolonged backward nearly to the posterior corners of the head as diverging ridge-like internal borders for flattened antenna1 scrobes, which are differently sculptured from the re- mainder of the head and bordered externally by a longitudinal ruga or carinula. Antennae 12-jointed; funiculi with a distinct %jointed club as long as or longer than the remaining joints to- gether. Thorax rather long and narrow, broadest through the pronotum, the humeri of which are dentate or sharply angular. There is no promesonotal suture, the dorsal surface of the two seg- ments being rounded and convex. Mesoepinotal suture very 1 Contributions from the Entomological Laboratory of the Bussey Institution, Harvard University. No. 158.




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98 Psyche [August
distinct, the mesonotum falling abruptly behind to the pronounced mesoepinotal constriction, which is deep and narrow. Epinotum smaller and lower than the promesonotum, armed with acute teeth or spines both above and at the metasternal angles. Petiole and postpetiole much as in many Leptothorax, the petiole with a short peduncle and a high angular node, in one species produced into a spine, the postpetiole constricted behind, broader than the petiole. Gaster rather voluminous, broadly elliptical, somewhat com- pressed dorsoventrally, mostly formed by the first segment. Legs rather slender, the femora and tibiae not conspicuously incrassated; middle and hind tibiae without spurs.
Male. Smaller than the worker. Mandibles very small, vestigial, edenta te. Cheeks short. Eyes moderately large; ocelli prominent, though small and rather far apart. Antennae long, slender, filiform, Wjointed; scapes long, nearly as long as the three basal joints of the funiculus, first funicular joint not swollen or enlarged. Thorax short; mesonotum with very feeble traces of Mayrian furrows ; epino tum long, abrupt, somewhat concave, unarmed, without distinct base and declivity. Nodes of the petiole and postpetiole low. Genitalia small and retracted, the external valves simple, rounded at their tips. Wings hairy, with distinct pterostigma, a discoidal, a closed radial and a single large cubital cell.
Genotype: Podomyrrna caledonica Ern. Andre. This genus is very close to Podomyrma, but the species of the latter are larger ants, with 11-jointed antennae in the workers and females, with more flattened, not bicarinate clypeus, with the epinotum unarmed or only feebly armed, the femora conspicuously incrassated and the petiole and postpetiole of a different shape. Table of Species.
1. Apex of petiolar node produced into a spine above; epinotal spines very long, curved and diverging.
Length 3.5 mm.
furcifera Emery
Apex of petiolar node angular, acuminate or acutely conical above; epinotal spines much shorter, nearly straight. . . .2 2. Antennal scrobe anteriorly divided by a short median longi- tudinal carinula into separate depressions for the scape and funiculus. Length 3 mm.. . . . . . . . . . . . . cryptocera Emery Antennal scrobe not thus divided. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3



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19191 Wheeler-The Ant Genus Lordomyrma Emery 99 3. Upper surface of head, except the cheeks and spaces between the eyes and frontal carinse, smooth and shining. Length
4.5-5 mm. ........................ caledonica Ern. Andre Upper surface of head between the frontal carinse rugose. Length 3-3.6 mm.. ................................ 4 4. Epinotal spines rather short, metasternal spines long; antennal scrobes incomplete behind; gaster not coarsely punctate leee sp. nov.
Epinotal spines longer, metasternal spines short; antennal scrobes complete behind; gaster coarsely punctate punctiventris sp . nov.
1. Lordomyrma caledonica Ern. Andre.
Lodomyrma caledonica Ern. Andre, Rev. d'Ent. 8,1889, p. 225. Q .
"Worker. Ferruginous, shining; mandibular teeth, anterior border of head, femora, tibiae and the two posterior thirds of the gaster, sometimes also the upper surface of the head with the scapes, more or less brown. Mandibles nearly smooth and shining, with a few, very scattered punctures; their terminal border armed with three teeth anteriorly and indistinctly denticulate behind. Head (without the mandibles) nearly as long as broad, slightly narrowed in front, strongly rounded at the posterior angles. Cheeks in front of the eyes, together with the spaces between the eyes and the frontal carinse, longitudinally rugose, the rugae be- coming semicircular around the articulations of the antennae; the remainder of the head, with the clypeus and frontal area, smooth and very shining. Antennae 12-jointed; funicular joints 2-7 transverse. Thorax with coarse rugse, transverse above, longitudi- nal on the sides; the sculpture rather effaced on the disc of the pronotum and the declivity of the epinotum. Pronotum convex, unarmed above, its inferior border much raised above the articu- lation of the anterior coxae and terminating in front in a blunt denticle. There is a deep constriction between the mesonotum and epinotum; the latter, very narrow above, terminates at the juncture of the basal and declivous surfaces in two strong, acute teeth, which are very divergent and directed upward. Petiole
surmounted by an acute cone, inclined forward; postpetiole trans- verse, armed with a small dentiform tubercle at its anterior angles; the petiole is transversely rugose above, the postpetiole nearly smooth, except behind, where there are a few more or less effaced



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100 Psyche [August
rugse. Gaster smooth and very shining. Cox= very globular; femora only slightly swollen; four posterior tibiae without spurs. Whole body, including the antennal scapes and legs bristling with long, yellowish, delicate and moderately abundant hairs. Length 4.5-5 mm.
" Noumea (New Caledonia) . "
2. Lordomyrma furcifera Emery.
(Fig. 1 .)
Termkszetr. Fuzetek 20, 1897, p. 591, PI. 15, Figs. 32, 33. Q .
' Worker. Fuscopiceous ; mouth, antennae, posterior half of thorax, femora, tarsi, petiole and ventral surface of gaster reddish ferruginous, very shining; smooth, sparsely covered with minute Figure 1. Lordomyrma furdfera Emery (after Emery) worker; a, thorax and
abdomen in profile; b, head, dorsal view. punctures bearing rather stout, fuscous hairs. Head oblong, with
subparallel sides, broadly rounded behind. Eyes in front of the
middle of the sides of the head.
Cheeks striated. Frontal carinse
delicately prolonged backward, 3 the length of the head, forming the inner borders of broad, shallow antennal scrobes which are open behind but bounded externally by a delicate carina. Clypeus
bicarinate in the middle, its anterior border arcuately produced. Mandibles smooth, elongate triangular, with oblique apical mar- gin, bidentate at the tip, irregularly denticulate basally. Anten- nal scapes reaching beyond the frontal carinse but not to the pos- terior corners of the head; scape stout; club elongate, moderately thick, penultimate joint about half again as long as the ante- penultimate, the last joint as long as the two preceding together



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19191 Wheeler-The Ant Genus Lordomyrma Emery 101 but scarcely thicker than the penultimate. Thorax with the promesonotum very convex, subglobose, acutely marginate in front, the margin ending on each side in a tooth; metaepinotum subselliform, with two very long spines, approximated at their bases, strongly diverging, curved outward and very acute; meta- sternal spinules minute, acute. Petiole a little broader behind than in front, with a high subconical node, bearing a short acute, erect spine, behind transversely rugose; postpetiole subrotund, obtusely acuminate above, bearing a minute tubercle on each side. Gaster subrotund, almost entirely covered by the basal segment. Legs long, femora flexuous.
Length 3.5 mm.
"From the Lemien Forest near Berlinhafen [German New Guinea]; a single specimen [L. Biro]."
3. Lordomyrma cryptocera Emery.
(Fig. 2.)
Termkszetr. Fiizetek 20, 1897, p. 592, PI. 15, Fig. 34. !$ .
" Worker. Piceous; mandibles, antennas, tarsi and articulations of the legs ferruginous; very shining, covered with minute, scat- Figure 2. Lordomyrma cyptocera Emery, worker (after Emery), body in profile. tered, piligerous punctures. Head longer than broad; its sides broadly arcuate, truncate behind, with rounded posterior corners, marginate on each side beneath.
Eyes at the middle of the sides
of the head. Frontal carinas prolonged backward, forming the inner boundaries of a scrobe or fovea on each side and becoming arcuately confluent with a carinula that forms its lateral boundary. Cheeks, sides of head lateral to the scrobes and the lateral margin of the front anteriorly longitudinally striate. Clypeus anteriorly elevated and bicarinate, with rounded anterior margin. Mandi-
bles smooth, with very oblique, denticulate apical margin. Anten- nal scape short, funiculus longer, slender at the base, but with joints 2-7 much thicker than long; club much elongated and only



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102 Psyche [August
slightly incrassate; the last joint subcylindrical. Whole antenna accommodated in the scrobe which at the base has a longitudinal carinula separating it into two grooves, one for the scape and one for the funiculus. The funicular groove is prolonged anteriorly (for the apex of the club) between the clypeus and the base of the mandible. Thorax with the promesonotum subhemispherical, narrowly marginate on each side anteriorly, above and on the side with several separated rugse, between the mesonotum and epino- turn with a deep transverse groove, which is longitudinally striate, behind the groove with a transverse carina. Epinotum with sharp, arcuate rugse between the moderately long, oblique, curved spines; pleurae obliquely rugose. Petiole pedunculate at base, behind with a subrotund node, anteriorly acuminate but unarmed above, irregularly, transversely rugose: Postpetiole broader than petiolar node, ovate, a little broader than long, somewhat smooth. Gaster ovate, almost entirely covered by the basal segment. Legs shorter than in the preceding species; femora flexuous, incrassated in the middle. Length 3 mm.
ccCollected with the preceding in the Lemien Forest near Ber- linhafen [German New Guinea]; a single specimen [L. Biro]." 3a. Lordomyrma cryptocera var. acuminata Stitz. L. cryfitocera var. accuminata [sic!] Stitz, Sitzb. Gesell. naturf. Freunde Berlin. 1912, p. 504. @ .
Agreeing with the description of the type except as follows: "The head is smooth, except for a few longitudinal striae below the eyes and a fine 1ongitudinaPstriation between the anterior borders of the frontal carinae and the adjacent portion of the clypeus. The epinotum behind the shallow mesoepinotal impression, which is longitudinally striate, is transversely rugose on the base and declivity. The epinotal spines are more slender. The petiolar node seen in profile has the form of an equilateral triangle and bears above a small, pointed but distinct tooth, which is lacking in the type though indicated in Emery's figure. "Four workers. New Guinea (K. A. Fl. E. Burgers)." 4. Lordomyrma lee sp. nov.
(Fig. 3.)
Worker. Length 3.4-3.6 mm.
Head longer than broad, as broad in front as behind, with feebly rounded sides, nearly straight posterior border and broadly rounded



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19191 Wheeler-The Ant Genus Lordomyrma Emery 103 posterior corners. Eyes in front of the middle of the head, small, elongate, rather flat and oblique. Mandibles rather convex, thin, with straight external borders; apical borders with three larger anterior and numerous minute basal teeth. Scrobes shallow, in- complete behind, about + as long as the head. Antenna1 scapes extending to the posterior corners of the head; joints 2-7 of the funiculus narrow but broader than long; ninth and tenth joints distinctly longer than broad, together as long as the terminal joint. Clypeus high and convex in the middle, bluntly bicarinate, its anterior border broadly rounded and entire, feebly sinuate on the Figure 3.
Lordomyrma leae sp. nov. worker; a, thorax and abdomen in profile; b, head, dorsal view.
sides.
Promesonoturn gradually narrowed behind, rather straight above in profile, decidedly longer than broad, the humeri subden- tate, the mesonoturn behind falling abruptly to the pronounced mesoepinotal constriction. Epinotum slightly longer than broad, a little broader behind than in front, its spines short, broad at the base, very acute; metasternal spines slender, acute and like the superior spines directed upward. Base of epinotum in profile feebly convex, longer than the sloping, flattened declivity. Peti- ole longer than broad, broader behind than in front, its peduncle short, the node in profile angular, its anterior slope slightly con- cave, its posterior slope slightly convex. Postpetiole broader than long and broader than the petiole, rounded above and on the sides,



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104 Psyche [August
constricted behind, with a blunt, transverse anteroventral pro- jection. Gaster rather larger, somewhat longer than the thorax. Legs not incrassated.
Shining, especially the mandibles, clypeus and gaster. Mandi-
bles sparsely punctate, clypeus smooth, indistinctly rugulose on the sides. Head longitudinally rugose, the rug= becoming coarsely reticulate on the occipital region. Scrobes and interrugal spaces indistinctly punctate-reticulate. Region of the frontal groove occupied by a smooth shining longitudinal streak. Thorax, petiole and postpetiole irregularly, their upper surfaces more transversely rugose. Declivity of epinotum smooth and shining. Gaster with sparse, piligerous punctures. Hairs moderately long and abundant, erect or suberect, yellow- ish, bristly, covering all parts of the body, shorter and sparser on the legs and scapes, rather dense on the funiculi. Dark piceous brown; thorax, petiole and postpetiole nearly black; mandibles, clypeus, cheeks, base and tip of gaster, legs, including the coxse, first joint of funiculi and their clubs reddish brown.
Male. Length 3 mm.
Head as broad as long, broadly rounded behind, without pos- terior angles, somewhat flattened above, with very short cheeks. Clypeus much as in the worker. Pronoturn visible from above, not overarched by the mesonotum which is as broad as long. Scutellum not very prominent. Epinotum sloping, simple, un- armed. Petiole fully twice as long as high and more than twice as long as broad, parallel-sided. Postpetiole from above broader, nearly square.
Head and thorax subopaque, rather finely and irregularly punc- tate-rugulose; mesopleurse, a longitudinal streak on the front of the head, the petiole, postpetiole and gaster smooth and shining, the gaster with fine sparse piligerous punctures. Hairs finer and more oblique thanin the worker, very numerous on the antennae and wings, which are unusually pubescent. Dark piceous brown, nearly black; legs and antennae paler; clypeus and mandibles yellowish. Wings opaque brownish, with brown veins and pterostigrna.
Described from numerous workers and five males collected by Mr. A. M. Lea on Lord Howe Island.




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Wheeler-The Ant Oenua Lordomyrma Emery
5. Lordomyrma punctiventris sp. nov.
(Fig. 4.)
Worker. Length 3-3.2 mm.
Head subrectangular, a little longer than broad, with nearly straight posterior border and subparallel sides. Eyes small, elongate, placed obliquely a little in front of the middle of the sides. Mandibles like those of leee but thicker, more deflected at the tips and with slightly concave external borders. Clypeus convex in
the middle, with two strong carinse, which do not reach the ante- rior border. The surface between them is concave. Antennal Figure 4. Lordomyrma punctiventri sp. nov.; a, thorax and abdomen of worker; b, head and c, antenna of same; d, antenna and e, wing of male. scrobes more sharply defined and deeper than in Ieee, complete behind, about i$ as long as the head, the prolonged frontal carinse more prominent. Antennal scapes stout, as long as head; fu- nicular joints 2-7 very short and transverse, 9 and 10 together shorter than the terminal joint. Thorax more robust than in lea, with dentate humeral angles, the pro- and mesonotum above rounded and slightly depressed, the latter falling less abruptly



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106 Psyche . [August
behind than in Ieee to the pronounced mesoepinotal constriction. Epinotum as broad as long, its spines less erect, longer, -nearly as long as the rather convex base; metasternal spines very short, erect, acute. Petiole from above about 1; times as long as broad, broader behind than in front; in profile as high as long, with angularly pointed node, its anterior slope concave, its posterior slope straight. Postpetiole broader than long, broader than the petiole and some- what broader in front than behind, dentate anteriorly on the ventral side. Gaster and legs as in Ieee. Mandibles shining, finely and very sparsely punctate; head, thorax, petiole and postpetiole subopaque evenly reticulate-rugose, the head in front and on the sides longitudinally rugose, the scrobes shining and finely, transversely rugulose. Gaster shining, covered with rather strong, transverse piligerous punctures. Antenna1 scapes very finely rugulose; legs smooth, sparsely and finely punc- tate.
Hairs yellowish gray, appearing blackish in some lights, mod- erately abundant, especially on the gaster, erect or suberect on the body, shorter and more oblique on the legs, reduced to pubescence on the antennae.
Head, thorax, petiole and postpetiole rich castaneous; mandi- bles, antennae and gaster pale orange brown; legs more yellow. Described from twenty-one specimens, comprising nearly an entire colony, taken from a small cavity in a rotten log in the dark tropical "scrub" at Kuranda, Queensland. In life these ants are sluggish and timid, like the species of Podomyrma. The latter, however, nest in the trunks and branches of living trees and move about in the sunlight.




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