Austroponera schneideri, Uwe Kaulfuss & Gennady M. Dlussky, 2015

Uwe Kaulfuss & Gennady M. Dlussky, 2015, Early Miocene Formicidae (Amblyoponinae, Ectatomminae,? Dolichoderinae, Formicinae, and Ponerinae) from the Foulden Maar Fossil Lagerstätte, New Zealand, and their biogeographic relevance, Journal of Paleontology 89 (6), pp. 1043-1055 : 1048

Subfamily Ponerinae Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835 Tribe Ponerini Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835 Genus Austroponera Schmidt and Shattuck, 2014 Austroponera schneideri new species

Figure 6.1, 6.2

Diagnosis.—Worker: A ponerine ant morphologically very similar to extant Austroponera , in particular A. castanea ( Mayr, 1865) but may be distinguished from the latter by a more slender constitution and the slightly more posterior position of the eyes.

Description.—Worker, laterally compressed, middle and hind legs and most parts of antennae absent. Body length 5.8 mm, body without coarse sculpture. Mesosoma length 1.7 mm, petiole length 0.47 mm, petiole height 0.55 mm. Head length including mandibles 1.2 mm (1.0 mm without mandibles). Eyes nearly round, small, situated laterally, at about mid-length of head. Gena twice as long as maximum diameter of eye. Scape protruding slightly beyond the occipital margin of head. Middle segments of funiculus about as long as thick. Promesonotal dorsum slightly convex in side view, without distinct promesonotal groove. Mesopleural suture absent. Metanotal groove distinct. Propodeum angular in side view, with slightly convex dorsum, rounded angle, and nearly straight declivity; propodeal declivity nearly as long as propodeal dorsum. Petiole nearly triangular in side view, 1.2 times higher than long, dorsal tip rounded. Mesosoma and petiole without specialized structures such as spines, teeth, tubercles, etc. Helcium projecting from a very low position on the anterior face of first gastral (III abdominal) segment, the latter having a high vertical anterior face above the helcium.

Etymology.—In honor of Jörg W. Schneider, emeritus professor at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, Germany.

Type.— Holotype OU44901; a laterally compressed worker; deposited in the Department of Geology, University of Otago.

Occurrence.—Foulden Maar diatomite, Waipiata Volcanic Field, Otago, New Zealand; early Miocene.

Remarks.—The position of the helcium and the form of the first gastral segment undoubtedly indicate that this species belongs to the tribe Ponerini . Its habitus is very similar to Austroponera Schmidt and Shattuck, 2014 , particularly to the New Zealand endemic A. castanea ( Mayr, 1865) (formerly Pachycondyla castanea ) ( Brown, 1958a, fig. 1; Schmidt and Shattuck, 2014, fig. 41). We therefore attribute the new species to Austroponera , although key characters of the genus (features of the clypeal margin and the mandibles, shape of the propodeal spiracle, etc.) are not discernable in the fossil. The new fossil species differs from A. castanea by a more slender constitution and the slightly more posterior position of the eyes. No other fossil species of Austroponera are known.