Ponera tortuolosa Smith, 1863a: 18 (w.q.) INDONESIA (Seram, Buru). Australasia.

Primary type information: Primary type material: 1 syntype worker, 1 syntype queen (?). Primary type localities: Indonesia: Seram, “Cer” (A.R. Wallace), Indonesia: Buru, “B” (A.R. Wallace). Primary type depository: OXUM. Type notes: 1) Donisthorpe, 1932c: 471, cites 1 worker, 1 queen in OXUM. 2) The supposed syntype queen [but Diacamma does not have a queen caste] cannot be located in BMNH or OXUM. 3) Two localities were given in the original description, Ceram and Buru. Donisthorpe, 1932c: 471, accepted the Buru material as type, but the Buru worker specimen does not match the original description, the Seram specimen does. It is assumed that the original Buru specimen was lost, and later replaced with a substitute which is not conspecific. It is my opinion that the “Cer.” specimen is the genuine syntype worker and that the “B” worker specimen is not. Comparing both workers to the original description there is agreement on most points, but there are the following differences: 1. Description says, “striae on prothorax transverse and curved.” The “Cer.” specimen matches this but on the “B” specimen the pronotal striae are notably circular in direction. 2. Description says that behind the pronotum, striae are, “oblique, running from the middle forwards down the sides.” The “Cer.” specimen matches this but the “B” specimen does not. 3. Description says, “First node of abdomen has a curved striation much more delicate than on the thorax.” The “Cer.” specimen matches this but on the “B” specimen striation is visible only on the basal third of the segment, and even here it is extremely faint. I conclude that the Bouru locality was that of the now lost queen, and have placed a blue “syntype” disc on the Seram worker (Bolton (unpublished notes) 1978).