Chiloglottis platyptera, commonly known as the winged ant orchid or Barrington Tops ant orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the New England Tableland of New South Wales. It has two broad leaves and a single greenish brown flower with a callus of many glands covering most of the top of the labellum.
Chiloglottis platyptera is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with two elliptic to oblong leaves NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide on a petiole NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. A single greenish brown flower NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide is borne on a flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 high. The dorsal sepal is spatula-shaped, more or less erect, about 13sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The lateral sepals are linear, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, about 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, spread apart from each other and curve downwards. There is a glandular tip less than 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long on all three sepals. The petals are lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, about 10sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, slightly curved and turned down against the sides of the ovary. The labellum is shaped like a bricklayer's trowel with the narrower end towards the base. It is NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, about 8sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and most of the upper surface of the labellum is covered with a callus of many short reddish, yellowish, bright green or black glands, the one nearest the base of the labellum about 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and shaped like handlebars. The column is pale green with purple streaks, about 9sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, 6sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with broad wings. Flowering occurs from September to November.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Chiloglottis platyptera was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected in Barrington Tops National Park and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[5] The specific epithet (platyptera) is derived from the Ancient Greek words platys meaning "broad, wide, flat (or) level"[6] and pteron meaning "feather" or "wing", referring to the brown wings on the column of this orchid.
The winged ant orchid grows with grass in tall forest and on the edges of rainforest between Dungog and Yarrowitch, including in the Barrington Tops, Oxley Wild Rivers and Ben Halls Gap National Parks.
Chiloglottis platyptera is listed as "vulnerable" under the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The main threats to the species are grazing by domestic stock, weed invasion (especially by scotch broom), the activities of feral pigs and land clearing.[7]