Polyrhachis penelope

Polyrhachis penelope
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Polyrhachis
Subgenus:	Hagiomyrma
Species group:	penelope
Species:	P. penelope
Binomial name
	Polyrhachis penelope; Forel, 1895 Specimen Labels

Polyrhachis penelope is an uncommon species with its distribution centred on Mackay and extending along the Queensland coast from about Rockhampton as far north as Cairns. It is an inhabitant of open eucalypt forests and woodlands that mostly nests in the ground although one nest was located in a rotten tree stump.

Identification

A member of the penelope species-group in the Polyrhachis subgenus Hagiomyrma.

Keys including this Species

Key to Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -5.733° to -23.33333333°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).
Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Castes

Male unknown. Immature stages present in the QM collection.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

penelope. Polyrhachis penelope Forel, 1895a: 46 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Forel, 1901b: 31 (q.m.). Combination in P. (Hagiomyrma): Forel, 1915b: 108.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Kohout (2013) - (syntypes cited first): TL c. 6.65-7.61, 6.50-7.61; HL 1.68-1.75, 1.65-1.78; HW 1.40-1.46, 1.34-1.59; CI 80-81, 80- 85; SL 2.03-2.09, 2.03-2.15; SI 145-149, 135-151; PW 1.28-1.40, 1.28-1.47; MW 0.90-1.03, 0.84-1.03; PMI 139-142, 139-154; MTL 2.06-2.18, 2.06-2.34 (5+10 measured).

Anterior clypeal margin with denticulate median flange, laterally flanked by acute angles. Clypeus with distinct median carina; sinuate in profile, posteriorly rounding into moderately impressed basal margin. Frontal triangle weakly indicated. Frontal carinae sinuate with only weakly raised margins; central area flat. Sides of head in front of eyes converging towards mandibular bases in weakly convex line; behind eyes, sides rounding into convex occipital margin. Eyes moderately convex, in full face view marginally exceeding lateral cephalic outline. Ocelli lacking. Pronotal humeri widely rounded with anterior margins weakly raised; pronotal margins weakly emarginate medially before terminating at well impressed promesonotal suture. Mesonotal dorsum with lateral margins converging towards indistinct with moderately long, weakly divergent spines with tips weakly curved outwards. Petiole with posterior face descending towards base in weakly convex line; dorsum weakly concave medially, laterally armed with pair of broad-based, horizontal, divergent spines. Anterior face of first gastral tergite distinctly higher than full height of petiole, widely rounding onto dorsum.

Mandibles longitudinally striate with numerous piliferous pits. Head, mesosoma and petiole distinctly, more-or-less regularly reticulate-punctate, with punctures very smooth, polished. Spines sculptured at bases, smooth and polished towards tips. Gaster finely shagreened.

Mandibular masticatory borders with numerous, curved, golden hairs. Anterior clypeal margin with a few, anteriorly projecting setae medially and several very short setae fringing margin laterally. Dorsa of head, mesosoma and petiole with numerous, rather short, erect, bristle-like hairs; a few hairs fringing anterior face of fore coxae and venter of mid and hind coxae and femora. Gaster with more abundant, golden hairs on dorsum; distinctly longer, posteriorly directed hairs around apex and on venter. Rather diluted, closely appressed, silvery pubescence on dorsa of head and mesosoma; pubescence more abundant on sides of mesosoma, declivity and petiole, except its smooth and polished anterior face. Gaster with abundant golden pubescence on dorsum, hiding underlying sculpturation; pubescence much diluted and silvery on venter of gaster.

Black; mandibular teeth reddish-brown.

Queen

Kohout (2013) - TL c. 8.52; HL 1.81; HW 1.53; CI 84; SL 2.03; SI 133; PW 1.72; MTL 2.18 (1 measured).

Apart from sexual characters, very similar to worker except: mesoscutum as wide as long; relatively low in lateral view, anteriorly rounding onto very weakly convex dorsum; median line bifurcate anteriorly; parapsides weakly raised. Mesoscutellum only marginally raised above dorsal plane of mesosoma. Propodeal and petiolar spines similar to worker, but shorter. Sculpturation, pilosity, pubescence and colour identical to worker, except pilosity on dorsum of mesoscutum completely lacking.

Type Material

Syntype, worker(s), Mackay, Queensland, Australia, G. Turner, Australian National Insect Collection.
Syntype, worker(s), Mackay, Queensland, Australia, G. Turner, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
Syntype, worker(s), Mackay, Queensland, Australia, G. Turner, Queensland Museum.

References

Forel, A. 1895a. Nouvelles fourmis de diverses provenances, surtout d'Australie. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 39: 41-49 (page 46, worker described)
Forel, A. 1901b. Formiciden aus dem Bismarck-Archipel, auf Grundlage des von Prof. Dr. F. Dahl gesammelten Materials. Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin 2: 4-37. (page 31, queen, male described)
Forel, A. 1915b. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(1 16: 1-119 (page 108, Combination in P. (Hagiomyrma))
Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
Kohout, R.J. 2013. Revision of Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) Wheeler, 1911 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, Nature 56, 487-577.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Dahl F. 1901. Das Leben der Ameisen im Bismarck-Archipel, nach eigenen Beobachtungen vergleichend dargestellt. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berl. 2: 1-70.
Forel A. 1901. Formiciden aus dem Bismarck-Archipel, auf Grundlage des von Prof. Dr. F. Dahl gesammelten Materials. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berl. 2: 4-37.
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.
Kohout R. J. 2000. A review of the distribution of the Polyrhachis and Echinopla ants of the Queensland wet tropics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 46: 183-209
Kohout R.J. 2013. Revision of Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) Wheeler, 1911 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum Nature 56: 487577
Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.
Wheeler W.M. 1935. Check list of the ants of Oceania. Occasional Papers of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum 11(11):1-56.
Wheeler, William Morton.1935.Checklist of the Ants of Oceania.Occasional Papers 11(11): 3-56