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Polyrhachis aculeata
| Polyrhachis aculeata | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Camponotini |
| Genus: | Polyrhachis |
| Subgenus: | Myrma |
| Species group: | aculeata |
| Species complex: | aculeata |
| Species: | P. aculeata |
| Binomial name | |
| Polyrhachis aculeata Mayr, 1879
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Nothing is known about the biology of Polyrhachis aculeata.
Identification
A member of the Polyrhachis aculeata species group in the subgenus Myrma
Kohout (2008) - Polyrhachis aculeata, Polyrhachis cybele, Polyrhachis gibbosa and Polyrhachis hemiopticoides are all quite similar. The characters separating these four species include the degree to which the posterior blinkers of the eyes are developed, general pilosity and the shape and length of the pronotal and petiolar spines. In P. aculeata and P. hemiopticoides the eyes are strongly truncate and the pronotal and petiolar spines rather long and slender. Polyrhachis aculeata has all the body surfaces covered with numerous, relatively long, erect or semierect hairs and the legs and base of the gaster reddish-brown. In P. hemiopticoides hairs are present only on the head and over the gastral apex, and the gaster and tarsi are black with only the femora and tibiae reddish-brown. Polyrhachis gibbosa differs from both species and also from P. cybele by its distinctly less truncate eyes, stubby body, shorter and thicker petiolar spines and the presence of a distinct pile of short, silvery or whitish, appressed pubescence that is abundant over most of the body surfaces, except the vertex, midline of the mesosoma and gastral dorsum. Polyrhachis gibbosa is apparently limited to Sri Lanka, while P. aculeata and P. hemiopticoides are known from India, with the latter also reported from Laos. Polyrhachis cybele occurs on Borneo, Sumatra and Sulawesi.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -3.97° to -6.5975°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Philippines.
Oriental Region: India (type locality), Sri Lanka.
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. |
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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. |
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Biology
Castes
Worker
   
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| . | Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology. |
    
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Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- aculeata. Polyrhachis aculeata Mayr, 1879: 657 (w.) INDIA. Emery, 1887a: 235 (q.); Forel, 1893c: 28 (m.). Combination in Hemioptica: Bingham, 1903: 382; in P. (Hemioptica): Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 126; in P. (Myrma): Emery, 1925b: 205; Dorow & Kohout, 1995: 94.
Description
Worker
Kohout (2013): Dimensions (holotype cited first): TL c. (gaster missing), 6.40-6.80; HL 1.59, 1.59-1.75; HW 1.43, 1.36-1.43; CI 84, 81-84; SL 1.93, 1.93-2.03; SI 144, 142-149; PW 1.30, 1.12-1.30; MTL 2.06, 2.06-2.21 (1+2 measured).
Type Material
- Holotype, worker, uncertain locality, India, Schmidt-Göbel, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna; (see Kohout, 2013: 145).
- Paratype, 1 worker, uncertain locality, India, Schmidt-Göbel, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna; (see Kohout, 2013: 145).
Kohout (2013): I have examined two worker specimens of P. aculeata from the Mayr collection in Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna), neither labelled as the type. However, in the original description Mayr noted ‘Ich besitze nur ein Exemplar aus Ostindien, welches ich Herrn Professor Schmidt-Göbel verdanke.’ I have therefore considered the specimen bearing a tag inscribed ‘Ind. or. Schm.’ to be the holotype of P. aculeata and labelled it accordingly. The specimen bears two additional, original labels as follows: ‘P. aculeata det. G. Mayr’ and ‘Collect. G. Mayr’. The specimen is pinned and missing the gaster, but otherwise is in relatively sound condition.
References
- Bingham, C. T. 1903. The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera, Vol. II. Ants and Cuckoo-wasps. London: Taylor and Francis, 506 pp. (page 382, Combination in Hemioptica)
- Dorow, W. H. O.; Kohout, R. J. 1995. A review of the subgenus Hemioptica Roger of the genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith with description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Zool. Meded. (Leiden) 69: 93-104 (page 94, Combination in P. (Myrma))
- Emery, C. 1887a [1886]. Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia. [part]. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. 24[=(2)(4): 209-240 (page 235, queen described)
- Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 205, Combination in P. (Myrma))
- Forel, A. 1893e. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part III. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 8: 17-36 (page 28, male described)
- Kohout, R.J. 2008a. A review of the Polyrhachis ants of Sulawesi with keys and descriptions of new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 52:255-317.
- Kohout, R.J. 2013. A review of the Polyrhachis aculeata species-group of the subgenus Myrma Billberg (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae), with keys and descriptions of new species. Australian Entomologist, 40, 137-171.
- Mayr, G. 1879. Beiträge zur Ameisen-Fauna Asiens. Verhandlungen der k.k. Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 28 (1878): 645-686. [(31.xii).1879.]
- Wheeler, W. M. 1919f. The ants of Borneo. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 63: 43-147 (page 126, Combination in P. (Hemioptica))
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
- Dias R. K. S. 2002. Current knowledge on ants of Sri Lanka. ANeT Newsletter 4: 17- 21.
- Emery C. 1886. Saggio di un catalogo sistematico dei generi Camponotus, Polyrhachis e affini. Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna 5: 363-382
- Emery C. 1887. Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia. [part]. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. 24(4): 209-258.
- Emery C. 1901. Formiciden von Celebes. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 14:565-580.
- Emery, C. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 4, no. 24 (1887): 209-258.
- Forel A. 1893. Les Formicides de l'Empire des Indes et de Ceylan. Part III. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 8: 17-36.
- Robson Simon Database Polyrhachis -05 Sept 2014
- Tiwari R. N. 1999. Taxonomic studies on ants of southern India (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India 18(4): 1-96.
- Tiwari, R.N. 1999. Taxonomic studies on ants of southern India (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India 18(4):1-96