Polyrhachis flavicornis
Polyrhachis flavicornis | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Formicinae |
Tribe: | Camponotini |
Genus: | Polyrhachis |
Subgenus: | Myrmatopa |
Species group: | flavicornis |
Species: | P. flavicornis |
Binomial name | |
Polyrhachis flavicornis Smith, F., 1857 |
In Thailand, carton nests of P. flavicornis were found on the underside of plant leaves or between leaves in lowland evergreen forest and dry evergreen forest (Jaitrong et al., 2023).
Photo Gallery
Identification
Kohout (2008) - Polyrhachis fruhstorferi bears a close resemblance to Polyrhachis flavicornis, a species that is widely distributed throughout South East Asia, including Borneo. In contrast, P. fruhstorferi appears to be endemic to Sulawesi. The outline and sculpturation of the head and mesosoma is very similar in both species and they have an almost identical configuration of the petiolar spines. I believe that P. fruhstorferi could prove to be just a population of P. flavicornis, but a more detailed study of the geographic variation of the latter species will be necessary to ascertain their true relationship.
Jaitrong et al. (2023) - In Thailand, Polyrhachis flavicornis is most similar to Polyrhachis varicolor. For the worker caste, the head and mesosoma are clearly black in P. flavicornis, but reddish brown in P. varicolor. For body size, P. flavicornis (HW 0.95–1.00 mm in worker, 1.15–1.20 mm in queen, 0.60 mm in male) is on average smaller than P. varicolor (HW 1.00–1.25 mm in worker, 1.25 mm in queen, 0.65 mm in male).
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: 18.5° to -2.183333°.
North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps; Jaitrong et al., 2023
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore (type locality).
Oriental Region: Laos, Thailand.
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
Worker
Images from AntWeb
Worker. Specimen code casent0906570. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by NHMUK, London, UK. |
Queen
Images from AntWeb
Syntype of Polyrhachis flavicornis. Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0901877. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by OUM, Oxford, UK. |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- flavicornis. Polyrhachis flavicornis Smith, F. 1857a: 63 (w.q.) SINGAPORE. Combination in P. (Myrmatopa): Donisthorpe, 1932c: 446.
Type Material
Jaitrong et al. (2023) examined one syntype worker and one syntype alate queen of Polyrhachis flavicornis from Singapore (A. R. Wallace), deposited in OXUM.
The following notes on F. Smith type specimens have been provided by Barry Bolton (details):
One worker syntype and one alate queen syntype in Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Labelled “SING. 16” (= Singapore) and with a Donisthorpe type-label.
Description
References
- Blanchard, B.D., Nakamura, A., Cao, M., Chen, S.T., Moreau, C.S. 2020. Spine and dine: A key defensive trait promotes ecological success in spiny ants. Ecolology and Evolution 00:1–12 (doi:10.1002/ece3.6322).
- Donisthorpe, H. 1932c. On the identity of Smith's types of Formicidae (Hymenoptera) collected by Alfred Russell Wallace in the Malay Archipelago, with descriptions of two new species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 10(10): 441-476 (page 446, Combination in P. (Myrmatopa))
- 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).
- Jaitrong, W., Yamane, S., Noon-Anant, N. 2023. The Thai species of the Polyrhachis (Myrmatopa) flavicornis Smith, 1857 species group, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae). Zootaxa 5249(4), 446–464 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5249.4.3).
- Khachonpisitsak, S., Yamane, S., Sriwichai, P., Jaitrong, W. 2020. An updated checklist of the ants of Thailand (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 998, 1–182 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.998.54902).
- 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.
- Smith, F. 1857a. Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects collected at Sarawak, Borneo; Mount Ophir, Malacca; and at Singapore, by A. R. Wallace. [part]. J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. Zool. 2: 42-88 (page 63, worker, queen described)
- Yamane, S., Tanaka, H.O., Hasimoto, Y., Ohashi, M., Meleng, P., Itioka, T. 2021. A list of ants from Lambir Hills National Park and its vicinity, with their biological information: Part II. Subfamilies Leptanillinae, Proceratiinae, Amblyoponinae, Ponerinae, Dorylinae, Dolichoderinae, Ectatomminae and Formicinae. Contributions from the Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University 31, 87–157.
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Jaitrong W., B. Guenard, E. P. Economo, N. Buddhakala, and S. Yamane. 2016. A checklist of known ant species of Laos (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Asian Myrmecology 8: 1-32. DOI: 10.20362/am.008019
- Noon-anant N., S. Watanasit, S. Yamane, and D. Wiwatwitaya. 2008. Nesting habits of Polyrhachis (Myrmatopa) flavicornis (Formicidae: Formicinae) in the lowland tropical rain forest of Peninsulat Thailand. Sociobiology 51(1): 73-86.
- Pfeiffer M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58
- Robson Simon Database Polyrhachis -05 Sept 2014