Polyrhachis flavicornis

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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

Polyrhachis flavicornis casent0901857 p 1 high.jpg

Polyrhachis flavicornis casent0901857 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

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

  • Polyrhachis flavicornis (non-type worker, WJT08-E068). A, Body in profile view; B, head in full-face view; C, body in dorsal view. (Jaitrong et al., 2023, Fig. 4)
  • Polyrhachis flavicornis. A–C, Syntype worker of Polyrhachis flaviconis (ANTWEB CASENT 0901857); D–F, non-type dealate queen of Polyrhachis flavicornis (TH21-WJT-636); A, E, body in profile view; C, D, head in full-face view; B, F, body in dorsal view. (Jaitrong et al., 2023, Fig. 5)
  • Polyrhachis flavicornis (non-type male, TH03-SH005). A, Body in profile view; B, head in full-face view; C, body in dorsal view. (Jaitrong et al., 2023, Fig. 6)

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

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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

Images from AntWeb

Polyrhachis flavicornis casent0906570 h 1 high.jpgPolyrhachis flavicornis casent0906570 p 1 high.jpgPolyrhachis flavicornis casent0906570 d 1 high.jpgPolyrhachis flavicornis casent0906570 l 1 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0906570. Photographer Estella Ortega, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Polyrhachis flavicornis casent0901877 h 1 high.jpgPolyrhachis flavicornis casent0901877 p 1 high.jpgPolyrhachis flavicornis casent0901877 p 2 high.jpgPolyrhachis flavicornis casent0901877 d 1 high.jpgPolyrhachis flavicornis casent0901877 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Polyrhachis flavicornisQueen (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

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