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Polyrhachis gamaii
| Polyrhachis gamaii | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Camponotini |
| Genus: | Polyrhachis |
| Subgenus: | Myrma |
| Species group: | gammaii |
| Species: | P. gamaii |
| Binomial name | |
| Polyrhachis gamaii Santschi, 1917
| |
Nothing is known of the biology of this species, but a lone female without wings was found in South Africa in March (Bolton 1973)
Identification
Polyrhachis gamaii species-group
Keys including this Species
- Key to Afrotropical Polyrhachis species
- Key to Afrotropical Polyrhachis species (Bolton 1973, OUTDATED)
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -28.38333° to -28.66667°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: South Africa (type locality).
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
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- gamaii. Polyrhachis (Myrma) gamaii Santschi, 1917b: 295 (q.) SOUTH AFRICA. Arnold, 1947: 136 (w.). See also: Bolton, 1973b: 351.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
Bolton (1973) - TL 7.7-8.5, HL 1.81-1.97, HW 1.70-2.08, CI 94-105, SL 1.81-2.08, SI 100-106, PW 1.18-1.48, MTL 2.37-2.59. (6 measured.)
Head truncated in front so that the clypeus is almost vertical, its anterior margin entire. Sides of head convex, the convex eyes situated well up from the ventrolateral margin, not breaking the outline of the sides of the head in full-face view. Pronotum and mesonotum not marginate, the dorsal surfaces rounding into the sides; propodeum marginate laterally. Humeral angles of the pronotum without spines but projecting as bluntly rounded tubercles. Propodeum with a pair of thick, tuberculiform teeth, directed upwards and weakly outwards. Promesonotal suture distinct; the mesoscutellum present on the dorsum, separated from the scutum in front and the propodeum behind by a pair of weakly raised, transverse carinae, best seen in profile. Petiole armed with a dorsal pair of long straight spines whose apices curve slightly inwards in front view, and with a laterally placed pair of acute teeth. The subpetiolar process is developed anteriorly into a dentiform lobe.
Erect hairs present only on the mandibles, clypeus and the apex of the gaster. A fine, sparse pubescence is present on the antennal scapes, the legs, and the first gastral segment in some individuals.
Sculpturation of head varying above the eyes from finely reticulate-punctate to superficially reticulate. The alitrunk dorsally finely reticulate to reticulate-punctate; the sides and the petiole more coarsely so. Declivity of propodeum and gaster very faintly and finely, superficially reticulate. Colouration a variable mixture of black, black-brown, red, and red-brown. Head black with red-brown mandibles, the antennal scapes red-brown or black. Alitrunk varying from red-brown with large infuscated areas to mostly black with weak red-brown or black-brown patches. The sides of the alitrunk usually red-brown but variously infuscated. Petiole and gaster varying from red-brown to black-brown; legs usually red-brown. In general the larger individuals tend to have more black and less red on the alitrunk than do the smaller forms.
Queen
Bolton (1973) - In general body form and sculpturation the differences between the female and the workers are only as expected between the two castes, but the female is distinctly more pilose and has the petiolar spines disproportionally spaced in comparison to the worker. Marked similarities include the head shape, development of pronotal tubercles and propodeal teeth, form of petiole, and the presence of a dentiform subpetiolar process.
Type Material
Bolton (1973) - Holotype queen, SOUTH AFRICA : Natal, Durban (H. B. Marley) (probably in NM, Basle).
References
- Arnold, G. 1947. New species of African Hymenoptera. No. 7. Occas. Pap. Natl. Mus. South. Rhod. 2: 131-167 (page 136, worker described)
- Bolton, B. 1973b. The ant genus Polyrhachis F. Smith in the Ethiopian region (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology. 28:283-369. (page 351, see also)
- Santschi, F. 1917b [1916]. Fourmis nouvelles de la Colonie du Cap, du Natal et de Rhodesia. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 85: 279-296 (page 295, queen described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Arnold G. 1924. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part VI. Camponotinae. Annals of the South African Museum 14: 675-766.
- Robson Simon Database Polyrhachis -05 Sept 2014
- Santschi F. 1917. Fourmis nouvelles de la Colonie du Cap, du Natal et de Rhodesia. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 85: 279-296.
- Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004