Polyrhachis micans
Polyrhachis micans | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Formicinae |
Tribe: | Camponotini |
Genus: | Polyrhachis |
Subgenus: | Campomyrma |
Species group: | micans |
Species: | P. micans |
Binomial name | |
Polyrhachis micans Mayr, 1876 |
Kohout (2013): Polyrhachis micans is the oldest known species of micans group, apparently first collected by Amelia Dietrich, a collector ‘extraordinaire’ for the former Museum Godeffroy in Hamburg. In spite of being a well known species occurring in an easily accessible part of the country, from about Mackay south to Gladstone, P. micans is poorly represented in most collections examined. It has apparently become a relatively rare species, perhaps due to the clearance of its natural habitat for vast areas of sugar cane plantations.
Identification
A member of the Polyrhachis micans species-group. Kohout (2013) - Polyrhachis micans is characterised by a petiole armed with four, almost uniformly distributed spines of subequal length. It is rather similar to Polyrhachis eureka sharing with that species the very finely, mostly longitudinally striate head and mesosoma, however, the sculpturation in P. eureka is distinctly coarser, notably on the mesosomal dorsum. Additional characters separating the species are given under P. eureka.
Keys including this Species
- Key to Australian Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) species
- Key to Polyrhachis micans species-group workers
- Key to select Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) of Australian
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -15.13333333° to -23.65°.
North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia (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. |
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 and immature stages unknown.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- micans. Polyrhachis micans Mayr, 1876: 76 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in P. (Campomyrma): Santschi, 1920g: 185.
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 dted first): TL c. 9.42-9.93, 8.67-10.63; HL 2.31-2.43, 2.21-2.40; HW 2.09-2.18, 1.95-2.09; Cl 90, 87-89; SL 2.37-2.46, 2.31-2.50; SI 113, 115-120; PW 1.93-2.06, 1.84-203; MTL 2.90-296, 2.71-2.96 (2+6 measured).
Queen
Kohout (2013) - (syntype queen): TL c. 10.03; HL 2.37; HW 2.00; CI 84; 5L 2.25; 51 112; PW 2.28; MTL 2.87 (1 measured).
Type Material
- Syntype, workers, queen, Rockhampton and Peak Downs, Queensland, Australia, A. Deitrich, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna.
References
- Cantone S. 2018. Winged Ants, The queen. Dichotomous key to genera of winged female ants in the World. The Wings of Ants: morphological and systematic relationships (self-published).
- 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).
- Jaitrong, W., Yamane, S., Samung, Y., Noon-anant, N. 2023. The ant subgenus Campomyrma of the genus Polyrhachis Smith, 1857 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae) in Thailand and Laos, with descriptions of two new species. Zootaxa 5271(2), 294–312 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5271.2.5).
- Kohout, R.J. 2013. A review of the Polyrhachis gravis and micans species-groups of the subgenus Campomyrma Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, Nature 56, 92-117.
- Mayr, G. 1876. Die australischen Formiciden. J. Mus. Godeffroy 12: 56-115 (page 76, worker, queen described)
- Santschi, F. 1920g. Cinq nouvelles notes sur les fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 53: 163-186 (page 185, Combination in P. (Campomyrma))
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Kohout R. J. 2008. Two new species of Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) from Australia, based on formerly quadrinomial taxa. Australian Entomologist 35: 161-171
- Santschi F. 1920. Quelques nouveaux Camponotinae d'Indochine et Australie. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles. 52: 565-569.