Polyrhachis semiinermis

Polyrhachis semiinermis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Polyrhachis
Subgenus:	Cyrtomyrma
Species:	P. semiinermis
Binomial name
	Polyrhachis semiinermis; Donisthorpe, 1941 Specimen Label

A cryptic label reference stating the types were collected from a tree "Site - empty cell in back of nest found in tree" (Donisthorpe 1941) and a second collection bears included this information label "Narra plantation with abaca understory". These records are all that is known about the biology of Polyrhachis semiinermis.

Identification

Characterised by widely rounded pronotal shoulders and a petiole that is virtually parallel-sided with the petiolar teeth reduced to mere denticles or completely lacking. Based on these characters, P. semiinermis is much more closely related to Polyrhachis danum from Borneo and Polyrhachis brevinoda from Australia than to Polyrhachis rastellata. (Kohout 2006)

Distribution

Phillipines.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 5.966666667° to 5.966666667°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Philippines (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.

Abundance

Known only from a few collections.

Biology

Castes

Known only from workers.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

semiinermis. Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) rastellata var. semiinermis Donisthorpe, 1941j: 209 (w.) PHILIPPINES. Raised to species: Kohout, 2006b: 91.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Black, shining, articulations of scape, palpi, apex of trochanters and base of femur narrowly, extreme tip of antennae, spurs and claws reddish yellow. Clothed with a few outstanding pale yellow hairs, and very short, fine, sparse, decumbent little yellow hairs. The sculpturation consists of the usual fine reticulation and small puncuters.

The head is narrower and not so massive as in the typical form, more narrowed in front, not so broad and more abruptly rounded behind eyes; mandibles less massive. Thorax narrower, not so robust, more rounded in front and narrowed behind, shoulders quite round; promesonotal suture less deep and broad, no trace of mesoepinotal suture; epinotum entirely unarmed. The scale of the petiole is considerably narrower than in rastellata, the sides are straight, and there are no teeth to the external angles; two extremely small, short, pointed teeth are present in middle of upper border, another close together, the space between being slightly sinuate.

Long. 6 mm.

Type Material

PHILIPPINES, Luzon, Baguio, 28-FEB-1920, col. A. Moore. Syntype workers from The Natural History Museum - as reported by Kohout (2006).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Widodo E. S., T. Naito, M. Mohamed, and Y. Hashimoto. 2004. Effects of selective logging on the arboreal ants of a Bornean rainforest. Entomological Science 7: 341-349.