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Key to Polyrhachis of India
This worker key is based on: Karmaly, K. A. 2004. A new species and a key to species of Polyrhachis Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from India. Pp. 539-551 in: Rajmohana, K., Sudheer, K., Girish Kumar, P., and S. Santhosh. (eds.) Perspectives on biosystematics and biodiversity.
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1
- Thorax armed with spines or teeth . . . . . 2
- Thorax unarmed . . . . . 60
2
return to couplet #1
- Thorax rounded above, sides not margined along their whole length . . . . . 3
- Thorax flat above, sides margined along their whole length . . . . . 37
3
return to couplet #2
- Mesonotum armed with spines . . . . . 4
- Mesonotum unarmed . . . . . 6
4
return to couplet #3
- Petiole spines parallel, not divergent from base . . . . . 5
- Petiole spines not parallel, but divergent from base . . . . . Polyrhachis ypsilon
5
return to couplet #4
- Pronotal spines pointing outwards and curved laterally backwards, forming hooks . . . . . Polyrhachis bihamata
- Pronotal spines pointing outwards and downwards, not curved, not forming hooks . . . . . Polyrhachis bellicosa
6
return to couplet #3
- Metanotum armed with spines . . . . . 7
- Metanotum unarmed . . . . . 33
7
return to couplet #6
- Pubescence soft erect and abundant . . . . . 8
- Pubescence silky, short and recumbent, or sparse and erect, or entirely wanting . . . . . 10
8
return to couplet #7
- Spines on petiole forming hooks [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis furcata
- Spines on petiole not forming hooks . . . . . 9
9
return to couplet #8
- Head smooth, shining, not punctured. . . . . Polyrhachis gracilior
- Head not smooth, not shining, but coarsely punctured . . . . . Polyrhachis rufipes
10
return to couplet #7
- Spines on metanotum forming hooks . . . . . 11
- Spines on metanotum not forming hooks . . . . . 13
11
return to couplet #10
- Abdomen clothed with golden hairs . . . . . Polyrhachis rupicapra
- Abdomen not clothed with hairs . . . . . 12
12
return to couplet #11
- Head and abdomen opaque; thorax finely punctured . . . . . Polyrhachis hodgsoni
- Head and abdomen not opaque, shining; thorax coarsely punctured . . . . . Polyrhachis arachne
13
return to couplet #10
- Basal portion of metanotum without margin laterally . . . . . 14
- Basal portion of metanotum with margin laterally . . . . . 27
14
return to couplet #13
- Pubescence sparse or entirely wanting . . . . . 15
- Pubescence dense, silky and recumbent . . . . . 23
15
return to couplet #14
- Spines on petiole wide-spread encircling front of abdomen . . . . . 16
- Spines on petiole not wide-spread, and not encircling abdomen . . . . . 18
16
return to couplet #15
- Head with a tubercle on either side behind the eyes . . . . . Polyrhachis tubericeps
- Head without a tubercle on either side behind the eyes . . . . . 17
17
return to couplet #16
- Propodeal spines slightly curved [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis lacteipennis
(in part - also #22)
- Propodeal spines not curved . . . . . Polyrhachis thompsoni
18
return to couplet #15
- Head, thorax and abdomen shining; metallic blue or purple . . . . . Polyrhachis venus
- Head, thorax and abdomen not shining, black; abdomen sometimes red . . . . . 19
19
return to couplet #18
- Head, thorax and petiole node coarsely punctured . . . . . 20
- Head, thorax and petiole node finely punctured . . . . . 21
20
return to couplet #19
- Abdomen black; petiole node cubical . . . . . Polyrhachis armata
- Abdomen ferruginous; petiole node arcuate with acute spines. . . . . Polyrhachis fortis
21
return to couplet #19
- Petiolar node with two median vertical short acute spines between spines on upper lateral angles of node . . . . . Polyrhachis hauxwelli
- Petiolar node without median spines between spines on upper lateral angles of node . . . . . 22
22
return to couplet #21
- Metanotal spines erect, slightly bent outwards [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis lacteipennis
(in part - also #17)
- Metanotal spines not erect, strongly curved inwards . . . . . Polyrhachis menelas
23
return to couplet #14
- Abdomen red . . . . . Polyrhachis bicolor
- Abdomen black . . . . . 24
24
return to couplet #23
- Pubescence golden or bronzy yellow . . . . . 25
- Pubescence silvery [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis tibialis
25
return to couplet #24
- Two small teeth between spines on upper lateral angles of petiolar node . . . . . 26
- Three small teeth between spines on upper lateral angles of petiolar node . . . . . Polyrhachis vicina
26
return to couplet #25
- Head short and broad . . . . . Polyrhachis dives
- Head long and broad . . . . . Polyrhachis dives belli
27
return to couplet #13
- Spines on pronotum and metanotum subequal . . . . . 28
- Spines on pronotum and metanotum not subequal . . . . . 30
28
return to couplet #27
- Petiolar node longer than wide . . . . . 29
- Petiolar node not longer than wide, but cubical . . . . . Polyrhachis chalybea
29
return to couplet #28
- Abdomen red; length 7 mm - 9 mm . . . . . Polyrhachis andromache
, Polyrhachis abdominalis, Polyrhachis mutata
- Abdomen bronze green; length 6 mm- 7 mm . . . . . Polyrhachis oedipus
30
return to couplet #27
- Pronotal spines short, stout and straight [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis binghamii
- Pronotal spines long, acute, pointing divergent or straightly pointing forwards . . . . . 31
31
return to couplet #30
- Basal portion of metanotum posteriorly transversely margined . . . . . Polyrhachis pubescens
- Basal portion of metanotum posteriorly bunded by a faint transverse carina . . . . . 32
32
return to couplet #31
- Thorax strongly arched . . . . . Polyrhachis aculeata
- Thorax more gibbous . . . . . Polyrhachis gibbosa
33
return to couplet #6
- Metanotum with spines . . . . . 35
- Metanotum without spines . . . . . 34
34
return to couplet #33
- Abdomen, legs reddish yellow; antennae and front of head reddish . . . . . Polyrhachis laevissima dichroa
- Abdomen, antennae and front of head black; legs blood red . . . . . Polyrhachis laevissima
35
return to couplet #33
- Abdomen very convex above, not depressed . . . . . 36
- Abdomen slightly convex above, strongly depressed . . . . . Polyrhachis wroughtonii
36
return to couplet #35
- Abdomen red, smooth and shining . . . . . Polyrhachis laevigata
- Abdomen black, feebly reticulate, punctate and slightly shining . . . . . Polyrhachis hippomanes ceylonensis
37
return to couplet #2
- Pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum with spines . . . . . Polyrhachis craddocki
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- Pronotum with spine, mesonotum and rnetanotum with or without spines, teeth or tubercles . . . . . 38
38
return to couplet #37
- Pronotum always with a spine; mesonotum and metanotum with triangular lamina . . . . . Polyrhachis horni
- Pronotum with or without spines; mesonotum unarmed; metanotum with teeth or lamina or spine or tubercle . . . . . 39
39
return to couplet #38
- Pronotum with long or short spine . . . . . 40
- Pronotum without spine . . . . . 57
40
return to couplet #39
- Pronotum with long spines . . . . . 41
- Pronotum with short spines or teeth . . . . . 51
41
return to couplet #40
- Petiole node with two long spines on upper angles, and two short lateral spines or teeth . . . . . 42
- Petiole node with four short sub equal spines . . . . . 49
42
return to couplet #41
- Lateral spines or teeth truncate or bimucronate at apex . . . . . 43
- Lateral spines or teeth pointed, not truncate nor bimucronate at apex . . . . . 44
43
return to couplet #42
- Very dense pubescence on body hiding the sculpture . . . . . Polyrhachis proxima
- Very sparse pubescence on body not hiding the sculpture . . . . . Polyrhachis illaudata intermedia
44
return to couplet #42
- Pubescence on body very dense [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis illaudata
- Pubescence on body very sparse or wanting . . . . . 45
45
return to couplet #44
- Basal portion of metanotum convex . . . . . Polyrhachis hemiopticoides
- Basal portion of metanotum not convex, but transversely submargined . . . . . 46
46
return to couplet #45
- Antennal carinae long, divergent posteriorly . . . . . 47
- Antennal carinae short, not divergent posteriorly . . . . . 48
47
return to couplet #46
- Abdomen finely punctured and the punctures seem to run into minutely fine striae . . . . . Polyrhachis striata
- Abdomen simply recticulate punctuate, without the trace of striae . . . . . Polyrhachis striata assamensis
48
return to couplet #46
- Meso-metanotal suture very distinct; legs densely covered with long erect hairs . . . . . Polyrhachis sumatrensis hamulata
- Meso-metanotal suture not very distinct; legs not covered with long erect hairs, smooth . . . . . Polyrhachis yerburyi
49
return to couplet #41
- Pubescence, recumbent and yellowish, length 9 mm – 10 mm . . . . . Polyrhachis striatorugosa
- Pubescence, recumbent and glistening greyish, length 5 mm-6mm . . . . . 50
50
return to couplet #49
- Pronotal spine short . . . . . Polyrhachis convexa
- Pronotal spine long . . . . . Polyrhachis narendrani
51
return to couplet #40
- Petiole node with two long spines on upper lateral angles and two short obtuse teeth between them . . . . . Polyrhachis jerdonii
- Petiole node with three or four spines or teeth . . . . . 52
52
return to couplet #51
- Petiole node quadridentate or quadrispinous . . . . . 53
- Petiole node trispinous . . . . . 55
53
return to couplet #52
- Clypeus carinate . . . . . 54
- Clypeus not carinate [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis punctillata fergusoni
54
return to couplet #53
- Clypeus medially carinate [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis punctillata
- Clypeus posteriorly carinate . . . . . Polyrhachis punctillata smythiesii
55
return to couplet #52
- Antennal carinae divergent posteriorly . . . . . 56
- Antennal carinae not divergent posteriorly . . . . . Polyrhachis frauenfeldi
56
return to couplet #55
- Node of pedicel longer than wide [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis thrinax
- Node of pedicel as long as wide . . . . . Polyrhachis thrinax lancearia
57
return to couplet #39
- Metanotal spines vertical, very small [Kerala) . . . . . Polyrhachis halidayi
- Metanotal spines broad, triangular, pointing backwards . . . . . 58
58
return to couplet #57
- Head and thorax punctured, not striate . . . . . 59
- Head and thorax not punctured, but striate [Kerala) . . . . . Polyrhachis exercita rastrata
59
return to couplet #58
- Petiolar node quadrispinous, equidistant from one another [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis exercita
- Petiolar node quadrispinous, not equidistant from one another . . . . . Polyrhachis exercita obtusisquama
60
return to couplet #1
- Viewed from side thorax very convex, strongly arched and gibbous anteriorly . . . . . Polyrhachis rastellata
- Viewed from side thorax nearly as convex, rounded anteriorly . . . . . Polyrhachis pagana
