Polyrhachis ammonoeides

Polyrhachis ammonoeides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Polyrhachis
Subgenus:	Hagiomyrma
Species group:	ammon
Species:	P. ammonoeides
Binomial name
	Polyrhachis ammonoeides; Roger, 1863 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
	Polyrhachis chalchas Forel, 1907;

Polyrhachis ammonoeides is a ground nesting species with its distribution limited to a relatively narrow band of coastal northwestern Australia, from Dampier in the north almost to Perth in the south.

Identification

A member of the ammon species-group in the Polyrhachis subgenus Hagiomyrma.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -20.3251° to -29.85°.


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

Males in ANIC spirit collection. Immature stages unknown.

Worker


.

Nomenclature

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

ammonoeides. Polyrhachis ammonoeides Roger, 1863a: 157 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in P. (Hagiomyrma): Forel, 1915b: 108. Subspecies of ammon: Forel, 1879a: 116. Revived status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 258. Senior synonym of chalchas: Kohout, 1994a: 135.
chalchas. Polyrhachis chalchas Forel, 1907h: 307 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in P. (Hagiomyrma): Forel, 1915b: 108. Junior synonym of ammonoeides: Kohout, 1994a: 135.

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) - (lectotype cited first): TL c. 8.0, 6.65- 8.52; HL 1.98, 1.65-2.09; HW 1.53, 1.34-1.65; CI 77, 77-82; SL 2.28, 2.09-2.56; SI 149, 146-164; PW 1.34, 1.05-1.50; MW 0.81-0.88; PMI 147-164; MTL 2.65, 2.46-3.12 (25 measured).

Median flange of anterior clypeal margin irregularly jagged with one central tooth and rather blunt lateral angles. Clypeus with median, longitudinal carina, sinuate in profile. Frontal carinae with distinctly raised margins; central area relatively wide, weakly raised medially. Sides of head in front of eyes converging anteriorly in virtually straight line; behind eyes, sides widely rounding into convex occipital margin. Eyes convex, marginally breaking lateral cephalic outline in full face view. Ocelli lacking, only rudimentary lateral ocelli indicated in some specimens. Pronotal dorsum wider than long; humeri narrowly rounded with shallow depression dorsally; lateral margins behind humeri sinuate, distinctly raised and only weakly converging towards promesonotal suture. Lateral margins of mesonotum converging posteriorly in gentle curve towards metanotal groove indicated by weakly impressed, posteriorly bowed line. Propodeum with lateral margins terminating in distinctly divergent, slender, acute spines. Petiole armed with pair of divergent, hook-shaped, acute spines.

Mandibles finely longitudinally striate with numerous piliferous pits towards bases. Head and mesosoma reticulate-punctate; sculpturation on vertex somewhat coarser with numerous shallow pits. Gaster finely shagreened.

Mandibles with medium length, curved, golden hairs at masticatory and outer borders; numerous closely appressed, shorter hairs towards mandibular bases. Several anteriorly directed, longer setae arising from median anterior clypeal margin, shorter setae fringing margin laterally. Long and medium length, golden, mostly erect hairs, some longer than greatest diameter of eyes, on clypeus, along frontal carinae and on vertex, numerous hairs fringing lateral outline of head in full face view. Short, erect hairs along leading edge of antennal scapes. Rather long, golden hairs abundant on most body surfaces, including propodeal declivity and spines, except apices. Hairs somewhat longer and posteriorly inclined on gaster, notably around apex and on venter. Closely appressed, rather sparse, mostly silvery pubescence on head, mesosoma, petiole and venter of gaster; longer, rich golden pubescence on gastral dorsum, completely hiding underlying sculpturation. Black with only mandibular teeth, apical funicular segments and legs dark to very dark reddish-brown.

Queen

Kohout (2013) - Dimensions: TL c. 9.68-10.43; HL 2.18- 2.21; HW 1.68-1.75; CI 76-79; SL 2.37-2.56; SI 139- 149; PW 1.96-2.12; MTL 2.93-2.99 (4 measured).

Apart from sexual characters, closely resembling worker except: pronotal dorsum with humeri rounded and indication of blunt humeral angles. Mesoscutum in dorsal view virtually as long as wide; anterior margin widely rounded in dorsal and lateral views; median line distinct, parapsides rather flat; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum uniformly flat in lateral view. Propodeal and petiolar spines similar to those in worker, but distinctly shorter.

Type Material

Lectotype (designated by Kohout, 1994), worker, Sydney (as Port Jackson), New South Wales, Australia, Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle.
Paralectotype (designated by Kohout, 1994), 1 worker, Sydney (as Port Jackson), New South Wales, Australia, Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle.
Paralectotype (designated by Kohout, 1994), 1 worker, Sydney (as Port Jackson), New South Wales, Australia, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna.
Polyrhachis chalchas Forel, 1907: Syntype, workers, Denham, Geraldton and Dongarra, Western Australia, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
Polyrhachis chalchas Forel, 1907: Syntype, 1 worker, Denham, Western Australia, Australia, Western Australian Museum.

Determination Clarifications

Kohout (2013): Forel was apparently misled by the original type locality given by Roger as Port Jackson and redescribed P. ammonoeides from Western Australia as P. chalchas. He also misinterpreted the short description given by Roger and considered a series of specimens collected by E. Mjöberg at Laura, Queensland (MNHU) to be P. ammonoeides. However, after examining these specimens, I consider they represent the species Polyrhachis cracenta.

References

Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 258, Revived status as species)
Forel, A. 1879a. Études myrmécologiques en 1879 (deuxième partie [1re partie en 1878]). Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 16: 53-128 (page 116, Stirps of ammon)
Forel, A. 1915b. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(1 16: 1-119 (page 108, Combination in P. (Hagiomyrma))
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).
Kohout, R. J. 1994a. New synonymy of three Australian ants (Formicidae: Formicinae: Polyrhachis). Mem. Qld. Mus. 35: 135-136 (page 135, Senior synonym of chalchas)
Kohout, R.J. 2013. Revision of Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) Wheeler, 1911 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, Nature 56, 487-577.
Majer, J.D., Castalanelli, M.A., Ledger, J.L., Gunawardene, N.R., Heterick, B.E. 2018. Sequencing the ant fauna of a small island: Can metagenomic analysis enable faster identification for routine ant surveys? Sociobiology 65, 422-432 (doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v65i3.2885).
Roger, J. 1863a. Die neu aufgeführten Gattungen und Arten meines Formiciden-Verzeichnisses nebst Ergänzung einiger früher gegebenen Beschreibungen. Berl. Entomol. Z. 7: 131-214 (page 157, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Forel A. 1893. Nouvelles fourmis d'Australie et des Canaries. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 37: 454-466.
Kohout R. J. 1994. New synonymy of three Australian ants (Formicidae: Formicinae: Polyrhachis). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 35: 135-136
Kohout R.J. 2013. Revision of Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) Wheeler, 1911 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum Nature 56: 487577
Robson Simon Database Polyrhachis -05 Sept 2014