Polyrhachis asomaningi

Polyrhachis asomaningi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Polyrhachis
Subgenus:	Myrma
Species group:	militaris
Species:	P. asomaningi
Binomial name
	Polyrhachis asomaningi; Bolton, 1973 Specimen labels

An arboreal, forest species. The type specimens were obtained from fogging samples in primary forest in Ghana.

Identification

A member of the Polyrhachis militaris species-group. Bolton (1973) - Closely related to fissa and its allies but separated from them by the presence of long, erect hairs standing out from the antennal scapes. Also characteristic of the species is the sculpturation, which is coarser and less organised than in others of the complex where it tends to form organised longitudinal or transverse rugae or striae on the entirety of the dorsal alitrunk.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Central African Republic, Gabon, Ghana (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

Images from AntWeb


Worker. Specimen code casent0415705. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

asomaningi. Polyrhachis asomaningi Bolton, 1973b: 298, figs. 44, 53 (w.) GHANA.

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

Description

Worker

Holotype. TL 5.9, HL 1.29, HW 1.07, CI 80, SL 1.40, SI 130, PW 1.22, MTL 1.37.

Mandibles with five teeth; the anterior clypeal margin with a small, shallow median concavity. Eyes strongly convex, the sides of the head in front of the eyes shallowly convex and converging anteriorly. Behind the eyes the sides form a blunt angle with the shallowly convex occipital margin. Pronotum and mesonotum strongly marginate laterally, the propodeum more weakly so; the margination interrupted at the sutures. Pronotum armed with a pair of broad, flat, triangular spines whose outer edges form a continuous convexity with the lateral marginations of the segment, which incurve strongly to the promesonotal suture. In dorsal view the lateral marginations of the mesonotum are convexly arcuate, those of the propodeum about parallel. Pronotum and mesonotum gently transversely convex dorsally, the propodeum more sharply so, armed posteriorly with a pair of small upcurved spines. Declivity of propodeum strongly concave. Promesonotal suture distinct, weakly arched; metanotal groove broad and deeply impressed. Petiole armed with two pairs of spines, the dorsal pair somewhat shorter than the laterals which are directed outwards and weakly upwards and backwards. Anterior face of first gastral segment concave, to receive the convex posterior surface of the petiole.

Head, dorsal surfaces of body and the appendages with abundant long, off-white, erect hairs. Pubescence long, greyish, very sparse.

Clypeus very finely reticulate-rugose, more coarse on the sides of the median portion than on the centre. Sides of head reticulate-rugose, the dorsum longitudinally rugose with only a few transverse rugae. Dorsum of pronotum as dorsum of head, the longitudinal rugae predominating except on the lateral portions where a rugoreticulum is apparent. Dorsal surfaces of mesonotum and propodeum with a disoriented rugoreticulum which is also present, though finer, on the anterior surface of the petiole. The sides of the alitrunk more finely reticulate-rugose. Propodeal declivity finely rugose, more shiny thau the dorsum. Gaster coarsely and densely reticulate-punctate.

Colour black, dull, the gaster and propodeal declivity dully shining. Apical funicular segments yellowish brown.

Paratypes as holotype but with the following range of dimensions: TL 5.4-5.9, HL 1.22-1.34, HW 1.07-1.11, CI 79-86, SL 1.37-1.45, SI 128-130, PW 1.22-1.29, MTL 1.37-1.45. (6).

Type Material

Holotype worker, GHANA : Eastern Region, Mt Atewa, primary forest, by pyrethrum knock-down, sample A 12/6, 25.vii.1969 (D. Leston) (The Natural History Museum).

Paratype workers. GHANA : 2, Eastern Region, Mt Atewa, primary forest by pyrethrum knock-down, sample A 12/6, 25.vii.1969 (D. Leston) (BMNH); 2, same data as holotype but 23.vii.1969, samples A 7/3, A 7/4 (D. Leston) (UG, Legon; BMNH); 2, same data as holotype but 27.vii.1969, samples A 8/4, A 8/5 (D. Leston) BMNH).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Bolton B. 1973. The ant genus Polyrhachis F. Smith in the Ethiopian region (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 28: 283-369.
Robson Simon Database Polyrhachis -05 Sept 2014