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Polyrhachis hemiopticoides
| Polyrhachis hemiopticoides | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Camponotini |
| Genus: | Polyrhachis |
| Subgenus: | Myrma |
| Species group: | aculeata |
| Species complex: | aculeata |
| Species: | P. hemiopticoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Polyrhachis hemiopticoides Mukerjee, 1930 | |
Identification
A member of the Polyrhachis aculeata species group in the subgenus Myrma
Polyrhachis hemiopticoides is a rather elegant species closely resembling both Polyrhachis aculeata and Polyrhachis cybele. It shares with the former a slender body with rather long and slender pronotal and petiolar spines and markedly light, reddish brown appendages. In contrast, P. cybele is more robust with thicker and shorter pronotal and petiolar spines and has generally very dark appendages. The petiole in P. hemiopticoides and P. cybele is broadly transverse, with a distinctly arcuate dorsal edge and dorsolateral spines arising obliquely from close to the posterior face of the petiole. As a result, the dorsal edge of the petiole is clearly visible in lateral view. In comparison, the dorsal edge of the petiole in P. aculeata is less prominent and, in lateral view, is hidden by the more upright dorsolateral spines. Polyrhachis aculeata also differs by the presence of numerous, relatively long, erect or semierect hairs that, in both the other species, are distinctly less abundant and virtually confined to the head and gaster (see also Kohout 2008: 258, 271).
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India (type locality), Laos, Thailand.
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. |
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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. |
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Biology
Castes
Sexuals and immature stages unknown.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- hemiopticoides. Polyrhachis (Myrma) hemiopticoides Mukerjee, 1930: 161, fig. 5 (w.) INDIA.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Kohout (2013): Worker. Dimensions: TL c. 6.55-7.31; HL 1.68-1.81; HW 1.40-1.56; CI 83-86; SL 2.03-2.06; SI 132-145; PW 1.18-1.28; MTL 2.12-2.21 (3 measured).
Type Material
Kohout (2013): I did not have the opportunity to examine the syntypes of P. hemiopticoides lodged in the Indian Museum in Calcutta. In lieu of the original types, I have examined, by the courtesy of Dr Himender Bharti of Punjabi University, Patiala, India (PUPI), a specimen from Ayur identified by the original author (see Mukerjee 1934: 11-12).
- Syntype, workers, Calcutta, India, C.A. Paiva, Indian Museum, Calcutta; (see Kohout, 2013).
References
- Khachonpisitsak, S., Yamane, S., Sriwichai, P., Jaitrong, W. 2020. An updated checklist of the ants of Thailand (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 998, 1–182 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.998.54902).
- Kohout, R.J. 2013. A review of the Polyrhachis aculeata species-group of the subgenus Myrma Billberg (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae), with keys and descriptions of new species. Australian Entomologist, 40, 137-171.
- Mukerjee, D. 1930. Report on a collection of ants in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 34: 149-163 (page 161, fig. 5 worker described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Kohout R. J. 2013. A review of the Polyrhachis aculeata species-group of the subgenus Myrma Billberg (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae), with keys and descriptions of new species. Australian Entomologist 40(3): 137-171.