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Polyrhachis kohli
| Polyrhachis kohli | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Camponotini |
| Genus: | Polyrhachis |
| Subgenus: | Myrma |
| Species group: | revoili |
| Species: | P. kohli |
| Binomial name | |
| Polyrhachis kohli Forel, 1916 | |
Nothing is known about the biology of Polyrhachis kohli.
Identification
Rigato (2016) - A hairy, moderately large revoili-group species with immarginate mesosoma, propodeal dorsum distinctly longer than wide, and long and sinuous standing hairs on the appendages.
The main distinctive features of gynes (Polyrhachis volkarti was described on a single gyne only) are as follows:
| Polyrhachis kohli (paralectotype gyne) | Polyrhachis volkarti (type gyne) |
| Standing hairs longer and often sinuous. Length of longest standing hairs on extensor tibial surface approaching the tibial width at midlength. Scutum and scapes with long, flexuous hairs, often more than twice as long as scape diameter. | Standing hairs shorter, straight to uniformly curved. Length of longest standing hairs on extensor tibial surface at most approaching half of the tibial width at midlength. Scutum and scapes with relatively short and straight hairs, at most about 1.5 as long as scape diameter. |
| Propodeal ridges much closer to one another, they are separated by a space slightly larger than the length of a single ridge. The distance between ridges’ outer ends is less that the length of the propodeal dorsum. | Propodeal ridges widely separated, the space between them much larger than the length of a single ridge. The distance between ridges’ outer ends is larger than the length of the propodeal dorsum. |
| In profile, propodeal dorsum about as long as the declivity. | In profile, propodeal dorsum distinctly shorter than the declivity. |
The three workers of the type series of P. kohli are evidently conspecific with the gyne and their propodea appear unusually narrow and elongate in dorsal view when compared to similar species (see Polyrhachis submarginata).
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Democratic Republic of Congo (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. |
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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
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- kohli. Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) kohli Forel, 1916: 454 (w.q.) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. Combination in P. (Pseudocyrtomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 206. Junior synonym of volkarti: Bolton, 1973b: 341. Status as species: Rigato, 2016: 26.
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
Rigato (2016) - Lectotype: HL 1.37, HW 0.99, CI 72, SL 1.74, SI 175, FW 0.37, FI 37, PW 0.88, WL 1.87–, HTL 1.70.
Clypeus with relatively narrow protruding rectangular anterior lobe at its anterior margin. Head in full face view elongate oval, with anteriorly converging sides and convex posterior margin. Eyes moderately large and protruding. Mesosoma slender, fully immarginate, both transversely and longitudinally convex. In dorsal view, proand mesonotum look weakly transverse and the propodeum twice as long as wide, when considering as a reference width the outer ends of the propodeal ridges. In profile, propodeal dorsum a little longer than the declivity. Pronotal teeth small, their anterior edge almost perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body. Propodeal dorsum and declivity separated by two moderately developed ridges, leaving a narrow gap between them; the gap is slightly narrower than each ridge. Promesonotal and metanotal sutures weak. Petiole with a dorsal pair of moderately long, diverging spines and a lateral pair of small sharp teeth; the dorsal margin of the petiole almost straight and about 1.5 times as long as each spine. First gastral tergite anteriorly concave.
Mandibles weakly sculptured: proximally subopaque and shagreened and becoming apically smoother. Clypeus superficially reticulate. Head dorsum mostly irregularly longitudinally rugulose. Mesosoma and petiole reticulate-punctate, mesosomal dorsum with a more or less developed superimposed longitudinal rugulation. Appendages finely reticulate-punctate. Gaster finely reticulate and weakly shining.
Standing hairs fine, abundant and mostly pale and flexuous throughout. Longest hairs on tibiae approaching the maximum tibial width; longest hairs on scapes about thrice as long as the scape diameter. Pubescence whitish, moderately long and dense on most body surfaces, but never hiding sculpturation.
Body black, mandibles brown, becoming almost testaceous apically. Legs mostly piceous, with tibiae, except basally, and apical tarsal segments ferrugineous. Antennae with mostly piceous scape; funiculus ferrugineous, except the darkened base of its basalmost 4-5 joints.
Paralectotypes (n=2): HL 1.28–1.40, HW 0.94–1.02, CI 73, SL 1.65–1.70, SI 167–176, FW 0.35–0.37, FI 36–37, PW 0.83–0.87, WL 1.76–1.83, HTL 1.43–1.62.
Queen
Rigato (2016) - HL 1.63, HW 1.15, CI 71, SL 2.05, SI 178, FW 0.42, FI 37, ScW 1.45, MnL 1.87, WL 2.63, HTL 2.05.
Type Material
Rigato (2016) - Lectotype worker (CASENT0910954), two paralectotype worker and one paralectotype gyne (by present designation), DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC of the CONGO (H. Kohl). (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève) [examined].
References
- Bolton, B. 1973b. The ant genus Polyrhachis F. Smith in the Ethiopian region (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Entomol. 28: 283-369 (page 341, Junior synonym of volkarti)
- Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 206, Combination in P. (Pseudocyrtomyrma))
- Forel, A. 1916. Fourmis du Congo et d'autres provenances récoltées par MM. Hermann Kohl, Luja, Mayné, etc. Reue. Suisse de Zoologie. 24:397-460.
- Rigato, F. 2016. The ant genus Polyrhachis F. Smith in sub-Saharan Africa, with descriptions of ten new species. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa. 4088:1–50.
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- Rigato F. 2016. The ant genus Polyrhachis F. Smith in sub-Saharan Africa, with descriptions of ten new species. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 4088: 1-50.