Polyrhachis manusensis

Polyrhachis manusensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Polyrhachis
Subgenus:	Myrma
Species:	P. manusensis
Binomial name
Polyrhachis manusensis Kohout, 2013

This species is evidently endemic to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea.

Identification

A member of the Polyrhachis continua species group in the subgenus Myrma

Polyrhachis manusensis is characterised by its distinctly striate head and rather broad, longitudinally striate dorsum of mesosoma, which has short, broadly based pronotal spines.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Polyrhachis continua group species

Distribution

Manus Island (Admiralty Islands, Bismark Archipelago)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea.

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.

Castes

Sexuals and immature stages unknown.

Nomenclature

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

• manusensis. Polyrhachis manusensis Kohout, 2013: 21, figs. 8, 11-12 (w.) PAPUA NEW GUINEA.

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

Description

Worker

Dimensions (holotype cited first): TL c. 10.84, 9.68-11.34; HL 2.64, 2.34-2.68; HW 2.00, 1.78-2.06; CI 76, 74-78; SL 3.48, 3.22-3.53; SI 174, 169-181; PW 2.15, 1.87-2.18; MTL 3.58, 3.22-3.73 (14 measured).

Anterior clypeal margin arcuate, medially obtusely truncate. Clypeus with poorly defined, blunt median carina; clypeus virtually straight in profile with rather flat basal margin. Frontal triangle distinct. Frontal carinae sinuate with moderately raised margins; central area with poorly defined frontal furrow. Sides of head in front of eyes weakly concave towards mandibular bases; behind eyes, sides produced into blunt carina extending towards rather prominent occipital corners. Eyes mildly protracted posteriorly; in full face view clearly exceeding lateral cephalic outline. Ocelli lacking. Pronotal dorsum distinctly wider than long with relatively short, broad-based, acute spines directed anterolaterally and curved slightly downwards; lateral edges of spines acute and continuous with weakly upturned pronotal margins. Promesonotal suture distinctly impressed; mesonotal dorsum strongly transverse, with moderately raised lateral margins; metanotal groove deeply impressed laterally, rather flat and posteriorly bowed medially. Propodeal dorsum with lateral margins strongly raised anteriorly, virtually flat posteriorly, terminating in blunt propodeal teeth, lateral borders of teeth continuous posteriorly and somewhat curved inwards into declivity. Petiole scale-like, dorsal margin armed with two, broad-based, acute spines with inner margins forming ‘U’-shaped dorsum of segment; lateral margin of petiole below base of each spine with distinct, acute tooth. Anterior face of first gastral segment flat with anterodorsal margin widely rounding onto dorsum of gaster.

Mandibles distinctly, longitudinally striate with numerous piliferous pits towards masticatory borders. Clypeus reticulate-punctate with rest of head and mesosoma, including sides, distinctly, mostly longitudinally striate; propodeal declivity and petiole, including spines, finely reticulate-punctate. Gaster finely reticulate-punctate with sculpture on dorsum somewhat longitudinally striate.

Mandibular masticatory borders and outer margins with numerous, semierect, golden hairs. Anterior clypeal margin medially with several long, anteriorly directed, golden setae with distinct reddish tint and fringe of shorter setae laterally. Numerous short to medium length, erect to semierect hairs on clypeus, along frontal carinae and vertex, many hairs fringing lateral cephalic outline in full face view. Antennal scapes with several semierect, short to medium length hairs along leading edge and a few hairs along inferior edge towards apices. Mesosoma, except declivity, and legs, except dorsal surfaces of femora, with numerous short to medium length, erect hairs; petiole with numerous shorter hairs along lateral margins near base and a few occasional hairs on dorsal spines. Gaster with numerous medium length, posteriorly inclined hairs, increasing in length towards gastral apex. Closely appressed, silvery white or greyish pubescence variously distributed over most body surfaces, somewhat shorter with distinctly reddish tint on gastral dorsum.

Colour. Black; mandibular teeth and apical funicular segments reddish brown. Legs dark to very dark reddish brown; tarsi mostly black. Gaster black, apex and venter dark reddish brown.

Type Material

• Holotype, worker, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, Australian National Insect Collection; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 4 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, Australian National Insect Collection; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 38 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, Queensland Museum; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 2 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, American Museum of Natural History; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 2 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, The Natural History Museum; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 2 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, California Academy of Sciences; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 2 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, Museum of Comparative Zoology; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 2 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 2 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, Berlin Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.
• Paratype, 2 workers, c. 8-10 km WSW of Lorengau, Manus Island Prov., 150-200m, Papua New Guinea, 2°4′S 147°12′E, 27-28 July 1984, R.J. Kohout, Kohout acc. 84.135, National Museum of Natural History; ex nest in tree trunk crevice.

Etymology

Named after Manus Island in the Bismarck Archipelago.

References

• Kohout, R.J. 2013. A review of the Polyrhachis continua species-group of the subgenus Myrma Billberg (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) with keys and descriptions of new species. Australian Entomologist 40(1), 13-46.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Kohout R. J. 2013. A review of the Polyrhachis continua species-group of the subgenus Myrma Billberg (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) with keys and descriptions of new species. Australian Entomologist 40(1): 13-46.