Polyrhachis micans

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Polyrhachis micans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Polyrhachis
Subgenus: Campomyrma
Species group: micans
Species: P. micans
Binomial name
Polyrhachis micans
Mayr, 1876

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Specimen Labels

Kohout (2013): Polyrhachis micans is the oldest known species of micans group, apparently first collected by Amelia Dietrich, a collector ‘extraordinaire’ for the former Museum Godeffroy in Hamburg. In spite of being a well known species occurring in an easily accessible part of the country, from about Mackay south to Gladstone, P. micans is poorly represented in most collections examined. It has apparently become a relatively rare species, perhaps due to the clearance of its natural habitat for vast areas of sugar cane plantations.

Identification

A member of the Polyrhachis micans species-group. Kohout (2013) - Polyrhachis micans is characterised by a petiole armed with four, almost uniformly distributed spines of subequal length. It is rather similar to Polyrhachis eureka sharing with that species the very finely, mostly longitudinally striate head and mesosoma, however, the sculpturation in P. eureka is distinctly coarser, notably on the mesosomal dorsum. Additional characters separating the species are given under P. eureka.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -15.13333333° to -23.65°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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

Male and immature stages unknown.

Nomenclature

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

  • micans. Polyrhachis micans Mayr, 1876: 76 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in P. (Campomyrma): Santschi, 1920g: 185.

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) - (syntypes dted first): TL c. 9.42-9.93, 8.67-10.63; HL 2.31-2.43, 2.21-2.40; HW 2.09-2.18, 1.95-2.09; Cl 90, 87-89; SL 2.37-2.46, 2.31-2.50; SI 113, 115-120; PW 1.93-2.06, 1.84-203; MTL 2.90-296, 2.71-2.96 (2+6 measured).

Queen

Kohout (2013) - (syntype queen): TL c. 10.03; HL 2.37; HW 2.00; CI 84; 5L 2.25; 51 112; PW 2.28; MTL 2.87 (1 measured).

Type Material

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Kohout R. J. 2008. Two new species of Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) from Australia, based on formerly quadrinomial taxa. Australian Entomologist 35: 161-171
  • Santschi F. 1920. Quelques nouveaux Camponotinae d'Indochine et Australie. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles. 52: 565-569.