Polyrhachis seducta

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

Polyrhachis seducta is known only from Barrow Island. All specimens were collected foraging on the ground and it is highly probable that the species is a terrestrial nester like most other Hagiomyrma species.

Identification

A member of the penelope species-group in the Polyrhachis subgenus Hagiomyrma. Kohout (2013) - Polyrhachis seducta is somewhat similar to Polyrhachis melanura. However, P. seducta can be distinguished by the distinctly deeper body sculpturation, more strongly posteriorly converging promesonotal lateral margins and short, bristle-like hairs on antennal scapes. Polyrhachis seducta is also very similar to Polyrhachis tanami, with both having numerous short hairs on the antennal scapes and a distinctly swollen posterior face of the petiole. They differ mainly by the hairs on dorsum of mesosoma that are erect and very short in P. seducta, while they are longer and distinctly posteriorly directed in P. tanami.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -20.76666667° to -20.78333333°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (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.

Castes

Known only from the worker caste.

Images from AntWeb

Worker. Specimen code antweb1008707. Photographer Lucinda Gibson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MVMA, Melbourne, Australia.

Nomenclature

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

• seducta. Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) seducta Kohout, 2013: 545, figs. 8G-H (w.) AUSTRALIA.

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

Description

Worker

(holotype cited first) TL c. 6.85, 5.64-7.31; HL 1.75, 1.47- 1.75; HW 1.40, 1.18-1.40; CI 80, 80-83; SL 2.06, 1.68-2.06; SI 147, 140-150; PW 1.28, 1.09-1.28; MW 0.82, 0.65-0.84; PMI 156, 156-174; MTL 2.21, 1.72-2.28 (6 measured).

Anterior clypeal margin with denticulate, median flange. Clypeus with median carina, weakly sinuate in profile, posteriorly rounding into moderately impressed basal margin. Frontal triangle indistinct. Frontal carinae sinuate with weakly raised margins; central area flat with distinct frontal furrow. Sides of head in front of eyes converging in virtually straight line towards mandibular bases; behind eyes, sides rounding into convex occipital margin. Eyes moderately convex, in full face view marginally exceeding lateral cephalic outline. Ocelli lacking. Pronotal humeri rounded with anterior margins weakly raised; pronotal dorsum widest at midlength, lateral margins converging into distinctly impressed promesonotal suture. Mesonotal dorsum with lateral margins converging towards indistinct metanotal groove. Propodeal dorsum armed with moderately long, weakly divergent spines. Petiole with posterior face distinctly swollen; dorsum armed with pair of slender, divergent spines with tips weakly curved upwards. Anterior face of first gastral tergite widely rounding onto dorsum.

Mandibles finely longitudinaly striate with piliferious pits. Clypeus closely punctate. Head reticulate-punctate, sculpturation on vertex distinctly coaser and more-or-less regularly, longitudinally striate. Dorsum of mesosoma reticulate-punctate; sculpturation on mesonotum organised into rather uneven, longitudinal striae, curved obliquely towards lateral margins on propodeal dorsum. Sides of mesosoma, declivity and petiole reticulate-punctate. Spines sculptured at bases, smooth and polished towards tips. Gaster closely shagreened, opaque.

Mandibles with numerous, relatively short, curved hairs at masticatory and outer borders. Anterior clypeal margin medially with a few, anteriorly directed setae. Dorsa of head, mesosoma and petiole with numerous, short, bristle-like, golden hairs, many fringing lateral and dorsal outline of head; appendages, including antennal scapes, with very short, erect hairs. Gaster with abundant, posteriorly inclined, marginally longer, golden hairs, distinctly longer around apex and on venter. Very sporadic, short, appressed, silvery pubescence in various densities over most body surfaces; pubescence golden and denser on dorsum of gaster but not hiding underlying sculpturation.

Black; mandibular masticatory borders and appendages dark to very dark reddish-brown.

Type Material

• Holotype, worker, Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia, 20°47′0″S 115°26′0″E, 24.iv.2005, S. Callan, Western Australian Museum.
• Paratype, 1 worker, Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia, 20°47′0″S 115°26′0″E, 24.iv.2005, S. Callan, Queensland Museum.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin seductus, meaning remote, distant, in reference to the species rather isolated occurrence on Barrow Island.

References

• Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Kohout, R. J. 2013c. Revision of Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) Wheeler, 1911 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nature 56:487-577. PDF
• Majer, J.D., Castalanelli, M.A., Ledger, J.L., Gunawardene, N.R., Heterick, B.E. 2018. Sequencing the ant fauna of a small island: Can metagenomic analysis enable faster identification for routine ant surveys? Sociobiology 65, 422-432 (doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v65i3.2885).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Kohout R.J. 2013. Revision of Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) Wheeler, 1911 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 56: 487–577