Myrmhopla

This is currently a subgenus of Polyrhachis. Please see Polyrhachis for further information.

Species Groups
Myrmhopla is diverse and most species are, for convenience, placed into one of the following species groups

flavoflagellata species group
Kohout (2008) species-group worker diagnosis:

Worker. Mostly small to medium-sized ants (HL 1.15-1.85) with general characteristics of the genus. Anterior clypeal margin arcuate and entire, or medially truncate, or with a deeply emarginate median flange. Head disproportionally large compared to rest of body with eyes relatively flat, situated close to posterolateral corners. Mesosoma rather flat, laterally immarginate, humeri armed with short, triangular teeth. Propodeal spines relatively short, more-or-less horizontal, or distinctly elevated. Petiole with a pair of lateral spines that are either acute and posteriorly directed (as in e.g. P. flavoflagellata), or reduced to obtuse, laterally directed stumps (as in P. stylifera). Dorsum of petiole with a pair of short but distinct, acute intercalary spines (as in P. flavoflagellata and P. muara) or blunt tuberculae (as in P. stylifera) or smoothly rounded (as in P. storki). Head and body closely and finely punctate; gaster very finely shagreened. Hairs virtually absent from most of body, except a few, rather short, erect hairs on front of head and around gastral apex. Closely appressed, silvery or golden pubescence present in various densities over most dorsal surfaces. Mostly black, with only base of gaster and appendages sometimes light to dark reddish brown.

key to flavoflagellata species group
Key to workers of the flavoflagellata group (Kohout, 2008)

1.
Lateral petiolar spines reduced to blunt, stumplike, lateral projections (Cambodia).....stylifera Karavaiev

Lateral petiolar spines relatively long, acute, dorsoposteriorly diverging..... 2

2.
Anterior clypeal margin with deeply emarginate median flange; dorsum of petiole without intercalary teeth or spines.....storki Kohout

Anterior clypeal margin entire or simplytruncate with a shallow median emargination; dorsum of petiole with a pair of distinct intercalary spines..... 3

3.
Propodeal spines distinctly dorsoposteriorly elevated from their bases (Fig. 2); bicoloured, body black, base of gaster and appendages mostly light reddish-brown.....flavoflagellata Karavaiev

Propodeal spines more-or-less horizontal (Fig. 4); virtually unicoloured, body black, appendages black or very dark reddish-brown.....muara Kohout

sexspinosa species group
Dorow (1995):

EMERY (1925) described the workers as: "petiole long, anteriorly with an elevated angle in profile, spines inserting distally, spines relatively short and only little diverging; head long, distally narrowing; sculpture rugose; large species" (own translation). Additional data of this group are: Large slender species (TL: 8-13 mm) with an immarginate thorax. Long slender spines are present on prothorax, propodeum and petiole, only in Polyrhachis calypso the petiolar spines are curved hook-like. The head is elongately oval in frontal view. The long and spider-like legs and the antennae are round in transection, the genae are immarginate. only the neck might wear a "frill". The mat body is usually sculptured rugosely, the shiny gaster is often only finely punctate. Polyrhachis melpomene in contrast has a striate body sculpture except on the gaster. Erect hairs and appressed pubescence are usually numerous. The body colour is black, brownish or reddish.

These species arc polydomous weaver ants of the shrub and tree layer.

This group. which was established by EMERY (1925), today comprises 17 species. Polyrhachis melpomene, which was placed by EMERY (1925) into the Polyrhachis-dives-group, and Polyrhachis olybrius (=Polyrhachis olybria), which he could not associate, also belong to this species-group. BOLTON (1975) and KOHOUT (1987) (for the Philippines) revised this group.

Distribution: Australia. India. Indonesia. Malaysia, New Guinea. New Caledonia, Philippines. Solomons. Singapore. Thailand (new). This group has evolutionary centers in New Guinea and in the Philippines.

Nomenclature

 *  MYRMHOPLA [subgenus of Polyrhachis]
 * Myrmhopla Forel, 1915b: 107 [as subgenus of Polyrhachis]. Type-species: Formica armata, by original designation.
 * Myrmhopla senior synonym of Cephalomyrma, Florencea: Hung, 1967b: 402.
 * CEPHALOMYRMA [junior synonym of Myrmhopla]
 * Cephalomyrma Karavaiev, 1935a: 115 [as subgenus of Polyrhachis]. Type-species: Polyrhachis (Cephalomyrma) stylifera, by monotypy.
 * Cephalomyrma junior synonym of Myrmhopla: Hung, 1967b: 402.
 * FLORENCEA [junior synonym of Myrmhopla]
 * Florencea Donisthorpe, 1937a: 624 [as subgenus of Polyrhachis]. Type-species: Polyrhachis (Florencea) kirkae (junior synonym of Polyrhachis nigriceps), by original designation.
 * Florencea junior synonym of Myrmhopla: Hung, 1967b: 402.

Additional References

 * [[Media:Kohout-2008.pdf|Kohout, R.J. 2009a. A new species of the Polyrhachis (Myrmhopla) flavoflagellata-group from Borneo. Asian Myrmecology 2 (2008): 11-16. PDF]]


 * [[Media:Kohout 2010.pdf|Kohout, R.J. 2010. A review of the Australian Polyrhachis ants of the subgenera Myrmhopla Forel and Hirtomyrma subgen. nov. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 55: 167-204. PDF]]