Polyrhachis lanuginosa

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
A member of the Polyrhachis revoili species-group. Bolton (1973) - The arcuate clypeal margin, lacking a rectangular, truncated lobe, relates this species to Polyrhachis revoili and its immediate allies. It is distinguished by the abundant long hairs and the presence of transverse ridges on the propodeum as opposed to teeth. The numerous hairs on the species give it a superficial resemblance to Polyrhachis khepra, but the latter lacks sutures on the dorsum of the alitrunk, and its pronotum and propodeum are unsculptured.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Cameroun, Congo.

Nomenclature

 *  lanuginosa. Polyrhachis lanuginosa Santschi, 1910c: 394, fig. 17 (w.) CONGO. Combination in P. (Pseudocyrtomyrma): Emery, 1921e: 24; in P. (Myrma): Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 997. Senior synonym of conradti, felici: Bolton, 1973b: 335.
 * santschii. Polyrhachis (Pseudocyrtomyrma) lanuginosa subsp. santschii Emery, 1921e: 24 (q.) CAMEROUN. [Junior primary homonym of santschii Mann, above.] Replacement name: conradti Santschi, 1923e: 293.
 * conradti. Polyrhachis (Pseudocyrtomyrma) lanuginosa st. conradti Santschi, 1923e: 293. Replacement name for santschii Emery, 1921e: 24. [Junior primary homonym of santschii Mann, 1919: 375.] Junior synonym of lanuginosa: Bolton, 1973b: 335.
 * felici. Polyrhachis (Pseudocyrtomyrma) lanuginosa subsp. felici Emery, 1925b: 206. Unnecessary (second) replacement name for santschii Emery, 1921e: 24. [Junior primary homonym of santschii Mann, 1919: 375.] Junior synonym of lanuginosa: Bolton, 1973b: 335.

Worker
Bolton (1973) - TL 5.9-6.1, HL 1.52-1.59, HW 1.26-1.29, CI 79-84, SL 1.76-1.78, SI 132-138, PW 1.11-1.15, MTL 1.70-1.78. (2 measured.)

Anterior clypeal margin arcuate and entire. Eyes convex, sides of head in front of eyes gently convex, somewhat convergent anteriorly; behind the eyes the sides rounding into the convex occipital margin. Alitrunk convex, not marginate. Pronotum armed with a pair of short spines, directed outwards and slightly forwards. Promesonotal suture distinct, arcuate; metanotal groove extremely faint, barely breaking the sculpturation on the dorsum. In profile the. propodeum appears. to be armed with a pair of upcurved teeth but in dorsal view these are resolved as a pair of short, transverse ridges, interrupted medially by a small gap where the propodeal dorsum curves into the declivity. Petiole with a pair of long dorsal spines and a lateral pair of small teeth. Anterior surface of first gastral segment concave medially.

Entire body abundantly clothed with long, curved or sinuate, yellow-white, erect hairs. Pubescence long and greyish in colour, most abundant on the appendages and gaster.

Clypeus and gaster finely reticulate. Head finely, longitudinally rugose with some reticulation, more distinctly reticulate-rugose in the space separating the eye from the frontal carina. Dorsum of alitrunk finely longitudinally rugose, more irregularly so on the pronotum than elsewhere. Laterally the alitrunk is reticulate-rugose. Colour black, the antennal funiculi yellow-brown, the tarsi dark brown or black.

Queen
Bolton (1973) - Originally described as a subspecies, but now accepted as the female of lanuginosa. The original description of the female gives a number of differences from the worker which are usual in the genus, namely that the female resembles the worker except for slight differences in sculpturation (finer), reduction in size of spines and teeth on the alitrunk, and the petiolar spines a little longer than in the worker.

Type Material
Bolton (1973) - Syntype workers, CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE) Mindouli (A. Weiss) (NM) [examined].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Emery C. 1921. Le genre Polyrhachis. Classification; espèces nouvelles ou critiques. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 54: 17-25.
 * Yanoviak S. P., B. L. Fisher, and A. Alonso. 2007. Arboreal ant diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a central African forest. African Journal of Ecology. 46(1): 60-66.