Polyrhachis paxilla

Kohout 2013): This species is apparently a lignicolous species with a single nest collected from a dry, hollow bamboo internode. The nest was located on the edge of a small patch of lowland rainforest within swampy grassland in Papua New Guinea, a similar habitat to that on Cape York Peninsula where the Australian specimens of P. paxilla were collected. They were found foraging together with Polyrhachis bamaga Kohout, a species of similar appearance and almost identical body sculpturation that belongs to the recently erected subgenus Hirtomyrma Kohout.

Identification
With its characteristic, vermiculate-rugose sculpturation, P. paxilla is easily recognised. It bears some similarity to Polyrhachis lachesis and Forel (1897) redescibed it as P. lachesis maeandrifera.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia. Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea.

Nomenclature

 *  paxilla. Polyrhachis paxillus Smith, F. 1863: 17 (w.) INDONESIA (Martabello I.). Combination in P. (Chariomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 188; in P. (Hagiomyrma): Kohout, 1988c: 435. Senior synonym of maeandrifera: Kohout, 1988c: 435.
 * maeandrifera. Polyrhachis lachesis subsp. maeandrifera Emery, 1897d: 582 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Junior synonym of paxilla: Kohout, 1988c: 435.

Type Material


Polyrhachis paxillus

Holotype worker in. Labelled “Mat” (= Martabello I.) and with a Donisthorpe type-label.

Additional References

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