Polyrhachis menozzii

Polyrhachis menozzii builds polydomous nests from silk and vegetation debris upon the leaves of rainforest trees apparently high above ground, with both available nests from PNG collected from the canopy of recently felled rainforest trees (Kohout, 2012).

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

The only specimens of P. menozzii known from Australia are numerous alate queens from light traps set in lowland rainforest at Lockerbie Scrub and Bamaga. Their identity has been confirmed by comparison with the syntypes of the species and worker-associated queens from a nest series from PNG. The distribution of P. menozzii appears to be centred on New Guinea, with the type series specimens collected on the Aru Islands.

Nomenclature

 *  menozzii. Polyrhachis (Myrmatopa) menozzii Karavaiev, 1927e: 9, fig. 2 (w.q.) INDONESIA (Aru I.). See also: Kohout, 2012: 45.

Syntype workers and queen from Wammar, Aru Island, Indonesia, 16.iii.1913 (V. Karavaiev #2596 for w, #2982 for queen) (IZAS, ) (examined by Kohout, 2012).

Additional References

 * Kohout, R.J. 2012. A review of the Australian Polyrhachis ants of the subgenera Myrma Billberg, Myrmatopa Forel, Myrmothrinax Forel and Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 56(1): 25-59.