Polyrhachis schenckii

Kohout (2013): Polyrhachis schenkii is rather common in suitable localities in open eucalypt forest and savannah woodland. It is a ground nesting species with nest entrances usually hidden under a stone, piece of wood or a tuft of grass.

Identification
Kohout (2013): Polyrhachis schenkii is easily recognised by its small size, light-red or reddish brown colour and the strongly posteriorly converging lateral margins of the promesonotal dorsum. It is one of the most widely distributed Hagiomyrma species, ranging from Papua New Guinea south across the Torres Strait to northern Australia. Polyrhachis schenkii forms a number of variable populations. The pronotal humeri are very narrowly rounded or bluntly angular in Australian specimens, while they are distinctly angular in most specimens from Papua New Guinea. The antennal scapes of specimens from the Northern Territory are somewhat longer than those of other populations (SI 151-159 in specimens from the Northern Territory versus 138-149 in Queensland and PNG specimens). Also, the posterior face of the petiolar node is rather evenly convex in specimens from New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula, while in specimens from north Queensland and the Northern Territory the posterior face is uneven, with the base somewhat broader and swollen in lateral view. However, when specimens across the whole distribution are compared, no other significant differences are evident and I consider them to represent a single, albeit variable, species.

Distribution
Kohout (1988) - Papua New Guinea across the Torres Strait islands to Australia, where it occurs on Cape York Peninsula, and in the Northern Territory.

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

Nomenclature

 *  schenkii. Polyrhachis schenkii Forel, 1886f: 198 (w.) NEW GUINEA. Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1968: 221 (l.). Combination in P. (Hedomyrma): Santschi, 1920a: 569; in P. (Hagiomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 185.