Polyrhachis armata defensa

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Philippines, Singapore. Oriental Region: India.

Nomenclature

 *  defensa. Polyrhachis defensus Smith, F. 1857a: 59 (w.) SINGAPORE. Combination in P. (Myrmhopla): Emery, 1925b: 192. Junior synonym of armata: Roger, 1863b: 9; Dalla Torre, 1893: 258; Wheeler, W.M. 1919e: 129. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of armata: Emery, 1925b: 192; Donisthorpe, 1932c: 445. Senior synonym of minor: Bingham, 1903: 393.
 * minor. Polyrhachis armata var. minor Forel, 1886d: 241 (w.) INDIA. Junior synonym of defensa: Bingham, 1903: 393.

Kohout (2007) - Polyrhachis armata was originally described from the Philippines but the type material has apparently been lost. Consequently I have compared the holotype of Polyrhachis maryatiae with the available syntypes of Polyrhachis pandarus Fr. Smith and Polyrhachis armata defensa Fr. Smith (BMNH and OXUM respectively). Both species were considered by Roger (1863), Dalla Torre (1893) and Wheeler (1919) to be junior synonyms of P. armata . However, P. defensa was later revived from synonymy by Emery (1925) and considered by him and subsequent authors, including Bolton (1995) and Dorow (1995), to be a subspecies of P. armata. This decision was presumably based on variation in the colour of the gaster which is black in the nominate subspecies and reddish-brown in defensa. I strongly suspect that the subspecific status of defensa is unwarranted but am reluctant to formalise the synonymy before a more detailed examination of the variation of P. armata across its entire geographic range.

Polyrhachis defensus

One worker syntype in. Labelled “SING. 9” (= Singapore) and with a Donisthorpe type-label. A second syntype recorded by Smith, from Java, could not be found in or.