Polyrhachis pagana

Identification
Kohout (2008) - When describing P. pagana, Santschi compared his new variety to Polyrhachis euryala and Polyrhachis rastellata. He noted that it differed from P. euryala by having the dorsal petiolar spines longer and finer than the lateral pair, and from P. rastellata by its black appendages. Besides the characters listed above, P. euryala differs from both other species by its distinctly slender mesosoma with the greatest width of the pronotal dorsum at its mid-length. In contrast, both Polyrhachis rastellata and P. pagana feature a more robust pronotal dorsum which is widest across or just behind the shoulders. The two latter species differ mainly by the colour of their legs that are mostly light to medium-red or orange in P. rastellata and black in P. pagana. In addition, the mesosomal profile in P. rastellata is distinctly uneven, with a rather flat or shallowly impressed summit at the promesonotal suture and a weak depression indicating the relative position of the indistinct metanotal groove. In contrast, the mesosoma in P. pagana is almost evenly rounded (more like that in P. euryala), with only a slight change in the angle of the profile at the steeply descending propodeal declivity.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India.

Nomenclature

 *  pagana. Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) rastellata var. pagana Santschi, 1928h: 134, fig. 2 (w.) INDIA. Raised to species: Kohout, 2008a: 258.

Type Material
Kohout (2008) - Holotype worker. INDIA, Kanara (Bell), (examined).