Polyrhachis goramensis

Karavaiev (1927) reported a collection of the synonymous Polyrhachis obsidiana from a carton nest on a tree trunk, near a stream in the jungle.

Identification
Polyrhachis goramensis is characterised by: a distinctly swollen pronotal dorsum; a moderately impressed pro-mesonotal suture; short, acute propodeal spines that are sometimes reduced to a pair of tubercules, and distinctly elongated lateral petiolar spines. It is rather similar to Polyrhachis integra from Indonesia. Both have a rather massive pronotum with widely rounded sides, the mesosomal dorsum rapidly descending from the summit of the pronotum to the declivity and short, but distinct, propodeal spines. However, they are easily distinguished, with Polyrhachis integra having a distinctly higher pronotum, the mesonotum virtually straight in lateral view, and the lateral petiolar spines reduced to short teeth. In Polyrhachis goramensis the mesonotal dorsum is convex in lateral view and the widely diverging lateral petiolar spines are more than twice as long as the dorsal pair. (Kohout 2006)

Distribution
Endemic to Seram Island.

This taxon was described from Indonesia (Goram Island).

Nomenclature

 *  goramensis. Polyrhachis rastellata var. goramensis Emery, 1887a: 239 (w.) INDONESIA (Goram I.). Combination in P. (Cyrtomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 208. Subspecies of euryala: Donisthorpe, 1938c: 260. Raised to species and senior synonym of coronata: Kohout, 1998: 527. See also: Kohout, 2006b: 126.
 * obsidiana. Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) obsidiana Karavaiev, 1927e: 50, fig. 21 (w.q.m.) INDONESIA (Ambon I.). [Junior primary homonym of obsidiana Emery, above.] Replacement name: coronata Santschi, 1928h: 140.
 * coronata. Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) coronata Santschi, 1928h: 140. Replacement name for obsidiana Karavaiev, 1927e: 50. [Junior primary homonym of obsidiana Emery, 1921e: 21.] Junior synonym of goramensis: Kohout, 1998: 527.

Worker
Questi esemplari sono un po' piu grandi degli altri; differiscono dalla forma tipica, per la lunghezza maggiore delle spine laterali della squama. Pero la lunghezza relativa di queste spine varia moltissimo anche nella forma tipica, per cui questa differenza non ha molta importanza. I piedi sono per lo piu neri. Alcuni esemplari offrono deboli tracce di denti al metanoto.

Queen
[[Media:Karavaiev 1927 pages 50 and 51.pdf | Description of the synonymous Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) obsidiana]] (Karavaiev 1927).

Male
[[Media:Karavaiev 1927 pages 50 and 51.pdf | Description of the synonymous Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) obsidiana]] (Karavaiev 1927).

Type Material
Syntype workers – as reported by Kohout (2006).

Type Locality Information
INDONESIA, Goram Island (= Seram Island), col. L.M. D’Albertis.

Additional References
Emery, E. 1887. Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell’ Australia. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova 4(2):209-258.

Karavaiev, V. 1927. Ameisen aus dem Indo-Australischen Gebiet III. Académie des Sciences de l’Ukraïne. Memoires de la Classe des Sciences Physiques et Mathématiques 7(1). Travaux du Musée Zoologique 3: 3-52.

Kohout, R. J. 2006. Review of Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) of Australia, Borneo, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands with descriptions of new species. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 52:87-146.