Key to Polyrhachis of India

This worker key is based on: Karmaly, K. A. 2004. A new species and a key to species of Polyrhachis Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from India. Pp. 539-551 in: Rajmohana, K., Sudheer, K., Girish Kumar, P., and S. Santhosh. (eds.) Perspectives on biosystematics and biodiversity.

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Polyrhachis

1

 * Thorax armed with spines or teeth . . . . . 2


 * Thorax unarmed . . . . . 60

2
return to couplet #1
 * Thorax rounded above, sides not margined along their whole length . . . . . 3


 * Thorax flat above, sides margined along their whole length . . . . . 37

3
return to couplet #2
 * Mesonotum armed with spines . . . . . 4


 * Mesonotum unarmed . . . . . 6

4
return to couplet #3
 * Petiole spines parallel, not divergent from base . . . . . 5


 * Petiole spines not parallel, but divergent from base . . . . . Polyrhachis ypsilon

5
return to couplet #4
 * Pronotal spines pointing outwards and curved laterally backwards, forming hooks . . . . . Polyrhachis bihamata


 * Pronotal spines pointing outwards and downwards, not curved, not forming hooks . . . . . Polyrhachis bellicosa

6
return to couplet #3
 * Metanotum armed with spines . . . . . 7


 * Metanotum unarmed . . . . . 33

7
return to couplet #6
 * Pubescence soft erect and abundant . . . . . 8


 * Pubescence silky, short and recumbent, or sparse and erect, or entirely wanting . . . . . 10

8
return to couplet #7
 * Spines on petiole forming hooks [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis furcata


 * Spines on petiole not forming hooks . . . . . 9

9
return to couplet #8
 * Head smooth, shining, not punctured. . . . . Polyrhachis gracilior


 * Head not smooth, not shining, but coarsely punctured . . . . . Polyrhachis rufipes

10
return to couplet #7
 * Spines on metanotum forming hooks . . . . . 11


 * Spines on metanotum not forming hooks . . . . . 13

11
return to couplet #10
 * Abdomen clothed with golden hairs . . . . . Polyrhachis rupicapra


 * Abdomen not clothed with hairs . . . . . 12

12
return to couplet #11
 * Head and abdomen opaque; thorax finely punctured . . . . . Polyrhachis hodgsoni


 * Head and abdomen not opaque, shining; thorax coarsely punctured . . . . . Polyrhachis arachne

13
return to couplet #10
 * Basal portion of metanotum without margin laterally . . . . . 14


 * Basal portion of metanotum with margin laterally . . . . . 27

14
return to couplet #13
 * Pubescence sparse or entirely wanting . . . . . 15


 * Pubescence dense, silky and recumbent . . . . . 23

15
return to couplet #14
 * Spines on petiole wide-spread encircling front of abdomen . . . . . 16


 * Spines on petiole not wide-spread, and not encircling abdomen . . . . . 18

16
return to couplet #15
 * Head with a tubercle on either side behind the eyes . . . . . Polyrhachis tubericeps


 * Head without a tubercle on either side behind the eyes . . . . . 17

17
return to couplet #16
 * Propodeal spines slightly curved [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis lacteipennis (in part - also )


 * Propodeal spines not curved . . . . . Polyrhachis thompsoni

18
return to couplet #15
 * Head, thorax and abdomen shining; metallic blue or purple . . . . . Polyrhachis venus


 * Head, thorax and abdomen not shining, black; abdomen sometimes red . . . . . 19

19
return to couplet #18
 * Head, thorax and petiole node coarsely punctured . . . . . 20


 * Head, thorax and petiole node finely punctured . . . . . 21

20
return to couplet #19
 * Abdomen black; petiole node cubical . . . . . Polyrhachis armata


 * Abdomen ferruginous; petiole node arcuate with acute spines. . . . . Polyrhachis fortis

21
return to couplet #19
 * Petiolar node with two median vertical short acute spines between spines on upper lateral angles of node . . . . . Polyrhachis hauxwelli


 * Petiolar node without median spines between spines on upper lateral angles of node . . . . . 22

22
return to couplet #21
 * Metanotal spines erect, slightly bent outwards [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis lacteipennis (in part - also )


 * Metanotal spines not erect, strongly curved inwards . . . . . Polyrhachis menelas

23
return to couplet #14
 * Abdomen red . . . . . Polyrhachis bicolor


 * Abdomen black . . . . . 24

24
return to couplet #23
 * Pubescence golden or bronzy yellow . . . . . 25


 * Pubescence silvery [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis tibialis

25
return to couplet #24
 * Two small teeth between spines on upper lateral angles of petiolar node . . . . . 26


 * Three small teeth between spines on upper lateral angles of petiolar node . . . . . Polyrhachis vicina

26
return to couplet #25
 * Head short and broad . . . . . Polyrhachis dives


 * Head long and broad . . . . . Polyrhachis dives belli

27
return to couplet #13
 * Spines on pronotum and metanotum subequal . . . . . 28


 * Spines on pronotum and metanotum not subequal . . . . . 30

28
return to couplet #27
 * Petiolar node longer than wide . . . . . 29


 * Petiolar node not longer than wide, but cubical . . . . . Polyrhachis chalybea

29
return to couplet #28
 * Abdomen red; length 7 mm - 9 mm . . . . . Polyrhachis andromache, Polyrhachis abdominalis, Polyrhachis mutata


 * Abdomen bronze green; length 6 mm- 7 mm . . . . . Polyrhachis aedipus

30
return to couplet #27
 * Pronotal spines short, stout and straight [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis binghamii


 * Pronotal spines long, acute, pointing divergent or straightly pointing forwards . . . . . 31

31
return to couplet #30
 * Basal portion of metanotum posteriorly transversely margined . . . . . Polyrhachis pubescens


 * Basal portion of metanotum posteriorly bunded by a faint transverse carina . . . . . 32

32
return to couplet #31
 * Thorax strongly arched . . . . . Polyrhachis aculeata


 * Thorax more gibbous . . . . . Polyrhachis gibbosa

33
return to couplet #6
 * Metanotum with spines . . . . . 35


 * Metanotum without spines . . . . . 34

34
return to couplet #33
 * Abdomen, legs reddish yellow; antennae and front of head reddish . . . . . Polyrhachis laevissima dichroa


 * Abdomen, antennae and front of head black; legs blood red . . . . . Polyrhachis laevissima

35
return to couplet #33
 * Abdomen very convex above, not depressed . . . . . 36


 * Abdomen slightly convex above, strongly depressed . . . . . Polyrhachis wroughtonii