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 (in part - also )
 * Metanotal spines erect, slightly bent outwards [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis lacteipennis


 * 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 , Polyrhachis abdominalis, Polyrhachis mutata
 * Abdomen red; length 7 mm - 9 mm . . . . . Polyrhachis andromache


 * 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

36
return to couplet #35
 * Abdomen red, smooth and shining . . . . . Polyrhachis laevigata


 * Abdomen black, feebly reticulate, punctate and slightly shining . . . . . Polyrhachis hippomanes ceylonensis

37
return to couplet #2
 * Pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum with spines . . . . . Polyrhachis craddocki


 * Pronotum with spine, mesonotum and rnetanotum with or without spines, teeth or tubercles . . . . . 38

38
return to couplet #37
 * Pronotum always with a spine; mesonotum and metanotum with triangular lamina . . . . . Polyrhachis horni


 * Pronotum with or without spines; mesonotum unarmed; metanotum with teeth or lamina or spine or tubercle . . . . . 39

39
return to couplet #38
 * Pronotum with long or short spine . . . . . 40


 * Pronotum without spine . . . . . 57

40
return to couplet #39
 * Pronotum with long spines . . . . . 41


 * Pronotum with short spines or teeth . . . . . 51

41
return to couplet #40
 * Petiole node with two long spines on upper angles, and two short lateral spines or teeth . . . . . 42


 * Petiole node with four short sub equal spines . . . . . 49

42
return to couplet #41
 * Lateral spines or teeth truncate or bimucronate at apex . . . . . 43


 * Lateral spines or teeth pointed, not truncate nor bimucronate at apex . . . . . 44

43
return to couplet #42
 * Very dense pubescence on body hiding the sculpture . . . . . Polyrhachis proxima


 * Very sparse pubescence on body not hiding the sculpture . . . . . Polyrhachis illaudata intermedia

44
return to couplet #42
 * Pubescence on body very dense [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis illaudata


 * Pubescence on body very sparse or wanting . . . . . 45

45
return to couplet #44
 * Basal portion of metanotum convex . . . . . Polyrhachis hemiopticoides


 * Basal portion of metanotum not convex, but transversely submargined . . . . . 46

46
return to couplet #45
 * Antennal carinae long, divergent posteriorly . . . . . 47


 * Antennal carinae short, not divergent posteriorly . . . . . 48

47
return to couplet #46
 * Abdomen finely punctured and the punctures seem to run into minutely fine striae . . . . . Polyrhachis striata


 * Abdomen simply recticulate punctuate, without the trace of striae . . . . . Polyrhachis striata assamensis

48
return to couplet #46
 * Meso-metanotal suture very distinct; legs densely covered with long erect hairs . . . . . Polyrhachis sumatrensis hamulata


 * Meso-metanotal suture not very distinct; legs not covered with long erect hairs, smooth . . . . . Polyrhachis yerburyi

49
return to couplet #41
 * Pubescence, recumbent and yellowish, length 9 mm – 10 mm . . . . . Polyrhachis striatorugosa


 * Pubescence, recumbent and glistening greyish, length 5 mm-6mm . . . . . 50

50
return to couplet #49
 * Pronotal spine short . . . . . Polyrhachis convexa


 * Pronotal spine long . . . . . Polyrhachis narendrani

51
return to couplet #40
 * Petiole node with two long spines on upper lateral angles and two short obtuse teeth between them . . . . . Polyrhachis jerdonii


 * Petiole node with three or four spines or teeth . . . . . 52

52
return to couplet #51
 * Petiole node quadridentate or quadrispinous . . . . . 53


 * Petiole node trispinous . . . . . 55

53
return to couplet #52
 * Clypeus carinate . . . . . 54


 * Clypeus not carinate [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis punctillata fergusoni

54
return to couplet #53
 * Clypeus medially carinate [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis punctillata


 * Clypeus posteriorly carinate . . . . . Polyrhachis punctillata smythiesii

55
return to couplet #52
 * Antennal carinae divergent posteriorly . . . . . 56


 * Antennal carinae not divergent posteriorly . . . . . Polyrhachis frauenfeldi

56
return to couplet #55
 * Node of pedicel longer than wide [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis thrinax


 * Node of pedicel as long as wide . . . . . Polyrhachis thrinax lancearia

57
return to couplet #39
 * Metanotal spines vertical, very small [Kerala) . . . . . Polyrhachis halidayi


 * Metanotal spines broad, triangular, pointing backwards . . . . . 58

58
return to couplet #57
 * Head and thorax punctured, not striate . . . . . 59


 * Head and thorax not punctured, but striate [Kerala) . . . . . Polyrhachis exercita rastrata

59
return to couplet #58
 * Petiolar node quadrispinous, equidistant from one another [Kerala] . . . . . Polyrhachis exercita


 * Petiolar node quadrispinous, not equidistant from one another . . . . . Polyrhachis exercita obtusisquama

60
return to couplet #1
 * Viewed from side thorax very convex, strongly arched and gibbous anteriorly . . . . . Polyrhachis rastellata


 * Viewed from side thorax nearly as convex, rounded anteriorly . . . . . Polyrhachis pagana