Polyrhachis durbanensis

The species has been found inside the hollow stems of reeds, but whether this also constitutes the nest site is not known. (Bolton 1973)

Identification
A member of the Polyrhachis viscosa species-group.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: South Africa.

Nomenclature

 *  durbanensis. Polyrhachis (Myrma) cubaensis r. durbanensis Forel 1914d: 262 (w.q.) SOUTH AFRICA. Raised to species: Bolton, 1973b: 327.

Worker
Bolton (1973) - TL 6.7-7.3, HL 1.59-1.70, HW 1.29-1.37, CI 80-84, SL 1.64-1.70, SI 123-124, PW 1.03-1.08, MTL 1.74-1.85. (6 measured.)

Anterior clypeal margin arcuate and entire. Eyes convex; the sides of the head in front of the eyes gently convex and convergent anteriorly, behind the eyes convex and rounding into the broadly convex occipital margin. Alitrunk with dorsum transversely convex, marginate throughout its length. Pronotum armed with a pair of short, broad, acute spines. Promesonotal suture distinct, metanotal groove very faint, interrupting the sculpturation. Marginations of propodeum virtually parallel in dorsal view, terminating in a pair of very small, upcurved, tubercle-like teeth. Propodeal dorsum meeting the declivity between these teeth at an acute angle but without a transverse ridge or median tubercle. Petiole with two pairs of spines of variable configuration. Usually the long dorsal pair are directed upwards and recurved backwards, the shorter lateral pair directed outwards, weakly backwards, and somewhat upcurved. Anterior face of first gastral segment shallowly concave.

Erect hairs absent except on clypeus and gastral apex; sometimes a single pair present on the vertex. A very sparse, fine, greyish pubescence present! densest on the antennae.

Clypeus finely reticulate. Head finely and densely reticulate-punctate, overlaid by a fine loose rugoreticulum, most easily visible in the space separating the eye and the frontal carina. Dorsum of alitrunk and gaster finely reticulate-punctate, the former with a few fine, disorganized rugae overlying the punctures, generally best seen on the mesonotum.

Queen
Bolton (1973) - As worker except for differences generally associated with this caste; the pronotal spines and the propodeal teeth reduced to acute angles.

Type Material
Bolton (1973) - Syntype workers, queen, SOUTH AFRICA; Natal, Durban (C. B. Cooper) [examined].

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Arnold G. 1924. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part VI. Camponotinae. Annals of the South African Museum 14: 675-766.
 * Forel A. 1914. Formicides d'Afrique et d'Amérique nouveaux ou peu connus. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 50: 211-288.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004