Polyrhachis arachne

Polyrhachis arachne was found nesting in the internodes of bamboo, with each of these containing 687 workers (median) (n = 10, range: 125-1088 workers). This ant also tends mealybugs Kermicus wroughtoni outside their nests (in silk pavilions woven under bamboo leaves). Another study found P. arachne within a few nest internodes (2-4, n = 10) that contained 33-340 workers and also in a larger number of leaf pavilions (13 - 23, n = 3) that contained 3-174 workers per pavilion (n = 22) (Dorow and Maschwitz 1990, Schellerich-Kaaden et al. 1997).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia. Oriental Region: Thailand.

Biology
Restricted to nesting inside dead culm internodes of broad-leaved bamboos. Scale insects cannot live there but are tended in silk pavilions under bamboo leaves (Dorow and Maschwitz 1990). P. arachne is known to narrow larger nest entrances with silk and detritus, unlike Polyrhachis schellerichae.

Nomenclature

 *  arachne. Polyrhachis arachne Emery, 1896f: 249 (w.q.) INDONESIA (Java). Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1990b: 758 (l.). Combination in P. (Myrmhopla): Emery, 1925b: 192. Senior synonym of uncinata: Emery, 1898a: 230. See also: Bingham, 1903: 390; Dorow & Maschwitz, 1990: 73.
 * uncinata. Polyrhachis uncinata André, 1896b: 252 (w.) THAILAND. Junior synonym of arachne: Emery, 1898a: 230.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * André E. 1896. Fourmis nouvelles d'Asie et d'Australie. Rev. Entomol. (Caen) 15: 251-265.
 * Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
 * Dorow W. H. O., and U. Maschwitz. 1990. The arachne-group of Polyrhachis (Formicidae: Formicinae): weaver ants cultivating Homoptera on bamboo. Insectes Sociaux. 37: 73-89.
 * Emery, C. "Formicides recoltes a Buitenzorg (Java), par M. Massart." Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 40 (1896): 245-249.
 * Ito, F.; Yamane, S.; Eguchi, K.; Noerdjito, W. A.; Kahono, S.; Tsuji, K.; Ohkawara, K.; Yamauchi, K.; Nishida, T.; Nakamura, K. 2001. Ant species diversity in the Bogor Botanic Garden, West Java, Indonesia, with descriptions of two new species of the genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Tropics 10:379-404.
 * Mustafa N.A., H.M.W. Salim, C. Fletcher, A.R. Kassim, and M.D. Potts. 2011. Taxonomic and functional diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in an upper hill dipterocarp forest in Peninsular Malaysia. The Raffles bulletin of Zoology 59(2): 181-194.
 * Robson Simon Ant Collection, 05-Sept-2014
 * Robson Simon Database Polyrhachis -05 Sept 2014
 * Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1990. Larvae of the formicine ant genus Polyrhachis. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 116: 753-767.
 * Widodo E.S., M. Mohamed, and Y. Hashimoto. 2001. Canopy ant diversity assessment in the fragmented rainforest of Sabah, East Malaysia. Nature and Human activities 6: 13-23.
 * Zryanin V. A. 2011. An eco-faunistic review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In: Structure and functions of soil communities of a monsoon tropical forest (Cat Tien National Park, southern Vietnam) / A.V. Tiunov (Editor). – M.: KMK Scientific Press. 2011. 277 р.101-124.