Polyrhachis cupreata

I have seen only one nest of P. cupreata, situated at the base of clumped Pandanus leaves and constructed of vegetation debris bonded with brownish silk (Kohout 1988).

Identification
Kohout (1988) - In P. cupreata the whole dorsum of the body is covered with a pale golden pubescence. In contrast, the pubescence in Polyrhachis daemeli is always silvery and is virtually absent from its pronotal dorsum, while in Polyrhachis hermione it is of a rich golden hue and covers most of the body, except the gaster. The mesonotum of hermione is strongly transverse, while it is only slightly wider than long in the other two species.

Distribution
Confined to the coastal wetlands of North Queensland, with records from the Torres Strait islands south to Townsville, and the Northern Territory, where it has been taken on Cobourg Peninsula and near Darwin (Kohout 1988).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 *  cupreata. Polyrhachis hermione var. cupreata Emery, 1895g: 357 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in P. (Hedomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 190. Raised to species and senior synonym of exlex: Kohout, 1988c: 433.
 * exlex. Polyrhachis (Hedomyrma) daemeli var. exlex Forel, 1915b: 110 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of cupreata: Kohout, 1988c: 433.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Kohout R. J. 2000. A review of the distribution of the Polyrhachis and Echinopla ants of the Queensland wet tropics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 46: 183-209