Polyrhachis goramensis

Karavaiev (1927) reported a collection of the synonymous Polyrhachis obsidiana from a carton nest on a tree trunk, near a stream in the jungle.

Identification
Polyrhachis goramensis is characterised by: a distinctly swollen pronotal dorsum; a moderately impressed pro-mesonotal suture; short, acute propodeal spines that are sometimes reduced to a pair of tubercules, and distinctly elongated lateral petiolar spines. It is rather similar to Polyrhachis integra from Indonesia. Both have a rather massive pronotum with widely rounded sides, the mesosomal dorsum rapidly descending from the summit of the pronotum to the declivity and short, but distinct, propodeal spines. However, they are easily distinguished, with Polyrhachis integra having a distinctly higher pronotum, the mesonotum virtually straight in lateral view, and the lateral petiolar spines reduced to short teeth. In Polyrhachis goramensis the mesonotal dorsum is convex in lateral view and the widely diverging lateral petiolar spines are more than twice as long as the dorsal pair. (Kohout 2006)

Distribution
Endemic to Seram Island.

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

Nomenclature

 *  goramensis. Polyrhachis rastellata var. goramensis Emery, 1887a: 239 (w.) INDONESIA (Goram I.). Combination in P. (Cyrtomyrma): Emery, 1925b: 208. Subspecies of euryala: Donisthorpe, 1938c: 260. Raised to species and senior synonym of coronata: Kohout, 1998: 527. See also: Kohout, 2006b: 126.
 * obsidiana. Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) obsidiana Karavaiev, 1927e: 50, fig. 21 (w.q.m.) INDONESIA (Ambon I.). [Junior primary homonym of obsidiana Emery, above.] Replacement name: coronata Santschi, 1928h: 140.
 * coronata. Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) coronata Santschi, 1928h: 140. Replacement name for obsidiana Karavaiev, 1927e: 50. [Junior primary homonym of obsidiana Emery, 1921e: 21.] Junior synonym of goramensis: Kohout, 1998: 527.

Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) obsidiana Karawajew, 1927.

Type locality(-ies): “Amboina, 19.II.1913 (Nr. 2496), zahlreiche ww.—Ebenda (Nr. 2479, 2490, 2497), ww, qq und mm”.

Original Karawajew label(-s): “Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) / obsidiana Karavaev / typus. Amboina, 2497 / Karavaev.” and “Polyrhachis (Myrmhopla) / coronata Sant. (n. nom) / Amboina, Karavaev, 2497”; “Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) / obsidiana Karavaev, typus / Amboina, 2497, Karavaev” and “Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) / coronata Sant. (n. nom.) / Amboina, Karavaev, 2497”; “Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) / coronata Sant. (n. nom.) / Amboina, Karavaev, 2496”; “Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) / coronata Sant. (n. nom.) / Amboina, Karavaev, / 2496+2497”.

Material: SYNTYPES, 18 w, 9 q (newly mounted, IN 314/6/1), 544 w, 190 q, 1 m, 1 pupa (in alcohol, IN 314/BAMS1/Karaw40–46, 56–58, 67, 68).

Worker
Questi esemplari sono un po' piu grandi degli altri; differiscono dalla forma tipica, per la lunghezza maggiore delle spine laterali della squama. Pero la lunghezza relativa di queste spine varia moltissimo anche nella forma tipica, per cui questa differenza non ha molta importanza. I piedi sono per lo piu neri. Alcuni esemplari offrono deboli tracce di denti al metanoto.

Queen
[[Media:Karavaiev 1927 pages 50 and 51.pdf | Description of the synonymous Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) obsidiana]] (Karavaiev 1927).

Male
[[Media:Karavaiev 1927 pages 50 and 51.pdf | Description of the synonymous Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) obsidiana]] (Karavaiev 1927).

Type Material
Syntype workers – as reported by Kohout (2006).

Type Locality Information
INDONESIA, Goram Island (= Seram Island), col. L.M. D’Albertis.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * 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
 * Emery C. 1886. Saggio di un catalogo sistematico dei generi Camponotus, Polyrhachis e affini. Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna 5: 363-382
 * Emery C. 1887. Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia. [part]. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. 24(4): 209-258.
 * Emery, C. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 4, no. 24 (1887): 209-258.
 * Karavaiev V. 1930. Ameisen von den Molukken und Neuguinea. (Ergebnisse der Sunda-Expedition der Notgemeinschaft der deutschen Wissenschaft 1929/30.). Zool. Anz. 92: 206-214.
 * Kohout R. J. 1998. New synonyms and nomenclatural changes in the ant genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 42: 505-531
 * Kohout R.J. 2006. Review of Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) Forel of Australia, Borneo, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands with descriptions of new species. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 52: 87-146.
 * Latumahina F., M. Borovanska, N. S. Putra, and M. Janda. 2015. Ants of Ambon Island  diversity survey and checklist. ZooKeys 472: 4357.
 * Martynov A. V., and A. G. Radchenko. 2016. Karawajew’s ant type specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the National Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Zootaxa 4097 (2): 244–254.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.
 * Viehmeyer H. 1914. Papuanische Ameisen. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1914: 515-535.