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Names | |
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Geographic distribution | |
In the Philippines: Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Province, Negros Island; and Mt. Isarog Natural Park, Camarines Sur Province, Luzon Island.
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Natural history | |
We found a nest of this species in low vegetation. It was constructed of dry leaves and silk. Gary discovered the defensive value of the large propodeal spines when he tried to emulate the students who were collecting the ants with their fingers. He said, "The Polyrhachis magnifica flexed suddenly, driving their razor-sharp spines deep into my fingers, forcing me to release ant and vial simultaneously." These ants have good eyesight and freeze up in the defensive position when they sense danger: the gaster is bent underneath the mesosoma, with the gastral apex pointed forward, also exposing the sharp spines on the mesosoma and petiole.
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How to encounter | |
Beating of low vegetation over a white sheet.
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References | |
Kohout, R.J. 1987. Three new Polyrhachis sexspinosa-group species from the Philippines. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 25: 169-176.
Hung, A.C.F. 1967. A revision of the ant genus Polyrhachis at the subgeneric level. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 93: 395-422.
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(2): 505-531.
Dorow, W.H.O. 1995. Revision of the ant genus Polyrhachis Smith, 1857 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) on subgenus level with keys, checklist of species and bibliography. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 185: 1-113.
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Acknowledgements | |
We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Rudy Kohout's generosity in providing us with original reprints of his papers on Polyrhachis.
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Updated: 2024-04-26 10:06:38 gmt
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