Polyrhachis spitteleri Forel

Type location Zaïre (Polyrhachis (Myrma) Spitteleri n. sp., Forel, 1916: 450, illustrated, worker), collector H. Kohl, no location given, may be Stanleyville (Kisangani) - see below; holotype worker only .

Forel's (1916) description is at . Bolton's modern description (1973b) is at .

WORKER - TL 4.8-5.6 mm; similar to monista but easily separated by diagnostic features. Thick yellowish hairs with a waxy appearance abundant on the dorsum of the alitrunk, especially the mesonotum, and on the gaster, shorter and paler on the head. Colour black, appendages usually lighter, black-brown or dark brown (Bolton, 1973b: 344, illustrated, alitrunk and petiole only).

Other records from Ghana, from Kade (D. Leston) (Bolton, 1973b).

Rigato (2016: 37) did not sight the type but had: "I assign to this species a gyne from Central African Rep. It has a weak median prominence between the long propodeal spines as reported for the worker caste (Bolton, 1973). The dorsum of mesosoma is mostly longitudinally rugulose with reticulate-punctate ground sculpture. The remaining of the body is more or less strongly reticulate-punctate and subopaque; mandibles, clypeus and gaster are superficially sculptured and shining.
Measurements. HL 1.42, HW 1.30, CI 92, SL 1.43, SI 110, FW 0.55, FI 42, ScW 1.40, MnL 1.65, WL 2.24, HTL 1.68.
Material examined. CENTRAL AFRICAN REP.: P.N. Dzanga–Ndoki, 21.4 km 53° NE Bayanga, 3°02.01’N 16°24.57’E, 510 m, 1–2.v.2001 (S. van Noort) (1 g, CAS: CASENT0086055, CAR01-M02).

The photomontage of a worker from Ghana (listed by Bolton, 1973b) is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=0906823.

A worker from the type collection can be seen at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=0910958.

See the Rigato (2016) gyne at https://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0086055

Oxford University Museum specimens

Polyrhachis spitteleri B Taylor det. Queen

Central African Republic P Annoyer OT1

29.xi.2010 Dzanga-Sangha 2°28'08.6"N 16°13°32.1"E

385 m; nuit, équipe 1, UV : 18h30-6h, petite clairière dans forêt à 20 m du bord du lac 5 "AA1"

1

The photomontage is of a queen from Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha NP; collector Philippe Annoyer (CAR OT1).

Queen not reported before but the median prominence on the propodeum and the thick yellow hairs are as on the worker.