Polyrhachis weissi Santschi

Type location Congo (Polyrhachis Weissi n. sp., Santschi, 1910c: 395, illustrated, worker), collected at Brazzaville, by A. Weiss - see below
junior synonyms
balli (Polyrhachis (Pseudocyrtomyrma) revoili André stirps balli n. st., Santschi, 1939c: 10, worker) from Zaïre, collected at Gazi, by Beinaert, xii.1937  - see  http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0912143
conduensis (Polyrhachis (Myrma) Revoili André v. conduensis n., Forel, 1915c: 351, worker) from Zaïre, collected at Kasai, Kondue, by E. Luja - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?name=casent0910955
crassa (Polyrhachis (Pseudocyrtomyrma) Revoili Ern. André subsp. crassa, Emery, 1921e: 23, illustrated, worker & queen) from Cameroun, collector L. Conradt, 1895 - see below
unavailable name phaenogaster (Polyrhachis (Pseudocyrtomyrma) Revoili Ern. André var. phaenogaster n., Emery, 1921e: 24, queen) from Cameroun - see below
(see Bolton, 1995) .

Additional junior synonyms (Rigato, 2016)
natalensis (Polyrhachys natalensis n. sp., Santschi, 1914e: 41, worker) from South Africa, Stamford Hill - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0912132
donisthorpei (Polyrhachis (Myrma) Revoili André v. Donisthorpei n. v., Forel, 1916: 453, worker) from Zambia - see below.

Forel's (1894b) description of the worker is at . Santschi's (1910c) description is at . Santschi's (1914e) description of natalensis is at . Forel (1915c) noted the conduensis worker as having a longer narrower head than the type, with straighter sides and more convex eyes; overall the striations on head and alitrunk are more pronounced. Forel's (1916) description - as revoili correction implied by Bolton (1973) - is at . Forel (1917) described donisthorpei as smaller, TL 5.2-5.4 mm, than the type with more pronounced spines. Emery's (1921e) description of crassa and the phaenogaster queen is at . Santschi's (1939c) description of balli is at . Arnold (1924: 754) gave a translation; this is at . Bolton's modern description (1973b) is at . The Forel (1894b) specimens were from Delagoa, Mozambique, collected by Dr Liengme. Arnold (1924) reported specimens from Durban. A savannah and veldt species.

Rigato's (2016) revision is at .

Nigeria specimens (Taylor, 1978: 25). WORKER. TL 5.7-6.1 mm, HL 1.40-1.48, HW 1.29-1.40, SL 1.66-1.74, PW 1.18-1.26
Head and body with numerous erect white to grey hairs; pubescence generally sparse and greyish. Head and dorsum finely longitudinally striate-rugose. Antennal funiculi with apical five or six segments light brown. Alitrunk not marginate and dorsum convex. Promesonotal suture faint but distinct, metanotal groove marked only by a line. Pronotum very broad, more than twice the width of the propodeum measured across the teeth. Pronotum with short acute spines and propodeum with small teeth. Petiole with moderately long dorsal and shorter lateral spines. Anterior face of first gastral segment shallowly concave.
We found it on cocoa at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ayunre, Onipe 1/1 Block, a vegetable tent/nest on a cocoa leaf, tree 58-26; and at Ibule, the first Nigerian records.

Note (earlier by me): Unlike the Bolton (1973b) statement this and all the specimens shown below have numerous, albeit short, hairs on the scapes. As yet there are no type images of Polyrhachis revoili available on Antweb.  There are images of specimens from Gabon and the Central African Republic diagnosed as "revoili", see http://www.antweb.org/images.do?name=revoili. The queen shown there is an exact match for phaenogaster and the worker for my specimens and crassa. The collection locations lie in the reported range of weissi and not of revoil. It seems likely that all the reported forms are conspecific, most (see above) being denoted as revoili, and the weissi should be reduced to the rank of junior synonym of Polyrhachis revoili André 1887.

Arboreal species constructing nests of silk and vegetable particles under or between leaves.

Bolton (1973b: 342, not illustrated) listed findings in Ghana, at CRIG (G.S. Cotterell; P.M. Room, July 1970); Aburi and Berekuso (P.M. Room), and Akuadom (A.H. Strickland). Found in 13/168 canopy samples, as Polyrhachis revoili by Room (1971). A single worker was collected by canopy pkd from a block of mature Amelonado cocoa at CRIG by Bigger (1981a). Later found by Belshaw & Bolton (1994b), who collected a single worker, as a 'tourist' in leaf litter under primary forest at Old Tafo.

Other references to it as Polyrhachis revoili include the report of Strickland (1951a), from Ghana cocoa, as an arboreal species making small circular carton nests on the underside of leaves, which is common in relatively restricted areas but rare elsewhere. Later found by Room, from cocoa mistletoe and his cocoa canopy samples (Room, 1971, 1975) but all these reports seem more likely to be Polyrhachis weissi (see above).

Earlier Bernard (1952, not referenced by Bolton, 1973b) noting it was a primarily eastern species, unknown from north of Cameroun, had recorded it from Guinea, one worker of the typical form labelled "Nimba, Lamotte"; and one worker of the congolese variety conduensis of Polyrhachis revoili. He also separately listed 4 workers, 2 males and 2 queens from area F 43, Nion, deep forest, land of Elaeis (toads); close to "revoili", but probably new, for restudy.

The photomontage of the type worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0912142.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Polyrhachis weissi B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Liabala SLAM 2	2.iv.2013 Nimba County 07°31’06" N 08°35’34" E	SLAM trap Secondary forest 473 m asl	1
Polyrhachis weissi B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Liabala SLAM C 2	2.iv.2013 Nimba County 07°31’06" N 08°35’34" E	SLAM Canopy trap Secondary forest 473 m asl	1
Polyrhachis weissi B Taylor det.	Ivory Coast Erena Dupont iii.2014	Taï National Park 5˚45'00" N 7˚07'00" W	14	3
Polyrhachis weissi B Taylor det.	Ivory Coast Erena Dupont iv.2014	Taï National Park 5˚45'00" N 7˚07'00" W	06	6
Polyrhachis weissi B Taylor det.	Ivory Coast Erena Dupont v.2014	Taï National Park 5˚45'00" N 7˚07'00" W	03	9
Polyrhachis weissi B Taylor det.	Rep. of Congo D De Bakker & JP Michiels ex Y Braet	18.ix.2007 Mayombe 05°37'16" S 13°05'54" E	266 m asl Canopy fogging	1

The photomontage is of a worker from Congo, Mayombe; collectors De Bakker & Michiels.

Matches Rigato's definition.

The photomontage is of a worker from Liberia, Liabala; collector E Poiriet (Liabala SLAM CANOPY 2). Again, there are numerous, albeit short, hairs on the scapes (as Rigato's definition).

The photomontage is of a worker from Ivory Coast, Tai National Park; collector Erena Dupont, iii.2014.

The photomontage of the type worker of crassa is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=0905623.

The photomontage of the type queen of phaenogaster is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=0905624.

The photomontage of the type worker of donisthorpei is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0910956.