Polyrhachis otleti Forel

Rigato, Fabrizio, 2016, The ant genus Polyrhachis F. Smith in sub-Saharan Africa, with descriptions of ten new species. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 4088 (1) : 36-37

Polyrhachis otleti Forel

Polyrhachis otleti Forel, 1916: 449 . Syntype workers, gyne and male, DEM. REP. of the CONGO: St. Gabriel (H. Kohl) (MHNG) [examined].

Diagnosis. A hairy, moderately large revoili -group species with marginate pronotum and propodeal dorsum delimited posteriorly by a pair of well developed ridges.

Two workers from CAS collection are very similar to the types, but have a shining gaster (subopaque in types), due to more superficial sculpturation and much sparser gastral pubescence. The distance between adjacent pubescence elements is much larger than their length; while in types gastral pubescence is much denser (the distance between adjacent hairlets is shorter than their length). Because of the paucity of available material and variability of these features in other Polyrhachis , I consider all of them as conspecific.

Measurements (n=6: 4 syntype workers + 2 workers from CAS). HL 1.40–1.68, HW 1.19–1.39, CI 81–86, SL 1.68–1.98, SI 140–146, FW 0.47–0.51, FI 36–39, PW 1.07–1.29, WL 1.84–2.25, HTL 1.67–2.00.

Material examined. (except types). CENTRAL AFRICAN REP.: Res. Dzanga–Sangha, 12.7 km, 326° NW Bayanga, 3°00.27’ N 16°11.55’ E, 420 m, 10–11.v.2001 (S. van Noort) (1 w, CAS: CASENT0087178, CAR01- M88); Res. Dzanga–Sangha, 12.7 km, 326° NW Bayanga, 3°00.27’ N 16°11.55’ E, 420 m, 11–12.v.2001 (S. van Noort) (1 w, CAS: CASENT0087978, CAR01-M99).