Polyrhachis decemdentata André

Type location Sierra Leone (André, 1889: 219, worker; Emery, 1892d: 567, queen; Forel, 1915c: 351, male), collector Mocquerys,; junior synonyms fernandensis (Forel, 1901e: 377, worker) from Fernando Po I., collector Conradt, gustavi (Emery, 1921e: 22, queen; listed by Bolton as Equatorial Guinea) from Fernando Po I.; flavipes (Stitz, 1910: 149, worker & queen) from Cameroun, collected at Victoria by Faber, and tenuistriata (Menozzi, 1932: 114, worker) from Uganda, collector E Bayon; worker & queen only known (see Bolton, 1995) .

André's (1889) description is at . Forel's (1913e) description of the queen is at . Forel's (1913e) description of the male is at . Stitz's (1910) description of flavipes is at . Emery's (1921e) description of gustavi is at . Menozzi's (1933a) description of tenuistriata is at . Bolton's modern description (1973b) is at Forel (1901e) separated fernandensis as TL 5 mm; differing from the type in having a longer dorsum to the propodeum, the pronotum with two anterior spines which are much longer than their basal width; and by the gaster being subopaque, simply reticulate with no striations. Stitz (1910) noted flavipes n.v. as somewhat larger than the type, with colour more yellow-brown, notably the appendages.

WORKER - TL 4.7-6.7 mm, HL 1.18-1.59, HW 1.07-1.48, SL 1.15-1.55, PW 0.85-1.33
Unique in having six spines or teeth on the petiole. All dorsal surfaces of the body and appendages with numerous erect hairs, white or yellowish in colour. Pubescence sparse, grey or off-white. Alitrunk marginate throughout its length, interrupted only at the sutures, and all dorsal surfaces transversely convex. Promesonotal suture distinct, metanotal grove impressed. Anterior face of first gastral segment concave.

Wheeler (1922) also listed findings from Guinea (Los Islands by H. Brauns), Sierra Leone (Sherbro Island, by H. Brauns), Ivory Coast (at Assinie, by C. Alluaud), Cameroun (Conradt, Bibundi by Tessmann), and areas in the Congo Basin (worker illustrated). Forel (1911f) found specimens in the Congo Museum from Zaïre, Congo da Lemba, by Mayné.

Arboreal, nesting in rotten parts of standing trees (Bolton, 1973b: 302, not illustrated).

Bernard (1952, not listed by Bolton, 1973b) reported it in the Guinea, Mt Nimba, surveys; 8 queens, 4 alates and 5 workers; most coming from Mount Tô at 1600 m; one each from Nion, Yanlé and Kéoulenta.

In Nigeria, occasionally found foraging on cocoa at CRIN. Earlier from CRIN perhaps on 5-10% of cocoa in pkd collections from two cocoa blocks, W13/2 and W18/1 (Booker, 1968). Also found at Ile-Ife (J.T. Medler) (Bolton, 1973b) and at Ilugun near Ibadan (Eguagie, 1971).

Found in Ghana cocoa, at Kade, by Majer (1975, 1976b), using pkd, with 61-87 workers per sample. Room (1971) also reported it from cocoa, and herbs under cocoa, at the Mampong Cemetery Farm, in 23/168 of his wider cocoa canopy samples. In his studies of the fauna of cocoa mistletoe (Room, 1972a, 1975), it was 22nd most abundant insect at the cocoa/mistletoe junction (171 individuals). Found in moderate numbers by canopy pkd from both Crematogaster clariventris and Oecophylla longinoda dominated areas of a block of mature Amelonado cocoa at CRIG by Bigger (1981a), who also found a few workers on the ground. Bigger described it as preferring better areas of canopy. Belshaw & Bolton (1994b) collected two workers, as 'tourists' in leaf litter under secondary forest, at Bunso, and under primary forest at Old Tafo. Room (1971) found it to be positively associated with Oecophylla longinoda.

Other countries listed by Bolton (1973b) are Sierra Leone, at Njala (E. Hargreaves); Cameroun, at Meyo (C.A. Collingwood); and, without details, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Zaïre.

It was among the non-dominant species recorded in the Cameroun forest canopy studies at Campo by Dejean and colleagues. They noted it as nesting in the middle stratum only (hollowed branches) with 4 findings on 30 trees examined.

The photomontage is of a specimen from Gabon; Pongara National Park, Pointe Wingombe, 0°19'343"N 9°19'103"E, 23.vi-25.vii.2006, from malaise trap, collector Yves Braet. Other images can be seen in the folder at -