Polyrhachis moesta

Japanese Name

Chikushi-toge-ari

Emery, C. (1887) Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova (2) 4 [24]: 209-258.

Polyrhachis hippomanes var. moesta Emery (Emery, 1887) , Polyrhachis moesta Emery (Wang & Wu, 1991) ,

Total length of workers around 6 mm. Body color jet black, legs reddish brown. Dorsal surface of mesosoma arched, without dorsolateral carination. Metanotal dorsum strongly convex in profile. Anterolateral corners of pronotum angulate in dorsal view, without spines. Mesonotum without teeth. Propodeum with well developed spines. Petiole with a pair of large spines. Viewed anteriorly, dorsal margin of petiolar scale straight, with a small cornicle posteriorly.

This taxon was cited as P. hippomanes moesta in Myrmecological Society of Japan Editorial Committee (1988). The subspecies moesta was subsequently raised to species rank by Wang & Wu (1991). P. moesta is referable to subgenus Myrmhopla. It is arboreal, nesting in dead twigs. Yamaoka (1980) reported a nest incorporating larval silk. A relatively rare species.

Honshu (Kanto District and southwards), Shikoku, Kyushu, Yaku I., Nansei Is.; Mainland China, Taiwan, Indonesia (Java, Sumatra).