A new species of Polyrhachis Smith from Garbhanga Reserve Forest, Assam, India, with a key to the Indian species of Polyrhachis mucronata group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

ABSTRACT Polyrhachis Smith, 1857 is a genus of ants, found widely across the Old-World tropics, with significant diversity across South Asia. Known to have diverse nesting habits, ranging from subterranean to arboreal, the genus is arguably one of the most taxonomically and ecologically diverse ant genera globally. The genus is, however, characterised by a unique morphology that includes prominent spines on the mesosoma and petiole, thick integuments, and brightly coloured pubescence in some species. With over 700 described species and 82 valid subspecies, Polyrhachis is also the second most diverse ant genus in India, with 71 identified species. In the state of Assam in northeastern India, the genus is the second-most diverse after Camponotus . Field sampling in the Garbhanga Reserve Forest, near the city of Guwahati in Assam, revealed a new species of Polyrhachis , which is described and named here as Polyrhachis garbhangaensis or the “Assamese Spiny Ant.” The discovery of this species, which belongs to the Polyrhachis mucronata group, and its subsequent characterisation made evident the urgent need for a reassessment of the classification key of the genus, which we additionally provide here. This finding, we believe, contributes to a deeper understanding of the taxonomic diversity of Polyrhachis but, at the same time, highlights the importance of urban and fragmented forest areas in sustaining tropical ant biodiversity.