Polybioides raphigastra

P. raphigastra bodies are composed of mostly dark areas, with lighter areas near the edge of segmented appendages. These dark areas are pale brown with light areas maintaining various shades of yellow.

Nests. The species nests in closed cavities such as caves and hollow trees. When nests are constructed within tree trunks, the trunks are often left entirely intact, with only small crevices giving access to the internal cavities that house the nest. In the trunk cavity, nests hang vertically with the envelope surrounding the nest directly attached to the inside of the cavity. Nests, often ovoidal in shape, may measure approximately 23 cm in length, with maximum diameters of 14.5 x 16 cm. Nests may contain well over ten thousand cells. Nests are egg-shaped and formed of a single, helicoidal comb that winds upon itself eight or nine times in a fashion so that each whorl is partially enclosed by the following one. Nests are entirely composed of very short plant hairs bound together by differing levels of secretion. Nest color is brown to yellowish, and the envelope may be darker than the cells inside. The outer envelope displays crescent-like patterns of colors varying from white to reddish brown. …

P. raphigastra resides primarily in the forests of South East Asia and Indonesia. However, the genus as a whole has a quite peculiar geographical distribution as it contains species residing in the Philippines and equatorial Africa. P. raphigastra constructs elaborate nests inside small cavities such as tree trunks. These nests are characterized by vertical combs surrounded by an envelope.