The Ants of
Africa Genus Tetramorium species-groups - Part 6 |
|
Tetramorium Introduction |
DIV3 QD2 SUB4
Species groups
Part 6 - former Tetramorium (Tetramorium)
species with short antennal scapes, larger eyes and nodiform petioles
(SUB4) Frontal carinae long, extending beyond posterior margin of eyes, often to occipital margin | |||
SUB5 Anterior clypeal margin with a distinct
median notch or impression Otherwise sub-section |
|||
Note the anterior notch is much reduced in some T. lucayanum but that (and the related versiculum) has the petiole seen from above as distinctively trapezoidal widening from front to back | |||
Occipitum
rugo-reticulate Otherwise next species group |
|||
bicarinatum-group | - | ||
88 | Sculptured
mandibles but only
very finely striate; TL 3.4-4.5 mm; head and alitrunk light
yellow-brown to bright orange-yellow, gaster always much darker to
blackish-brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium bicarinatum | Exotic
complex pan-tropical tramp found once in South Africa |
|
- | Mandibles smooth with scattered small pits | ||
African complex-1 | Large size HW > 0.80, petiole bluntly nodiform | ||
70 | Propodeum with minute teeth; TL
4.5-5.0 mm; uniform dark brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium emeryi | South Africa | |
72 | Long
propodeal spines; TL 4.2-5.0
mm; uniform dark brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium erectum | South Africa | |
African complex-2 | Fairly large HW 0.70-0.80; petiole node roughly rectangular in profile | ||
68 | Bicoloured, orange-brown, gaster
much darker; TL 4.1-5.1 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium cristatum | sub-sahelian forests | |
71 | Uniform
dark brown; TL 4.1-4.9 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium gazense | eastern Congo Basin into Tanzania | |
67 | Uniform bright orange-brown; TL
3.5-5.0 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium notiale | eastern southern Africa | |
African complex-3 | Smaller HW < 0.70; petiole node long & low | ||
67 | Uniform
pale yellow to light
brownish yellow; TL 2.9-3.6 mm |
Tetramorium phasias | eastern southern Africa |
68 | Head & alitrunk orange,
gaster near black; TL 2.9-3.5 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium peutli | western forests Ivory Coast round to Angola |
|
69 | Uniform
blackish-brown or black;
pedicel smooth; TL 3.2-4.0 mm |
Tetramorium pullulum | Congo Basin |
72 | Black, appendages dark brown;
pedicel sculptured, coarsely rugose; TL 3.1-3.6 mm |
. | . |
, | Tetramorium amentete | Ivory Coast & Ghana | |
Occipitum with little sculpturation | |||
Propodeum
with a pair of small teeth or denticles and rugo-reticulate Otherwise next species group |
|||
dumezi-group jauresi-complex |
- | ||
39 & 160 | First
gastral tergite
reticulate-punctate or shagreened, as is dorsal alitrunk TL 3.6-4.4 mm;
uniform medium to dark brown |
. | |
. | Tetramorium jauresi | eastern southern Africa | |
39 | First gastral tergite completely
smooth, as is dorsal alitrunk; TL 3.4-4.7 mm; uniform mid-brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium qualarum | Ghana | |
Propodeum with a pair of spines | |||
Dorsum
of petiole and postpetiole unsculptured or only slightly marked Otherwise next species group |
|||
camerunense-group camerunense-complex | - | ||
- | Entirely yellow or yellowish-brown | ||
129 | Mandibles
striate; TL 2.8-3.1 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium luteipes | Congo | |
- | Mandibles smooth with scattered pits | ||
76 | Alitrunk dorsum irregularly
rugulose; petiole node with tranverse crest at anterior of dorsum; TL
2.4-2.6 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium gegaimi | Zaïre | |
- | Alitrunk dorsum longitudinally rugulose; petiole node without tranverse crest at anterior of dorsum | ||
77 | Dorsal
alitrunk with elongate,
fine, acute erect hairs; distinctive colouration, the head and alitrunk
being glossy dull yellow and the gaster brown; TL 2.6-2.9 mm |
Tetramorium browni | Ghana |
77 | Dorsal alitrunk with short, quite
stout, blunt erect hairs; TL 3.1 mm |
Tetramorium miserabile | Kenya |
- | Dark brown or black | ||
78 | Head
with sharply developed, well
defined rugulae, spaces between shiny; TL 2.7-3.1 mm |
Tetramorium camerunense | Ghana,
Cameroun & CAR |
- | Head and dorsal alitrunk with highly reduced sculpturation | ||
NA | Larger species TL 3.5 mm HL 0.70-0.77 HW 0.63-0.71 CI
90-92 SL 0.53-0.58 SI
82-84;
petiole node broader than long in dorsal view; pedicel segments
unsculptured |
Tetramorium boehmei | Kenya |
- | Head with blunt, poorly defined rugulae, spaces between densely punctate or granular | ||
78 | Larger species TL 3.5 mm HL 0.85 HW 0.78 CI 92 SL 0.58 SI
74;
petiole node broader than long in dorsal view; massively developed
petiole and pedicel segments moderately sculptured |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium ubangense | Zaïre | |
- | Smaller, TL max 3.0 mm, HW max 0.66 | ||
80 | Head long & narrow CI 85; scapes relatively long SI 84; | Tetramorium hapale | Ivory Coast |
80 | Head broader CI 88-92; scapes
shorter SI 78-80 |
Tetramorium ictidum | Cameroun |
Dorsum of petiole and/or postpetiole distinctly sculptured | |||
camerunense-group lucayanum-complex | Node of petiole longer than broad in dorsal view | ||
88 | With
suberect fairly long
pubescence on hind tibiae; TL 3.6 mm; uniform dark brown |
Tetramorium tychadion | Tanzania |
- | With decumbent to appressed short pubescence on hind tibiae | ||
81 & 134 | Dorsum of head with fine regular
longitudinal rugulae, spaces between polished; postpetiole hardly
sculptured; TL 2.8-3.3 mm; uniform mid-brown to black |
. | . |
. | apparent
type form (Wheeler, 1905b) - head quadrangular, anterior border of
clypeus transverse, erect hairs long and sparse on the body |
. | . |
. | form as illustrated by Bolton
(1979) - head with more convex sides, smaller eyes and more abundant
erect hairs |
Tetramorium lucayanum | West Africa & Congo Basin |
81 & 133 | Dorsum
of head with dense coarse
irregular longitudinal rugulae, spaces between narrow and with strong
ground-sculpture; postpetiole longitudinally rugulose; TL 3.1-3.3 mm;
blackish-brown to black |
Tetramorium versiculum | Ivory Coast, Ghana & Benin |
capense-group | Node of petiole broader than longer in dorsal view | ||
- | With long frontal carinae | ||
134 | Erect hairs long and acute;
postpetiole strongly rugulose; TL 3.6-4.1 mm; uniform mid-brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium amatongae | Mozambique | |
135 | Erect
hairs short & blunt;
postpetiole reticulate-punctate; TL 3.3-3.6 mm; uniform glossy
mid-brown, gaster darker |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium lobulicorne | Zimbabwe | |
- | With widely separated and relatively short frontal carinae | ||
102 & 160 | Small species with minute eyes;
very short frontal carinae; long scapes SI 85-91; alitrunk dorsum with
abundant short hairs and very dense reticulo-puncturation; TL 2.3-2.9
mm; yellowish-brown to mid-brown |
Tetramorium semireticulatum | Zimbabwe |
- | Medium-sized with small eyes; frontal carinae reach about posterior of eyes | ||
131 | Alitrunk
dorsum with distinctive
very short stout blunt hairs; TL 3.9 mm; light yellowish-brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium dominum | South Africa | |
135 | Alitrunk dorsum
reticulate-punctate, with longish erect hairs; TL 3.8-4.3 mm;
yellowish-red sometimes darker, gaster brownish |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium capense | South Africa | |
SUB6 Anterior clypeal margin entire without any sign of a median notch or impression | |||
Mandibles
longitudinally striate and node of petiole with smooth curve
from anterior to dorsum plus incurved posterior face, TL 3.7 mm plus Otherwise next species group |
|||
quadridentatum-group complex-A | - | ||
162 | Propodeum
with minute denticles
at upper angle; TL 3.7 mm; uniform yellowish-brown |
Tetramorium unicum | Cameroun & Zaïre |
137 | Propodeum with moderate
triangular teeth; mandibles with 3 teeth followed by 6-7 denticles; TL
4.1-5.9 mm; colour variable yellowish-brown to blackish-brown |
. | . |
type worker - yellow-brown |
|||
commodum variant - dark coloured |
Tetramorium quadridentatum | West Africa & Congo Basin | |
137 | Similar
but smaller with coarser
sculpturation; mandibles with 3 teeth followed by 4 denticles; TL
3.7-3.9 mm; uniform yellowish-brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium viticolum | Kenya & South Sudan | |
SUB7 Propodeum with a pair of
elongate spines; TL at least 3.0 mm Otherwise sub-section |
|||
Dorsal
(hind surface) of tibiae with erect or suberect hairs or pubescence; Otherwise |
|||
quadridentatum-group complex-B |
Occipitum rugo-reticulate | ||
86 | Mandibles
smooth; TL 4.8-5.2 mm;
yellowish-brown, gaster darker |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium magnificum | Ivory Coast | |
89 | Mandibles longitudinally striate;
TL 2.6-3.0 mm; erect hairs blunt and almost all shorter than the
maximum diameter
of the eye; petiole and postpetiole finely rugulose dorsally; uniform
medium to dark brown |
Tetramorium longoi | South Africa |
NA | Mandibles
striate; TL 3.3 mm; erect hairs fine and all equal to or longer than
the maximum diameter
of the eye; red-brown, gaster darker |
Tetramorium n sp Cameroun fk 06 | Cameroun |
camerunense-group - lucayanum-complex (member) | Occipitum smooth | ||
89 | TL
3.5 mm; glossy dull yellow,
gaster dark brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium amissum | Zaïre | |
Dorsal (hind surface) of tibiae without erect or suberect hairs or pubescence | |||
quadridentatum-group - complex-C (ungrouped) | Eyes large, diameter > 0.30 X HW | ||
42 | TL 4.7-5.1 mm; dull red or
reddish-brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium simulator | Zimbabwe | |
flabellum-group (part) | Eyes smaller, diameter < 0.26 X HW | ||
?saginatum-complex | Shorter scapes (SI 80-85), relatively broad heads and strongly developed frontal carinae; clypeus with median carina plus lateral longitudinal weak carinae | ||
148 | Base
of first gastral tergite
sculptured with fine dense costulation; TL 3.3-3.7 mm; blackish-brown,
first gastral tergite lighter |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium pylacum | Ivory Coast & Cameroun | |
151 | Base of first gastral tergite
unsculptured except for hair pits giving rise to stout hairs; TL
2.8-3.2 mm; uniform dark brown |
Tetramorium saginatum | Angola |
coloreum-complex | Relatively short scapes (SI 77-83), relatively broad heads | ||
142 | Unicolorous
very dark blackish
brown; TL 3.1-3.3 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium invictum | Ivory Coast | |
- | Bicoloured, black (or dark brown) and yellow | ||
57 | Disc of postpetiole smooth and
shining; mandibles smooth; TL 3.2-3.4 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium postpetiolatum | Zaïre | |
57 | Disc
of postpetiole
longitudinally sculptured; mandibles finely striate; TL 3.0-3.6 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium coloreum | Congo Basin | |
granulatum-complex | With blanketing reticulo-punctate sculpture on head, alitrunk and pedicel | ||
42 | With bizarre short, flattened
hairs; TL 3.4-3.6 mm; dull red, gaster dark brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium bellicosum | Nigeria | |
148 | With
fine dense coat of short
erect hairs; TL 3.5-3.7 mm; dull red, gaster slightly darker |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium granulatum | Nigeria | |
SUB8 Propodeum with at most a pair of short triangular teeth | |||
Mandibles
striate (not always obvious), most with short blunt hairs Otherwise next species group |
|||
simillimum-group | Alitrunk
dorsum with short blunt hairs, if any if no hairs then eyes large, diameter > 0.29 X HW |
||
oculatum-complex | Large eyes and
(probably) 2-4 elongated curved, hooked hairs on underside of head Otherwise next complex |
||
- | Uniform pale yellow | ||
28 (as T. (Tet.) arnoldi) |
Propodeum unarmed; alitrunk
dorsum without hairs; TL 2.8-3.0 mm |
. | . |
. | |
Tetramorium incruentatum | Zimbabwe |
168 | Propodeum
unarmed; erect hairs
present on dorsal alitrunk; TL 2.8-2.9 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium berbiculum | Zimbabwe | |
168 | With small but well-developed
propodeal teeth; TL 2.5-2.7 mm; gaster usually darker |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium luteolum | Zimbabwe | |
- | Uniform dark brown | ||
- | Base of gastral tergite with a band of shagreening | ||
170 | Very
large eyes; TL 2.4-3.2 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium oculatum | Zimbabwe | |
170 | Moderate sized eyes; thick
silvery hairs conspicuous; TL 2.9-3.2 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium argenteopilosum | Zimbabwe | |
- | Base of gastral tergite without a band of shagreening and without silvery hairs | ||
171 | Scapes
relatively long (SI
80-87); metapleural lobes sharp; TL 2.8-3.0 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium bevisi | Lesotho | |
171 | Scapes relatively short (SI 71);
metapleural lobes rounded; TL 2.7 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium krynitum | Namibia | |
simillimum-complex | Smaller eyes (max 0.27 HW) | ||
- | Head
with dense reticulo-puncturation Otherwise next sub-complex |
||
177 | With
appressed hairs behind the
eye; TL 1.9-2.1 mm; bright uniform yellow |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium rhetidum | West Africa & Congo Basin | |
- | With a single stout hair immediately behind the eye | ||
176 | Yellowish, thorax and head
reddish, gaster paler; TL 2.2-2.5 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium delagoense | Mozambique | |
(176) revived from synonymy Bolton (1995) |
Rust-red,
head lighter, gaster
darker; TL 2.5 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium intextum | East Africa & Congo (?) | |
(176) revived from synonymy Bolton (1995) |
Dark yellow brown to black |
Tetramorium zambezium | Forests of West & Central Africa |
- | Without a single stout projecting hair immediately behind the eye, either hairless or with a number of minute appressed hairs behind the eye | ||
178 | Yellowish-
to light brown, gaster
darker; generally smaller, TL 2.0-2.7 mm |
. | . |
. | Egypt
specimen |
. | . |
. | Note
- West African specimens
with finer erect hairs |
Tetramorium simillimum Gabon | Pan-African & tramp |
178 | Uniform dark brown to blackish
brown; larger, TL 2.4-2.6 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium bothae | southern Africa | |
- | Head with no more than weak sculpturation | ||
174 | Scapes
relatively long (SI 91),
TL 2.2 mm; dark brown glossy |
Tetramorium buthrum | Congo Basin |
175 | Scapes shorter (SI 82-83);
mandibles finely shagreened ; TL 2.0-2.2 mm |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium anxium | Guinea & Gabon | |
Mandibles usually smooth alitrunk dorsum with fine acute hairs, if any; if no hairs then eye diameter < 0.29 X HW |
|||
dumezi-group | - | ||
dumezi-complex | Erect pilosity
relatively sparse, short & fine Otherwise sub-section |
||
. | Propodeum with short acute teeth; without erect hairs on scapes or tibiae | ||
165 | with
a strong median pronotal
costa; head with seven rugulae between the frontal carinae; TL 3.1 mm;
brownish yellow |
Tetramorium pialtum | Ghana |
165 | No erect hairs on scapes or
tibiae; without a median pronotal costa; TL 2.7-3.1 mm; clear pale
yellow |
Tetramorium dumezi | West Africa & Congo Basin |
. | Propodeal teeth reduced or absent | ||
92 | Erect
hairs on scapes and hind
tibiae, gaster smooth; TL 3.1-3.3 mm; light brown |
. | . |
. | Tetramorium candidum | Zaïre & Tanzania | |
92 | Erect hairs on scapes and hind
tibiae but gaster densely punctulate; TL 3.2-3.3 mm; uniform clear pale
yellow |
Tetramorium isipingense | South Africa |
162 | No
pilosity on legs; TL 3.4 mm;
uniform mid-brown |
. | , |
. | . |
Tetramorium elidisum | Ghana |
NA | Without erect pilosity on legs or
scapes; TL 3.7 mm; dark brown, funiculi and mandibles contrasting |
Tetramorium n sp Cameroun fk um54 | Cameroun |
. | Erect hairs variably abundant but always fine and acute | ||
new | Propodeum with small acute teeth;
dorsum of head and alitrunk rugo-reticulate; TL 2.1-2.4 mm; yellow-brown |
Tetramorium amaniensis | Tanzania (Usambara Mts) - new
species |
meressei-complex | Abundant long soft curved acute hairs forming a dense pelt; postpetiole with a high posterior face | ||
91 | Propodeum
with small teeth;
dorsal alitrunk weakly sculptured; TL 3.2-3.5 mm; uniform pale yellow |
. | . |
91 | Tetramorium meressei | Ghana & Zaïre | |
91 | Propodeum angular with no teeth;
dorsal alitrunk evenly sculptured; TL 3.1 mm; brown |
Tetramorium psymanum | Ghana |
© 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 - Brian Taylor
CBiol
FSB FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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