SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pheidole - provisional key to minor workers of all African species
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The Ants of Africa SUBFAMILY MYRMICINAE - Genus Pheidole - provisional key to minor workers of all African species |
| Genus Pheidole Introduction |
I have attempted to compile a key to those species for which I have sufficiently detailed descriptions and/or have illustrations.
Provisional key to workers of named species and separable forms
| ¤ | Status dubious | Guinea - guineensis |
| ¤ | Minor only - description inadequate; TL 1.6 mm; pale rufo-testaceous, head and gaster more red, overall shiny | South Africa - irritans |
| ¤ | Queen and male only known | Zaïre - neokohli |
| ¤ | Minor only, description dubious - pale yellow almost hairless; head quite large, near square, with eyes small and black; alitrunk narrow, domed anteriorly, no obvious propodeal spines | Senegal - pallidelutea |
| ¤ | Brief description of worker or major - TL 3.75 mm; colour rufo-piceus, gaster darker; metanotum strongly rugose, propodeal spines acute | Kenya - scabriuscula |
| . | Adequately defined species | -- |
| 1 |  Postpetiole
narrow, barrel-shaped longer than wide; mandibles crossed over when
closed; anterior margin of clypeus extending forward to overlap base of
mandibles and medially weakly concave; eyes relatively small set at
mid-point of side of head; condyla bulbs not visible in full face view;
scapes surpass occiput by at least one-quarter of own length;
long-legged; with head smooth & shiny except for lateral rugae;
alitrunk quite strongly sculptured with reticulo-puncturations |
2 |
| -- | Postpetiole wider than long; trapezoidal but variably dentate at widest point | 5 |
| . | rugaticeps-group - concinna, rugaticeps, tenuinodis & victoris | -- |
| 2 | TL at least 3 mm | 3 |
| -- | TL maximum 3.0 mm | 4 |
| 3 |  TL
3.5-4.3 mm; head narrower than long, frontal area wide and very
distinctly impressed, occiput rounded and narrowed; clypeus often weakly
carinate; mandibles with two apical teeth and 5-6 denticles; mandibles
very finely striate; scape surpasses occiput by more than a quarter of
its length; alitrunk impressed between the pronotum and mesonotum, with
transverse welt; metanotal groove deep, spines slightly longer than
one-third the propodeal dorsum; legs long; petiole narrow and elongate,
postpetiole about one-third longer than wide; rest of head smooth and
shiny other than irregular longitudinal rugae on the sides; alitrunk and
pedicel densely punctate but less so on the pronotum dorsum and pedicel
which are shiny; lateral propodeum striate; erect pilosity abundant and
long, yellowish; longer and denser on the head than on rugaticeps;
gaster and legs smooth; dull red with head the same colour as the
alitrunk |
Congo - concinna |
| -- |  TL
3-3.5 mm; head elongated, clypeus without a carina; propodeal spines
short, oblique & divergent; postpetiole wider than petiole,
subconical; head smooth other than lateral rugae; alitrunk finely
coriaceous; all over with numerous erect hairs; ferruginous-testaceous,
gaster darker |
Sahel zone - rugaticeps |
| 4 |  TL
2.8-3.0 mm; head wider behind than in front, anterior margin of clypeus
shallowly emarginate, median area with a raised line; funiculus with
first segment as long as next two together; propodeum dorsum weakly
marginate; pilosity long and abundant; colour similar to punctulata
but head and alitrunk darker and more reddish-brown |
Southern Africa & Congo Basin - tenuinodis |
| -- | TL 2.3-3.0 mm; head oval widest in the middle, eyes very convex placed at mid-point; propodeal spines quite small; propodeum declivity oblique shorter than dorsum; head with longitudinal striae which do not extended back beyond the eyes; reddish-yellow, head darker behind, gaster brown, paler at base | Zimbabwe - victoris |
 |
Postpetiole wider than long; trapezoidal but variably dentate at widest point | -- |
| 5 |  TL
1.8-2.3 mm; HW = HL, widest across the eyes; eyes fairly large set
in the anterior third of the sides; frontal carinae short, frontal
area quite large; clypeus feebly carinate; scapes just surpassing the
occiput; metanotal groove distinct, propodeal dorsum flat with minute
vertical teeth, declivity shorter than the dorsum; postpetiole one-third
wider than long, convex anteriorly, sides obtusely angular, sometimes
produced into short truncated cones; overall dark brown, gaster darker
and appendages lighter, mandibles pale reddish-brown; erect pilosity
yellowish longest and most abundant on the gaster |
arnoldi-group - Zimbabwe - arnoldi |
| ¤ | TL 3.0-3.7 mm; head considerably wider than long and wider anteriorly; eyes quite prominent; mandible elongate, with two apical teeth and a crenulate inner margin; antennae slender; alitrunk robust with distinct metanotal groove, propodeal teeth small and sharp but subtending a raised carina on each side; postpetiole with angular sides; densely granulate, opaque, head with a few longitudinal rugae laterally, gaster with fine basal longitudinal striation; whole of body covered with numerous fine erect hairs; colour dull brown | Eritrea (Ethiopia) - clavata |
| -- | Eyes set around the mid-point of the head | 6 |
| . | Eyes set around the mid-point of the head | -- |
| 6 |  Alitrunk
with low or no mesonotal welt; mandibles generally shorter, external
border straighter and more acutely angled at the end; denticles coarser;
gaster relatively shorter and wider |
35 |
| -- | 
Alitrunk with raised transverse area on mesonotum - mandibles usually
with a long outer curved margin and numerous fine denticles OR with a
distinct pair of apical teeth subtended by fine denticles; gaster
relatively narrow |
7 |
| 7 | Petiole from above straight-sided and quite narrow long; postpetiole variable but not hexagonal | 17 |
| -- | Postpetiole from above hexagonal with lateral angles; with a nuchal collar (?) | 8 |
| -- |  TL
2.25 mm; with large distinctive propodeal spiracle and upturned short
spines; sculpturation restricted to spiculation of lateral mesonotum and
propodeum; yellow-brown gaster darker; mandibles smooth and quite bright
yellow |
. |
| . |  |
West Africa & Congo Basin - Pheidole species E |
| . | .Postpetiole from above hexagonal with lateral angles; with a nuchal collar (?) | -- |
| 8 | Head squarish to oval, scapes surpass the occiput but not by much | 9 |
| -- | Head similar but scapes surpass the occiput by about one-quarter of their length | 13 - capensis
group |
| 9 |  TL
3.7-4.0 mm; head fairly round, the posterior margin straight, angles
rounded; eyes large convex and placed in the middle of the sides;
clypeus feebly carinate, frontal area large and well defined, frontal
carinae straight reaching to about one-third point of head; scapes
surpassing occiput by about twice the apical width; pronotum convex with
posterior lateral angles produced into rather large cones, readily
visible in profile; propodeum dorsum twice as long as declivity, spines
very long and subvertical, feebly divergent; petiole with a long
pedicel; post-petiole four-fifths longer than high, the sides angular;
legs long; head and alitrunk densely reticulo-punctate, appearing
granular and giving a dull appearance; pedicel finely reticulate; legs
and apical two-thirds of gaster shiny; dark brown, gaster near black,
appendages yellowish-brown; pubescence and pilosity scanty |
East Africa - liengmei |
| -- | Head without transverse striation on occiput | 10 |
| . | spinulosa-group - njassae, schultzei, spinulosa and xocensis | -- |
| 10 | TL 3.5-4 mm; propodeal spines as long as interbasal width; head and alitrunk generally finely punctate, gaster even more finely sculptured; most of head and body matt; dark red-brown, appendages and gaster blackish | Tanzania - njassae |
| -- | TL no more than 3.0 mm | 11 |
| 11 |  TL
2.0-2.4 mm; scapes not surpassing the occiput head quadrate, slightly
narrower anteriorly, eyes set at mid-point, propodeum spines no more
than pointed teeth; erect pilosity very sparse; essentially
yellowish-brown |
Southern Africa - spinulosa |
| -- | Head near circular, scapes surpassing the occiput by about 1/3 of own length | 12 |
| 12 |  TL
2.0-2.2 mm; head rectangular sides near straight; scapes just surpass
the occiput; colour yellowish-red, gaster, sides of head and scapes more
brown |
Southern Africa - schultzei |
| . |  darker
colour and slightly longer propodeal spines |
Angola, Gabon, CAR - schultzei ebangana |
| -- |  TL
2.3-2.6 mm; head more or less oval, slightly narrower posteriorly; dark
brown, appendages brownish-yellow |
Zimbabwe - xocensis |
|
Head
squarish to oval but scapes surpass the occiput by about one-quarter of
their length capensis group - capensis, cuitensis (possibly), rohani and sculpturata |
-- |
| 13 |  TL
2.5 mm; metanotal groove and transverse impression of mesonotum quite
deep; head very finely and longitudinally rugulose, vertex smooth and
shining; pronotum shining, rest of alitrunk reticulo-punctate and dull;
generally brownish-yellow with head more reddish |
Southern Africa - capensis also cuitensis |
| -- | TL 2.2 mm; smaller than sculpturata, with shorter scapes; entirely reticulo-punctate including the gaster | north-east Africa & Saudi Arabia - katonae |
| -- | TL at least 3.0 mm | 14 |
| 14 | Head essentially shiny | 15 |
| -- | Head densely spiculate sculptured | 16 |
| 15 |  TL
3.6 mm; dark brown, with appendages reddish |
. |
| . |  |
Angola & Congo - rohani |
| . |  TL
much smaller and less sculpturation on the head |
Angola & Congo - rohani pellax |
| 16 |  TL
ca 3.5 mm; overall stocky; dark red brown, densely spiculate all over,
fading away on apex of gaster; spiculation overlaid by longitudinal
striation; head in profile relatively flattened with a pronounced
posterior border; in full face view, without mandibles near square, with
slightly convex sides and rounded corners to occipitum; clypeus with a
straight anterior border, medial carina and lateral rugae; two distinct
long forward directed hairs, one each side on median; face with
longitudinal rugae overlayed on overall spiculation; rugae fading away
on vertex; mandibles large, striated and with elongated apices; scapes
not exceeding vertex by more than about one-third their length,
relatively thick, broadest apically; funiculus segments beadlike, 2-8
about equal in size and as long as broad; club with segments 9 and 10
equal and 11 barely longer; eyes quite large, convex and situated just
forward of mid-line of face; mesonotum and propodeum with lateral
carinae forming a raised border running on to the spines; propodeal
spines triangular about as long as propodeal declivity slightly
upturned; petiole with divided apex; postpetiole somewhat cuboid, lower
than petiole and quite small for genus; erect hairs quite abundant but
fine and light coloured, especially abundant on antennae and tarsi
giving both a bristly appearance |
Ivory Coast & Cameroun - ingenita new status |
| -- |  TL
3.0 mm HL 3.8 mm; antennae long and slender, with funicular club almost
as long as the rest of the funiculus; pronotum bituberculate; metanotal
groove deep; mesonotum with weak lateral margination, which continues
onto the propodeum and into the spines; densely sculptured overall,
sides of head striate, clypeus weakly ridged and shiny; fronts shiny;
gaster mostly shiny although dull at the base; ferruginous brown, gaster
darker to pitch |
Pan-(sub-Saharan)Africa - sculpturata |
|
Petiole from above straight-sided and quite narrow long; postpetiole variable but not hexagonal | - |
| 17 | Head more or less ovoid in full face view, with prominent convex eyes and long dentate mandibles, completely or nearly smooth and shiny | 26 |
| -- | Head square-ovoid or elongate ovoid with strongly narrowed occiput | 18 |
| 18 | Head distinctly longer than wide - ovoid in the true sense | 19 |
| -- | Head width and length about the same, also occiput straight to weakly impressed OR head elongate with a narrow occiput or neck | 21 |
| . | variolosa-group - akermani, aeberlii and variolosa | -- |
| 19 |  TL
2.6 mm; propodeal spines short and triangular; dark castaneous brown,
posterior of head, alitrunk and petiole redder |
South Africa - akermani |
| -- | TL at least 3 mm; with rugose alitrunk | 20 |
| 20 |  TL
3.0 mm; alitrunk rugose, humeri with tubercules; propodeal spines short;
postpetiole laterally angular, with transverse striations; basal segment
of gaster striate-punctate; head and alitrunk reticulo-rugose and subtly
punctate dull, also base of gaster; front of head flat, clypeus
carinate, rugose, base of mandibles striate; pronotum with tubercles,
also mesonotum, dorsum of propodeum bicarinate, with acute spines; dull
ferruginous, appendages lighter |
Somalia - variolosa |
| -- |  TL
3.2-3.3 mm; anterior margin of clypeus medially impressed; structure as
variolosa; brown, alitrunk reddish-brown, appendages
yellowish-brown - photographed specimen has a distinctive bristly scape
and funiculus |
Sahel zone - aeberlii |
| -- |  TL
3.5 mm; head oval almost twice as long as wide when the eyes are
ignored; occipital border with nuchal collar (?); clypeus smooth weakly
convex with a short medain carina; frontal carinae about one fifth
longer than they are apart; frontal notch weak and short; alitrunk
fairly elongate, mesonotum profile convex, propodeal spines upright,
fairly divergent and about as long as three-quarters their basal
interval; petiole with a long pedicel, summit entire; postpetiole about
one quarter longer than posterior width, laterally obtusely angled ;
most of head smooth and shiny, sides reticulo-punctate; alitrunk &
pedicel regularly reticulo-punctate, reduced on pronotum dorsum; gaster
smooth other than a few basal reticulations; black, alitrunk sometimes
dorsally lighter, appendages brown, articulations and tarsi yellow brown |
Sahel zone - andrieui (in buchholzi-group) |
| . | Head width and length about the same, also occiput straight to weakly impressed OR head elongate with a narrow occiput or neck | -- |
| 21 |  Head
square-ovoid, as narrow behind as in front; funiculi with a bead-like
appearance; postpetiole wider than long and rounded laterally |
22 |
| -- |  Head
an elongate oval; funiculi segments with a rectangular appearance;
postpetiole large especially wide posteriorly |
23 |
| . | buchholzi-group (part) - aspera, buchholzi and hewitti - scape surpasses occiput by about one-third ? | -- |
| 22 | 
TL 2.5 mm; mandibles feebly striate on the sides; scape surpasses
occiput by about one-third of its length; promesonotum with elongate
convex profile slightly interrupted by a small lateral tubercle on the
mesonotum; propodeum with dorsum and declivity forming an obtuse angle
with a small raised tooth; dark brown, gaster slightly lighter,
mandibles & tarsi brownish ochreous, antennae & legs pale brown |
South Africa - hewitti |
| -- | TL 3.7-3.8 mm; head longer than wide; scape surpassing the occiput; reddish or lighter yellowish | West Africa & Congo Basin - buchholzi |
| -- |  TL
3.0 mm; HW = HL, scapes surpass occiput by about one-third their length,
funiculus with all segments bead-like; mandibles longitudinally striate
at the base, clypeus weakly striate, middle of head more or less smooth;
most of alitrunk and gaster shiny, propodeum transversely rugose; short,
acute spines directed upwards; pilosity quite abundant; head
blackish-brown, alitrunk red brown, rest yellowish-brown |
. |
| . | |
South Africa - aspera |
| . | speculifera-group - aspera, kohli, occipitalis, speculifera and vanderveldi - overall elongate species, with head an elongate oval, with long mandibles | -- |
| 23 | Dull in appearance | 24 |
| -- | Shiny | 25 |
| 24 |  TL
3.42 mm, HL 0.86, HW 0.65, SL 1.17, PW 0.47; clypeus with a fine median
carina; petiole with a low node flattened dorsally in profile;
postpetiole with a domed profile and ovoid in dorsal view; sculpturation
only of spiculation on the propodeum, lateral mesonotum and the petiole;
yellow-orange, shiny, with a transparent cuticle. |
Pan-African - speculifera |
| -- | TL 3.9-4 mm; similar to speculifera but dark brown/black, legs paler, tarsi and funiculus rusty red | Southern Africa - vanderveldi |
| 25 |  TL
3.5-4 mm; red-brown, antennae and legs darker |
Kenya & Zaïre - kohli |
| -- |  TL
3-4 mm; TL 7.5-8.0 mm; HL slightly greater than HW; sides of head feebly
arcuate; sparse erect hairs, no pubescence; head entirely shiny; head
and alitrunk brownish-red, gaster brown |
West Africa - occipitalis |
| . |
Head more or less ovoid in full face view, with prominent convex eyes and long dentate mandibles, completely or nearly smooth and shiny | -- |
| 26 | Occiput wide and medially straight teneriffana group - areniphila, caffra, mayri, pusilla, sinaitica, teneriffana, Cameroon 73 - | 27 |
| -- | Head in full face view almost purely ovoid ; with distinctive raised frontal carinae, exposing the condylar bulbs; base of scape with triangular widening - prelli-group - dea, prelli, pulchella | 32 |
| 27 | Propodeal spines short and sharp | 28 |
| -- | Propodeal spines long and (mostly) relatively blunt apically | 31 |
| 28 | Head with sides near parallel until past the eyes | 29 |
| -- | Head widest at level of the eyes, widening from the clypeal margin backwards to that point | 30 |
| 29 |  TL
ca 3 mm; antennal scapes surpassing occiput by about half their length;
distinctive longitudinal carina on gena forward of the eye; dark
reddish-brown, with variably lighter appendages. Probably identical
with pusilla |
Cameroun - species Cameroon 73 |
| -- |  TL
2.4 mm; head slightly bigger than the gaster; alitrunk narrow; pronotum
dorsum subtly granulated; head variable brown, alitrunk light
yellowish-brown, gaster chestnut with lighter apex |
Madeira - pusilla |
| 30 |  TL
2.8 mm; head large relative to the alitrunk; with distinct groove
between pro-and mesonotum; postpetiole wider than long; generally
brown-yellow, gaster darker |
North African tramp - teneriffana |
| -- |  TL
2.8-3 mm; brownish-red or more yellow, gaster darker; underside of head
with gular hairs |
Egypt - sinaitica |
| 31 |  TL
ca 3 mm; head slightly long than wide; eyes very convex and set about
four fifths of the length from the anterior of the head; scapes surpass
occiput by a distance equal to about half the length of the distance
between the rear of the eye and the occiput; legs long; alitrunk and
antennae red-brown, head dull brown or blackish brown; gaster near
black, mandibles and legs yellowish-brown; |
Southern & Eastern African - caffra |
| -- |  TL
2.7 mm; head longer than wide (longer than abyssinica [caffra]);
more narrowed behind, with distinct posterior border (nuchal collar?);
scape surpasses occiput by two-fifths of its length; generally smooth
but with oblique striations on the genae; propodeum reticulate; almost
black, mandibles yellowish, appendages reddish |
West Africa & Congo Basin - bayeri |
| -- |  TL
3.08, HL 0.75, HW 0.56, SL 0.89, PW 0.42; with unusually large eyes;
head, pronotum and gaster unsculptured; propodeal spines thick and
blunt; erect pilosity generally less abundant and distinctly shorter;
colour dark red-brown, gaster and head near black |
. |
| . |  |
West Africa & Congo Basin - mayri |
| -- | TL 2.3-2.5 mm; sides of
head more convex in full face view; scape surpasses occiput by about
one-third its length; postpetiole with globular profile; fairly shiny
but lightly and finely reticulate all over; reddish yellow, head
brownish-yellow, gaster yellowish |
southern Africa - areniphila |
| . |
Head ovoid in full face view, with distinctive raised frontal carinae, exposing the condylar bulbs; base of scape with triangular widening | -- |
| 32 | With short propodeal spines | 33 |
| -- | With long curved propodeal spines | 34 |
| 33 |  TL
2.5 mm; mandibles striated and pubescent; anterior border entirely
denticulate; head an eighth longer than wide, slightly narrowed
posteriorly, rectangular with a somewhat distinct posterior border,
convex; clypeus without carinae; frontal carinae parallel, reaching
about the midpoint but not forming a distinct scrobe; even so, between
the carinae and the first rugae of the genae the antennal socket is
distinctly raised in a transverse arc, prolonged slightly forward; eyes
convex slightly forward of the midpoint; scape surpassing the occiput by
about one-third its length; alitrunk as in the soldier but more
elongated, with less pronounced structures; propodeal dorsum one-third
longer than wide; spines twice as long as the basal separation;
declivity short; postpetiole as long as wide; rest as soldier; head
quite shiny, finely and irregularly reticulate, with oblique rugae
between the eyes and the frontal carinae, arcing into the anterior
sockets; alitrunk densely reticulo-punctate and almost matt, except on
the pronotum, where the dorsum is near smooth; petiole node reticulate;
rest shiny; pilosity and pubescence as in the soldier; overall
yellow-rust; head, antennae and vague bands on the gaster brownish.
|
East Africa - prelli |
| -- | West Africa (?) & Congo Basin | n sp close to prelli Gabon 75 |
| 34 |  TL
3-3.5 mm; overall shiny with reduced sculpturation, erect hairs coarse
and relatively sparse; head in full face view near circular; propodeal
spines long; deep piceous, almost black |
West Africa & Congo Basin - (species D) dea |
| . |  TL
3-3.5 mm; head nearly circular, scarcely longer than broad, without
posterior corners, occipital border strongly marginate; mandibles large,
their apical borders long and finely denticulate, with two larger
terminal teeth; clypeus convex, with rounded, entire anterior border;
eyes just in front of the middle of the head, moderately large and
convex; antennae slender, scapes extending about two-fifths their length
beyond the occipital border; alitrunk slender, the pronotum rather
depressed above, bluntly tuberculate on the sides near the middle;
mesonotum long and sloping, with a broad transverse impression in front
and a transverse swelling behind it; metanotal constriction deep and
broad; propodeum as broad as long, with subequal base and declivity, not
concave in the middle as in the soldier; spines longer, as long as the
base and more strongly curved backward; petiole similar to that of the
major, but with a lower, blunter node; postpetiole scarcely twice as
broad as the petiole, longer than broad, rounded above and on the sides;
gaster distinctly smaller than the head; legs slender; overall shining;
finely reticulate; mandibles finely and densely striate, lustrous;
gaster more shining than the head and thorax; mesonotum and propodeum
and ventral and lateral portions of the petiole and postpetiole
subopaque, densely punctate; pilosity much like that of the major,
sparser on the body but more abundant on the legs; yellowish red, or
reddish yellow, with paler legs and brown gaster, the latter in most
specimens yellowish at the base. |
|
| -- | 
|
Congo Basin - pulchella achantella ? |
| -- |  TL
3.5-3.6 mm; head entirely matt, covered with large regular reticulation,
erect hairs slender, yellowish; clypeus carinate with carina extended
forward beyond clypeal margin |
Guinea - nimba |
|
Alitrunk with low or no mesonotal welt; mandibles generally shorter, external border straighter and more acutely angled at the end; denticles coarser; gaster relatively shorter and wider | -- |
| 35 | Head square | 36 |
| -- | Head more ovoid with convex sides | 44 |
| 36 | Funiculus with a relatively swollen three-segmented club | 37 |
| -- | Funiculus with a relatively slender three-segmented club | 41 |
| . | termitophila-group - bequaerti, miniscula, nigritella, schoutedeni, strator & termitophila | -- |
| 37 | Colour very dark to black | 38 |
| -- | Colour other than black | 39 |
| 38 | TL 1.9 mm; mandibles
striate, puncturate at the extremities; head square, occiput lightly
impressed, scape just surpassing the occiput, eyes large, clearly
elongate, longer than their distance from the anterior of the head, set
in the anterior third, funiculi with middle segments wider than long;
promesonotum strongly convex; propodeum with horizontal dorsum, almost
as wide as long, with the spines short about one third of the basal
separation, subvertical; postpetiole not much wider than the petiole;
head, alitrunk and pedicel entirely matt and densely reticulo-punctate,
head with fairly strong lateral rugae; gaster anteriorly reticulate and
subopaque, smooth posteriorly as are the legs; head dark brown, rest
lighter brown, appendages and mandibles reddish brown |
Zaïre - bequaerti |
| -- |  TL
2.0-2.1; black, very shiny, puncturation fine and serrated,
appendages brown. Head slightly longer than wide, very rounded
posteriorly; occiput is straight, bordered and wide. Antennae slender,
in the funiculus segments 2 and 3 are equal, three times longer than
wide, segment 4 twice as long as wide. Prothorax as convex as the
soldier; propodeum puncturate except on anterior third. Petiole slender,
node less elevated than that of the soldier. Postpetiole as the soldier.
All body parts are more elongated than those of the other minute Pheidole
in the termitophila group |
Guinea & Ghana- nigritella |
| 39 |  TL
1.7 mm; head a little longer than wide, with fine puncturations; occiput
concave, wide and not bordered; second segment of antennal club scarcely
longer than wide; propodeal spines reduced to short teeth; postpetiole
globular; body yellow-brown, very shiny, petiole and appendages
testaceous. |
Guinea - miniscula |
| -- | TL > 1.7 mm | 40 |
| 40 |  TL
1.7-1.8 mm; sides of head with weak but visible puncturation; generally
yellow-brown, appendages lighter |
Sahel zone - termitophila |
| -- |  Minor
TL 1.7-1.8 mm; yellow brown, appendages darker |
Eastern Africa - strator |
|
|
Head
square; with relatively slender three-segmented club; postpetiole weakly
conical laterally - excellens-group - excellens (species F995), mylognatha, retronitens, weissi, species T4 & species T5 |
-- |
| 41 | TL at least 3.0 mm | 42 |
| -- | TL < 3.0 mm | 43 |
| 42 |  TL
3.8 mm; red-brown, dull due to dense puncturation and abundant covering
of moderately long, semi-prone, fine hairs. |
Pan-African - excellens (species F995) |
| -- |  TL
3.0 mm; scape longer; mostly dark red-brown, head reddish with a frontal
yellowish-red band, tibiae and scapes brown-yellow, tarsi & funiculi
yellowish |
. |
| . |  |
Congo Basin & Nigeria - weissi |
| 43 |  TL
2 mm; head a little longer than broad, as broad in front as behind, with
feebly convex sides and a feebly concave posterior border; eyes rather
convex, just in front of the middle of the sides; mandibles with the
whole apical border very finely denticulate; clypeus convex, its
anterior border entire, broadly rounded; scapes extending fully
one-fourth their length beyond the posterior border of the head;
alitrunk and petiole very similar to those of the soldier but the
mesonotum more sloping and with much feebler transverse convexity;
postpetiole only one and one-half times as broad as the petiole, its
sides produced as short angles or conules; shining; mandibles finely and
indistinctly striate; clypeus and cheeks longitudinally rugulose; area
between the frontal carinae and the eyes reticulate, remainder of head
very smooth and shining; pronotum smooth and shining above, reticulate
on the sides; mesonotum and propodeum subopaque, densely punctate;
petiole and post-petiole more finely punctate, the nodes above smooth
and shining like the gaster and legs; pilosity and colour much as in the
soldier, but the fine appressed hairs on the scapes as abundant as on
the legs; rich castaneous brown; gaster, except the base of the first
segment, darker, almost black; legs and funiculi a little more reddish,
the femora infuscated in the middle. |
Zaïre - mylognatha |
| -- |  TL
2.0 mm; scape just surpasses the occiput; propodeal spines short,
near-vertical; postpetiole node about twice as wide as petiole, slightly
longer than wide; dull yellow, with the legs and antennae lighter and
the mid-gaster brownish. |
Zaïre & Nigeria - schoutedeni |
|
Head more ovoid with convex sides | -- |
| 44 |  Postpetiole
short and globular; gaster small and narrow (??) |
45 |
| -- | 
Postpetiole relatively elongate |
46 |
| 45 |  TL
2.7 to 3 mm; head subrectangular, as broad in front as behind, with
straight, subparallel sides, rounded posterior corners and nearly
straight posterior border; eyes convex, at the middle of the sides;
mandibles rather large, deflected at the tip, with denticulate apical
borders and two larger terminal teeth; clypeus distinctly carinate, with
the anterior border very feebly sinuate in the middle; antennal scapes
extending one-third their length beyond the posterior corners of the
head; promesonotum profile convex; propodeal dorsum a little longer than
the declivity; spines slender, acute, erect, about half as long as their
interval; petiole slender, twice as long as broad, scarcely broader
behind than in front, with the sides only very faintly concave; node
transverse, its border distinctly notched in the middle; postpetiole
twice as broad as the petiole, as long as broad, subglobose, not toothed
on the ventral side; gaster about as large as the head; shining;
mandibles subopaque, finely striatopunctate; sides of head delicately
longitudinally rugulose and reticulate; alitrunk, petiole, and
postpetiole finely and densely punctate, opaque; upper surface of
pronotum and postpetiole smooth and shining; gaster and legs shining,
sparsely punctate; erect hairs fine yellowish; scapes, like the legs,
with numerous oblique hairs; brown; head darker above and behind;
gaster, except the edges of the segments, middle portions of legs, fore
coxae, and usually also the pronotum and upper surfaces of the petiolar
nodes, darker than the posterior portion of the thorax. |
Zaïre - saxicola |
| -- |  TL
1.8-2.0 mm; propodeal spines minute; mahogany red, extremities more
brown, mandibles with distinctive yellow |
Ethiopia & Central African Republic - philippi |
| -- |  TL
3.5 mm; head oval; eyes [unusually large] set at the mid-point and
occiput narrower, with a weak transverse crest (?nuchal collar); scape
surpasses occiput by about one-third its length; generally shiny with a
few rugae on the genea and the mesonotum and propodeum partly
reticulate; colour black, anterior of head and appendages
lighter red-brown to yellow-brown |
Zaïre - retronitens |
| - | Postpetiole relatively elongate | -- |
| 46 | Postpetiole
profile globular, in dorsal view widest part almost the posterior
margin, with smoothly rounded sides as wide as long; head almost square,
with distinctly impressed frontal notch; scapes quite slender
and funiculus with narrow segments |
47 |
| -- |
Postpetiole elongate trapezoidal but with no more than weak lateral
prominences, ventrally concave, giving profile a somewhat globular
appearance |
53 |
| - | crassinoda-group - aurivilli, costauriensis, crassinoda, escherichii, impressifrons, melancholica & punctulata | -- |
| 47 |  TL
4.36 mm (original description gives a smaller size); postpetiole
exceptionally large and bulbous both dorsally and laterally; clypeus
medially carinate, shallowly emarginate anteriorly; longitudinal rugae
on the genae; petiole produced laterally and the anterior of the
peduncle; head, pronotum and gaster; mesonotum, propodeum and pedicel
spiculate; erect hairs sparse and relatively short; head and alitrunk
brown/dark red-brown, gaster darker to black, appendages lighter with
tarsi and antennal clubs brown |
. |
| . |  |
West Africa - costauriensis |
| -- | Postpetiole with a relatively shallow profile | 48 |
| 48 |  TL
4 mm; base colour piceous (pitch black), appendages more reddish; head
ovate, genae with longitudinal rugae, mandibles striate; propodeum
dorsum sulcate, spines triangular and obtuse |
. |
| . |  |
Eastern & Southern Africa - crassinoda |
| -- | TL < 4mm | 49 |
| 49 | TL 2.5-3.0 mm | 50 |
| -- | TL < 2.5 mm | 52 |
| 50 | TL 3.0 mm; scapes surpass occiput by about two-fifths their length; funiculus segments generally longer than wide; whole of body and tibiae with long pilosity; brown with reddish appendages. | West Africa & Congo Basin - aurivillii |
| -- | Scapes surpass occiput by no more than one-third their own length | 51 |
| 51 |  TL
2.7-3.0 mm; mostly smooth and relatively shiny, propodeum dull and
reticulate; variable brown to yellowish-brown |
Pan-African - punctulata |
| -- |  TL
3.2 mm; like punctulata but darker & a little larger; sides
of head more strongly striated, frontal area more wider and more angular
behind; pronotum with transverse raised dark area; propodeum and sides
of mesonotum more strongly reticulate; generally brownish to
reddish-brown |
Southern Africa - rotundata |
| -- |  TL
3 mm; head longer and more rounded posteriorly; dorsum of alitrunk more
strongly sculptured; propodeum longer with stronger spines; black or
very dark brown, appendages and mandibles brownish. |
West Africa - melancholica |
| 52 |  TL
2.43 mm, HL 0.68, HW 0.62, SL 0.72, PW 0.39; alitrunk almost all over
spiculate, fainter on the dorsal and lateral pronotum;.red-brown, gaster
darker, appendages lighter. |
South Africa - type form |
| . |  |
& West Africa (atrocior) - impressifrons |
|
Postpetiole
elongate trapezoidal but with no more than weak lateral prominences,
ventrally concave, giving profile a somewhat globular appearance megacephala-group - albidula, corticola, jordanica, maufei, megacephala, mentita, minima, nigeriensis (species B), nkomoana (species E), pallidula, picata, rotundata, squalida, tricarinata, and species A |
-- |
| 53 |  Alitrunk
profile smoothly domed, as is propodeal profile, propodeal spines
reduced to sharp denticles |
54 |
| -- |  Alitrunk
profile rather flatter; propodeal spines generally fairly well developed
and sharp |
59 |
| - | Mandibles with two apical teeth and a number of denticles; minima-subgroup - corticicola, decarinata, minima, nigeriensis (species B), tricarinata, and species A | -- |
| 54 | Head more or less rectangular with rounded occipital angles | 55 |
| -- | Head ovoid with highly rounded occipital angles | 56 |
| 55 | Major only described | Guinea - tricarinata |
| -- |  TL
1.9 mm; dorsum of head and entire alitrunk densely spiculate; erect
hairs moderately abundant; orange, gaster very dark brown. |
West Africa (& Kenya?) - species A |
| -- | TL 2.5 mm; head oval-rectangular, mandibles dentate, striate near the base; clypeus without a carina, feebly emarginate; mesonotum with two small ridges behind; propodeum subdentate; sculpturation limited to anterior striations on head and a few striations and reticulations on lateral propodeum (minor similar); erect pilosity yellowish sparse on body and absent from tibiae and scapes; brownish-yellow, legs and antennae dirty yellow | South Africa - kitschneri |
| 56 | Scape surpassing occiput by no more than one-fifth its length | 57 |
| -- | Scape surpassing occiput by more than one-fifth its length; metanotal groove distinct on sides of alitrunk | 58 |
| 57 |  TL
1.56 mm; short and stocky overall; head in full-face very relatively
square, eyes fairly flat, fine nuchal collar; propodeal spines very
short but sharp [no original description]; shiny except densely
spiculate lateral alitrunk and propodeum; darker than major, legs and
funiculi golden-yellow |
. |
| . | |
West Africa (species B) nigeriensis |
| -- |  TL
2.0 mm; head rectangular slightly longer than wide, posterior angles
very rounded, occiptal border straight and weakly impressed (?); eyes
set at mid-length and about one-quarter the length of the head; scape
surpasses occiput by about one-fifth its length, segments 4-6 of
funiculus wider than long, club with apical segment as long as two
preceding together; promesonotum smoothly arcuate; propodeum with
rectangular dorsum, longer than wide, almost flat and
sub-bordered.angles dentate; head, pedicel and gaster, blackish brown;
alitrunk and appendages pale reddish brown |
Sahel zone - decarinata |
| 58 |  TL
2.3 mm; eyes occupy almost all the second quarter of the sides of the
head; frontal area wide and rounded posteriorly; scape surpasses occiput
by just under one-third its length; propodeal spines short but thick and
about as long as two-thirds the basal interval; smooth and shiny, sides
of mesonotum, propodeum and base of petiole reticulate; with abundant
long erect pilosity all over; yellow-red to dull brown-red, anterior of
head brown-black |
West Africa & Congo Basin - corticicola |
| -- |  TL
1.6-1.7 mm; red-yellow or brown-yellow |
West Africa & Congo Basin - minima |
|
Alitrunk
profile rather flatter; propodeal spines generally fairly well developed
and sharp; TL usually > 2.0 mm megacephala-subgroup - albidula, foreli, jordanica, maufei, megacephala, mentita, nkomoana (species E), pallidula, rotundata, squalida, and (unseparable beyond this point); picata (may be only known from Madagascar) |
-- |
| 59 | Relatively elongated and slender with narrow ovoid heads and long appendages | 60 |
| -- |  Shorter
and less elongated with shorter heads and appendages |
61 |
| 60 |  TL
2.6-3.0 mm; postpetiole with distinctive pyriform shape; head and
alitrunk dull with fairly close reticulation, on head latter overlaid
with coarse rugose reticulation, middle of vertex shiny; pilosity
yellowish, pubescence sparse to nil on body, long oblique on appendages;
dark yellowish-brown to brownish-red |
Zimbabwe - maufei |
| -- |  TL
1.8-2.2 mm; head narrowed and convex behind with indistinct posterior
border; eyes very convex; scape surpasses occiput by about one-third its
length; promesonotum weakly convex, with an indistinct promesonotal
suture; propodeum dorsum twice as long as declivity; petiole as whole
insect elongated relative to megacephala |
West Africa - nkomoana |
| -- |  TL
2 mm; less elongated; the illustrated specimens were associated with
soldiers and are darker than the type description of generally very
pale; most of body pale rust yellow, head and scape darker, posterior of
gaster and most of legs whitish |
Cameroun & Zaïre - albidula |
| Generally shorter and less elongated | -- | |
| 61 |  TL
2-2.3 mm; head a long oval longer than wide; antennal insertions with a
distinct narrow margin; scapes surpass occiput by about two-fifths their
length; narrow nuchal collar present; mesonotum with two transverse
ridges; brown-yellow, head and hindleg brown, gaster darker; somewhat
similar to aurivilli |
Ethiopia - escherichii |
| -- | HW = HL, nuchal collar absent | 62 |
| 62 |  Propodeum
with a shallowly convex profile and quite short sharp spines; head
relatively square not very narrowed posteriorly, also relatively shallow
and flat in profile |
63 |
| -- |  Propodeal
profile flat or only weakly convex; head with a domed profile and more
convex eyes |
64 |
| 63 | TL
ca 2.5 mm; shiny, with only sculpturation on mesonotum, propodeum and
petiole, all of which are densely spiculate; red-brown, gaster darker,
appendages lighter. |
Pan-African tramp - megacephala |
| -- |  Head
much paler; legs much longer and distinct groove between pro-and
mesonotum (probably not from sub-Saharan) |
North Africa & Sudan - jordanica |
|
Head with domed profile and more convex eyes; propodeal profile flat or only weakly convex | -- |
| 64 | TL > 3 mm | 65 |
| -- | TL < 3 mm | 66 |
| 65 |  TL
2.2 mm; head ovoid narrower in front, semi-circular occiput; front area
an isoceles triangle extending quite far back between the frontal
carinae; eyes set about the mid-point; scape surpassing occiput by about
one-third its length; promesonotum profile a low regular curve, from
above lozenge-shaped with strongly rounded sides; propodeum dorsum flat
with anteriorly oblique slope out of the metanotal groove, declivity
concave only one-quarter the length of the dorsum, spines as long as
two-thirds their interval and often slightly curved anteriorly;
mesonotum punctuate as in a powder; abundant long fine pilosity; clear
brownish yellow, head darker, mandibles antennae and legs yellow; gaster
dirty yellow in front passing to brownish-black behind |
Congo - squalida |
| -- |  TL
1.7-2.7 mm; dull yellow-fuscous, head and gaster more fuscous (probably
not from sub-Saharan Africa) |
North Africa - pallidula |
| 66 | TL 3.0-3.3 mm; pro-mesonotum separated by distinct suture; metanotal groove deep; propodeal spines divergent and raised, declivity vertical shorter than dorsum; gaster narrow, smooth at the base; head superficially puncturate, genae with rugae, whole of alitrunk apart from pronotum dorsum densely puncturate and matt; reddish brown, postpetiole and gaster brownish black, extremities lighter yellowish or rust | Guinea - mentita |
| -- |  TL
2.8-3.0 mm; shining, no pro-mesonotal suture; mesothorax and propodeum
lightly rugo-reticulate; dark brown to piceous, appendages lighter Photo
ID questionable |
South Africa - foreli |
 |
MYRMICINAE Introduction | © 2007, 2008, 2009 - Brian Taylor
CBiol FIBiol FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
href="pheidole_minors_key.htm"