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
April 2010 - I have added the Cephalic Index CI = HW/HL and Scape
Index, SI = SL/HW. None of the indices appear in the published
literature and so are for specimens I have diagnosed as being of the
species or, less commonly, from earlier illustrations.
| ¤ | 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, CI 82, SI
157; 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, CI 72, SI 177; 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, CI 83, SI 150; 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 sides finely reticulate-punctate and with longitudinal striae which do not extend 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, CI 86, SI 123; 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 - new species - stephensi |
| . | .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, CI 88, SI 100; 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, CI 88, SI 136; head rectangular sides near straight; scapes
just surpass
the occiput; colour yellowish-red, gaster, sides of head and scapes
more brown |
Southern Africa - schultzei |
| . |  CI 80, SI 144, 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, CI 88, SI 106; 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, CI 86, SI 128; 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, CI 84, SI 120;
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, CI 100, SI 116; 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 |
| -- |  TL type ca 4.1-4.5 mm,
CI 100, SI 120; (specimen closer to variety dignata TL ca 3.5 mm) occiput
weakly impressed; sculpturation on head reduced relative to sculpturata; darker almost black |
West Africa & Congo Basin - welgelegenensis new status |
|
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, CI 81, SI 102; 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, CI 70, SI 170; 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 3.0 mm, CI 86, SI 107; head with almost straight
occiput and only a
narrow nuchal collar; yellow-red, gaster more brown |
Horn of Africa - erythraea - new status |
| -- |  TL
3.2-3.3 mm, CI 87-89, SI 143-150; 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, CI 74-81, SI 129; 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 median 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, CI 91, SI 116; 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, CI 90, SI 100, 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; CI 74, SI
164; 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, CI 80, SI 162; red-brown, antennae and legs
darker |
Kenya & Zaïre - kohli |
| -- |  TL 3-4 mm; HL slightly greater than HW;
CI 87, SI 166; 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 fervens 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, CI 77, SI 147; 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, CI 83, SI 125; 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 - (synonymy of teneriffana) fervens |
| -- |  TL 2.8-3 mm, CI 79, SI 142; brownish-red or more yellow,
gaster darker;
underside of head with gular hairs |
Egypt - sinaitica |
| 31 |  TL ca 3
mm, CI 95, SI 100; 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, CI 87, SI 152; 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; scape with
numerous erect hairs; 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; CI 78, SI
147;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 (Kenya specimen darker) |
southern Africa - areniphila |
| -- |  TL 1.8-2.3 mm; scape without erect hairs; uniform yellow-brown, mandibles yellowish |
West Africa & Congo Basin - senilifrons |
| . |
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, CI 84, SI 147; 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, CI 82, SI 161;
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, CI 90, SI 170; 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. |
|
| -- | CI 90, SI
130 |
Congo Basin - pulchella achantella ? |
| -- |  TL
3.5-3.6 mm, CI ca 83; 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, CI 90, SI 100; 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, CI 100, SI 100; sides of head with weak but
visible
puncturation; generally yellow-brown, appendages lighter |
Sahel zone - termitophila |
| -- |  Minor
TL 1.7-1.8 mm, CI 94, SI 100; 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,
CI 95, SI 120;
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, CI 90, SI 112; 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, CI 92, SI 109; 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, CI 94, SI 121; 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, CI 92, SI 100; 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, CI 97, SI 93-100; propodeal spines minute;
mahogany red,
extremities more brown, mandibles with distinctive yellow |
Ethiopia & Central African Republic - philippi |
| -- |  TL 3.5 mm, CI 90, SI 133; head oval; eyes 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 ( & Ghana) - 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, CI 76, SI 159 (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, CI 71, SI 144; 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, CI 92, SI 116; mostly smooth and relatively shiny,
propodeum dull and
reticulate; variable brown to yellowish-brown |
Pan-African - punctulata |
| -- |   TL
3.2 mm, CI 100, SI 103; 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, CI 83, SI 150; 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; CI 81, SI
123; alitrunk
almost all over spiculate, fainter on the dorsal and lateral
pronotum;.red-brown, gaster darker but seemingly with diostinctive pale
patches (also on major), appendages lighter. |
South Africa - type form |
| . | CI 91 SI 116;
gaster basally somewhat lighter but without distinct patches |
& 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, CI 90, SI 112; dorsum of head and entire alitrunk densely
spiculate; erect
hairs moderately abundant; orange, gaster very dark brown. |
West Africa - new species - crinensis |
| -- | 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, CI 89, SI 102; 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, CI 86, SI 117; 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, CI 92, SI 129; 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, CI 85, SI 135; 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, CI 69; 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, CI 89, SI 158; 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, CI 100, SI 165; less elongated; the illustrated
specimens were
associated with majors 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, CI 94, SI 188; 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, CI 86, SI 120; 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 |
| -- |  TL ca 2.5 mm, CI 80, SI 141; 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, CI 80, SI 121; 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 ca
2.3 mm CI 87 SI 120 OI 28 MI 36 PI 60; head a short rectangle with the
sides very weakly convex, posterior angles broad and evenly rounded,
the occiput straight; with a very narrow nuchal collar; mandibles
moderately long, with a mixture of minute teeth and quite coarse teeth
on the masticatory margin; and two larger apical teeth; anterior margin
of clypeus quite strongly convex, without a median or any other
carinae; with only four forward facing, fine long hairs |
North Africa & Mali - tristis |
| 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, CI 93, SI 122; 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, 2010 - Brian Taylor CBiol FSB
FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
href="pheidole_minors_key.htm"