Key to Rhytidoponera of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

This worker key is based on: Heterick, B. E. 2009a. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76: 1-206. Part 2.

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• Australia
• SWBP
• Rhytidoponera

1

• Viewed from front, occiput with distinct raised corners (Figure 502) . . . . . 2

Figure 502.

• Viewed from front occiput either rounded or square without raised corners (Figure 503) . . . . . 3

Figure 503.

2

return to couplet #1

• Corners of occiput in form of sharp, curved processes (Figure 504a); node conical (Figure 504b) . . . . . Rhytidoponera taurus

Figure 504a.

Figure 504b.

• Corners of occiput in form of dull tubercles (Figure 505a); node subcuboidal (Figure 505b) . . . . . Rhytidoponera mayri

Figure 505a.

Figure 505b.

3

return to couplet #1

• Hind tibial spur absent . . . . . 4

• Hind tibial spur present, distinct . . . . . 5

4

return to couplet #3

• Apex of node terminating as a sharp spur (usually) or dull point (rarely) directed posteriad (Figure 506) . . . . . Rhytidoponera tyloxys

Figure 506.

• Apex of node rounded, lacking a process or point directed posteriad (Figure 507) . . . . . Rhytidoponera dubia group sp. JDM 904

Figure 507.

5

return to couplet #3

• Eye very large, equal to ≈ 1/3 length of head capsule . . . . . 6

• Eye smaller, equal to, at most, 1/4 length of head capsule . . . . . 7

6

return to couplet #5

• Mandible finely striate (Figure 508); head and body foveate-punctate, shining, without uniform fine microreticulation between striae and pits . . . . . Rhytidoponera crassinodis

Figure 508.

• Mandible with superficial microreticulation only (Figure 509); head and body weakly to moderately sculptured, matt, with uniform microreticulation between larger sculpture . . . . . Rhytidoponera sp. JDM 736

Figure 509.

7

return to couplet #5

• Head and mesosoma with shallow, vestigial punctation only (Figure 510), gaster glistening, with very fine, almost imperceptible stria . . . . . 8

Figure 510.

• Head and mesosoma usually punctate-striate or foveate-reticulate (e.g. Figure 511) or, if punctate only, gaster shagreenate with vestigial punctuation . . . . . 9

Figure 511.

8

return to couplet #7

• Fine striae on 2nd gastral tergite longitudinal without deviation (Figure 512) . . . . . Rhytidoponera flavicornis

Figure 512.

• Fine striae on 2nd gastral tergite weakly arched around midline of tergite (Figure 513) . . . . . Rhytidoponera micans

Figure 513.

9

return to couplet #7

• Head punctate (Figure 514) or reticulate-punctate (Figure 515); mesosoma punctate; gaster shagreenate with vestigial punctuation . . . . . 10

Figure 514.

Figure 515.

• Head and mesosoma punctate-striate (Figure 516) or foveate-reticulate; gaster usually with fine to coarse circular striae . . . . . 11

Figure 516.

10

return to couplet #9

• Frons punctate, with small, well-spaced pits (Figure 517a); ventral process of petiole a short spur . . . . . Rhytidoponera levior

Figure 517a.

• Frons more reticulate-punctate, particularly towards centre of head capsule, edges of pits often confluent (Figure 518a); ventral process of petiole long, needle-like (Figure 518b) . . . . . Rhytidoponera punctata

Figure 518a.

Figure 518b.

11

return to couplet #9

• In profile, vertex of head capsule flattened, its posterior angles distinctly lobate (Figure 519); node thick, cuboidal or subcuboidal . . . . . 12

Figure 519.

• In profile, vertex of head capsule more rounded, its posterior angles with at most a small, weak flange (Figure 520); node often thinner . . . . . 17

Figure 520.

12

return to couplet #11

• In profile, petiolar node low, at least as wide as high; subpetiolar process a long spine (R. anceps group) . . . . . 13

• In profile, petiolar node distinctly higher than wide; subpetiolar process spurlike (R. metallica group) . . . . . 14

13

return to couplet #12

• First gastral tergite with fine, close, parallel striae (Figure 521) . . . . . Rhytidoponera anceps

Figure 521.

• First gastral tergite with thick, discontinuous striae (Figure 522) . . . . . Rhytidoponera sp. ANIC 44

Figure 522.

14

return to couplet #12

• Body without strong iridescence (gaster may have coppery sheen) . . . . . Rhytidoponera inornata

• Body with strong blue- or green-purple iridescence . . . . . 15

15

return to couplet #14

• First gastral tergite strongly areolate, the areolae confluent (Figure 523); second gastral tergite with many shallow, elongate pits in additional to the fine, circular striae . . . . . Rhytidoponera metallica group JDM 1098

Figure 523.

• Sculpture of first and second gastral tergite usually confined to fine, circular striae, a few scattered, shallow pits may be present (Figure 524) . . . . . 16

Figure 524.

16

return to couplet #15

• Appendages dark brown . . . . . Rhytidoponera metallica

• Appendages orange . . . . . Rhytidoponera metallica group JDM 1097

17

return to couplet #11

• Node thin, tapering, without vertical sulcus posteriad (Figure 525); gaster shiny; mostly with greenish-purple or coppery iridescence (lacking in a few northern populations) . . . . . Rhytidoponera violacea

Figure 525.

• Node either thicker, not tapering, or with vertical sulcus posteriad (e.g. Figure 526); gaster usually duller; iridescence always absent . . . . . 18

Figure 526.

18

return to couplet #17

• In profile, node acuminate, with vertical sulcus posteriad (Figure 526); short, erect setae virtually absent from body surfaces, very sparse on legs and antennae . . . . . Rhytidoponera punctigera

Figure 526.

• In profile, node cuboidal or subcuboidal without vertical sulcus (small, longitudinal sulcus may be present on dorsum) (Figure 527); short erect setae well distributed on body surfaces, legs and antennae . . . . . 19

Figure 527.

19

return to couplet #18

• Frons finely longitudinally striate in dorsal sector, with scattered, sparse punctuation (Figure 528) . . . . . Rhytidoponera micans group sp. JDM 576

Figure 528.

• Frons reticulate-foveate in dorsal sector (Figure 529) . . . . . Rhytidoponera foveolata

Figure 529.