Key to Proformica of Greece

This key to workers is from Borowiec and Salata 2022. The key does not include Proformica borowieci, described in 2023. Comments in that publication (Lebas et al. 2023) suggest caution in using the following key: "The taxonomy of Greek Proformica is still fragmentary and establishing dichotomous keys for these species is still premature. The three castes are known for only two of the five species, and not all the populations that constitute these species have been studied. Thus, a key to their determination could only lead to possible misidentifications."

You may also be interested in these related Antwiki webpages:

• Greece species list
• Ants of Greece project page
• Ants of Crete project page

1

• At least pronotum and central part of first gastral tergite with erected setae, appressed pubescence on gastral tergites short and sparse but well visible. If mesosoma and first gastral tergite lacking erected setae then frons without striation or with narrow patch of diffused striation centrally . . . . . #2

• Mesosoma and central part of first gastral tergite lacking erected setae or at most with 1-2 short erected setae, appressed pubescence on gastral tergites short and sparse, hardly visible. Frons centrally with wide patch of striae . . . . . Proformica striaticeps

2

return to couplet #1

• Promesonotum in minor workers with at most 3-8 erected setae, occipital part of head lacking erected setae or at most with a single seta . . . . . #3

• Promesonotum in minor workers usually with more than 4 (often more than 10) erected setae, also occipital part of head with few erected setae . . . . . Proformica chelmosensis

3

return to couplet #2

• Appressed pubescence sparser, erect setation of mesosoma less evident, promesonotum in minor workers with up to two erected setae, occasionally pronotum with 3-4 setae. Microreticulation on gastral tergites less evident. Lowlands and mountains of central and southern Greece up to 1758 m . . . . . Proformica oculatissima

• Appressed pubescence denser, erect setation of mesosoma in minor workers more evident, promesonotum always with 1-6 erected setae. Microreticulation on gastral tergites more evident. Known only from Olympus Massif from an area 979 to 1520 m . . . . . Proformica lebasi

References

• Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2022. A monographic review of ants of Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Vol. 1. Introduction and review of all subfamilies except the subfamily Myrmicinae. Part 1: text. Natural History Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum 1: 1-297.
• Lebas, C., Galkowski, C., Lenoir, A., Perdereau, E. 2023. Description of Proformica borowieci sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a new species of the genus Proformica Ruzsky, 1902 from Greece. Annales Zoologici 73(3), 569-580 (doi:10.3161/00034541anz2023.73.3.017).