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Tetraponera natalensis species group
This article is based on Ward, P. S. 2006. The ant genus Tetraponera in the Afrotropical region: synopsis of species groups and revision of the T. ambigua-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8:119-130.
Worker diagnosis
- Medium to large species (HW 0.99 -1.68)
- Masticatory margin of mandible with three teeth, preceded by a single tooth on basal margin. Basal margin notably longer than masticatory margin
- Labrum with a pair of widely flanking lateral tubercles near proximal margin and a median tubercle on distal third of labrum near cleft
- Anteromedial margin of clypeus usually crenulate or toothed, rarely emarginate
- Distance between frontal carinae equaling or exceeding basal scape width (FCI 0.10 - 0.18), scape length subequal to head width (SI 0.45 - 0.56)
- Head capsule typically with two ocelli, median ocellus lacking or weakly developed
- Pronotum with sharp lateral margination, extending (sometimes weakened) to lateral borders of propodeum and petiole
- Mesonotum 2 - 3 times wider than long, and semicircular in dorsal view with a straight posterior margin
- Dorsal face of propodeum long and flat, sometimes with a weakly differentiated metanotal (or mesoscutellar?) plate interpolated between propodeum and mesonotum
- Posteroventral margin of petiole notched medially (as seen in ventral view), and well separated from helcium venter (as seen in lateral view)
- Metabasitarsal sulcus present
- Appressed pubescence dense on abdominal tergite 4. Integument densely punctulate to punctulate-coriarious, the sculpture giving a subopaque (matte) appearance to most of body
This is a distinctive group of species, easily recognized in the worker and queen by the sharp margination on the pronotum (extending to the propodeum and petiole) combined with a subopaque and densely punctulate-coriarious integument. The worker has a characteristic form of the mesonotum: semicircular in dorsal view, much wider than long, and with a straight posterior margin . The median notch on the posteroventral margin of the petiole is also unique to the group
Distribution
Africa, northwestern Madagascar
Valid Species
- Tetraponera andrei (Mayr, 1895)
- Tetraponera anthracina (Santschi, 1910)
- Tetraponera caffra (Santschi, 1914)
- Tetraponera insularis Ward, 2022
- Tetraponera kosi Ward, 2022
- Tetraponera mocquerysi (André, 1890)
- Tetraponera natalensis (F. Smith, 1858)
- Tetraponera redacta Ward, 2022
- Tetraponera schulthessi (Santschi, 1915)
- Tetraponera setosa Ward, 2022