Key to Oxyepoecus species

This worker key is based on: Albuquerque, N. L. d. and C. R. F. Brandão. 2009. A revision of the Neotropical Solenopsidini ant genus Oxyepoecus Santschi, 1926 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae): 2. Final. Key for species and revision of the Rastratus species-group. Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo). 49:289-309.

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Oxyepoecus

1

 * Cephalic dorsum mostly smooth and shining; sculpture, if present, confined to anterior portions of genae and between the frontal carinae, where the costulae may prolong caudad into two patches always separated by a smooth median frontal stripe (Vezenyii Species-Group) . . . . . 2


 * Cephalic dorsum either entirely sculptured, or if partially smooth, at least the median frontal stripe is covered by microsculpture (Rastratus Species-Group) . . . . . 11

2
return to couplet #1
 * Mesosoma with irregular reticulate sculpture (better seen over 80X magnifications); head clearly longer than wide, (c.i. 70) . . . . . Oxyepoecus longicephalus


 * Mesosoma lacking irregular reticulate sculpture; head clearly wider than long, (c.i. > 70) . . . . . 3

3
return to couplet #2
 * Compound eye with more than 7 ommatidia across greatest diameter, total number of ommatidia more than 30 . . . . . 4


 * Compound eye with less than 7 ommatidia across greatest diameter, total number of ommatidia less than 30 . . . . . 5

4
return to couplet #3
 * Petiole antero-posteriorly compressed in a scale-like fashion, pronotum convex and rounded above, whole propodeum and metapleura with well marked costulae . . . . . 6


 * Petiole not antero-posteriorly compressed but club shaped, integument almost entirely smooth and shining . . . . . Oxyepoecus punctifrons

5
return to couplet #3
 * Propodeum saddle shaped; posterior margin of katepisternum and posterior face of the postpetiole smooth and shining . . . . . Oxyepoecus ephippiatus


 * Propodeum dorsum at the same level of mesonotum, as in other species in the genus; posterior end of katepisternum and posterior face of postpetiole longitudinally costulate . . . . . Oxyepoecus inquilinus

6
return to couplet #4
 * Antero-lateral margin of the pronotum in dorsal view rounded . . . . . 7


 * Antero-lateral margin of the pronotum in dorsal view angulated . . . . . 8

7
return to couplet #6
 * Metanotal groove not impressed (p.v.), overall size minute, the smallest of the Vezenyii species-group (1.7 mm) . . . . . Oxyepoecus kempfi


 * Metanotal groove impressed (p.v.), overall size median in comparison with others species to the Vezenyii species-group (2.7 mm) . . . . . Oxyepoecus crassinodus

8
return to couplet #6
 * Antero-lateral margin of the pronotum in dorsal view rounded, not forming an angle . . . . . Oxyepoecus vezenyii


 * Antero-lateral margin of the pronotum in dorsal view forming an angle . . . . . 9

9
return to couplet #8
 * Pronotal disk without costulae; subpostpetiolar process very much ventrally projecting, surpassing the level of the postpetiolar socket . . . . . Oxyepoecus bruchi


 * Pronotal disk with costulae; subpostpetiolar process not much ventrally projecting, attaining at most the level of the postpetiolar socket . . . . . 10

10
return to couplet #9
 * Dorsal margin of the petiole in lateral view rounded; length of the declivous margin of the propodeum less than half of the basal margin length . . . . . Oxyepoecus browni


 * Dorsal margin of the petiole subquadrate; length of the declivous margin of the propodeum more than half the basal length . . . . . Oxyepoecus quadratus

11
return to couplet #1
 * At least the posterior third of the pronotal lateral face covered by sculpture; katepisternum and metapleuron mostly covered by reticulations . . . . . 12


 * Posterior third of pronotal lateral face mostly smooth (faint rugae covering at most the mesothoraxic spiracle in O. rastratus); katepisternum and metapleuron mostly covered by longitudinal costulae . . . . . 14

12
return to couplet #11
 * Mesosoma and petiole dorsum entirely reticulate. Tiny compound eye with three ommatidia r.g.d. and circa five in all . . . . . Oxyepoecus myops


 * Mesosoma and petiole node dorsum either smooth or covered by different sculpturing. Compound eye with more than 6 ommatidia . . . . . 13

13
return to couplet #12
 * Head dorsum laterally and at vertex mostly smooth, costulae confined to median cephalic dorsum, sculpture on lateral pronotal face mostly effaced; katepisternum and metapleuron covered by reticulations only . . . . . Oxyepoecus rosai


 * Head dorsum and vertex completely sculptured; lateral face of pronotum longitudinally costulate (sometimes reticulate), katepisternum and metapleuron irregularly reticulate and punctate, coarser on metapleuron . . . . . Oxyepoecus reticulatus

14
return to couplet #11
 * Costulae on head dorsum prolonged caudad but not attaining posteriorly the vertex margin . . . . . Oxyepoecus plaumanni


 * Costulae on head dorsum prolonged caudad and attaining posteriorly the vertex margin . . . . . 15

15
return to couplet #14
 * Costulae on head dorsum prolonged laterally and do not reaching posterad of compound eye . . . . . Oxyepoecus daguerrei


 * Costulae on head dorsum prolonged laterally and reaching posterad of compound eye . . . . . Oxyepoecus rastratus