Tetramorium species groups

It is convenient to organize species by region and species groups. This approach has been followed by most of the more informative taxonomic treatments of Tetramorium. The contents of this page are an attempt to organize information from various papers, as detailed in the list of references at the bottom of the page. There still remains much work to be done, with future taxonomy both adding to and potentially changing previous groups, arrangements and identification keys. With this in mind this page and other Tetramorium species groups webpages are provisional - and are not meant to represent a complete or definitive overview of this diverse and widely distributed genus.

Afrotropical region Tetramorium
More than half of the species in the genus are found in this region. A detailed list with all the species groups and species complexes can be found here: Afrotropical Tetramorium species groups

Indo-Australian
Key to the Australian Tetramorium

Sorger (2011) - Tetramorium lucyae is a member of Bolton’s (1977) ciliatum-group defined by the following characters: “Antennae with 12 segments. Sting appendage triangular or dentiform. Anterior clypeal margin entire, not notched or indented medially. Frontal carinae extending back well beyond the level of the posterior margins of the eyes, ranging in development from feeble in Tetramorium curvispinosum to very strong in Tetramorium ciliatum. Propodeal spines long and usually strongly developed, never downcurved along their length. Gaster without modification as shown in mixtum group.” (Bolton 1977: 120). Bolton established this group as a “convenience group” and he mentioned several species within the group that he considered more closely interrelated than others, including Tetramorium ciliatum, Tetramorium flagellatum and Tetramorium tylinum; T. lucyae obviously also belongs in this species-complex. The remaining members of the ciliatum-group are: Tetramorium chapmani, T. curvispinosum, Tetramorium khnum and Tetramorium zypidum. All of the species of this group are distributed in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions.

Malagasy Tetramorium
Key to Malagasy Tetramorium species groups

The species groups can be organized as per the following table (Hita Garcia and Fisher 2015):

Tetramorium bessonii species group
An endemic Malagasy group.

Key to Tetramorium bessonii-group workers


 * Tetramorium artemis
 * Tetramorium bessonii
 * Tetramorium malagasy
 * Tetramorium orientale
 * Tetramorium ryanphelanae
 * Tetramorium wardi

Tetramorium bicarinatum species group
A number of species in this group are tramp species. There are three members of the group in the Malagasy region.


 * ''Tetramorium bicarinatum
 * ''Tetramorium insolens
 * ''Tetramorium pacificum

Tetramorium bonibony species group
Endemic to the Malagasy region, the group is comprised of 8 species.

Key to Tetramorium bonibony-group species


 * Tetramorium bonibony
 * Tetramorium kali
 * Tetramorium nosybe
 * Tetramorium olana
 * Tetramorium popell
 * Tetramorium sada
 * Tetramorium trafo
 * Tetramorium vony

Tetramorium dysalum species group
All appear to be endemic to the Malagasy region.

Key to Tetramorium dysalum-group species


 * Tetramorium ambatovy
 * Tetramorium dysalum
 * Tetramorium mackae
 * Tetramorium mallenseana
 * Tetramorium orc
 * Tetramorium robitika
 * Tetramorium sargina
 * Tetramorium steinheili
 * Tetramorium vohitra
 * Tetramorium yammer

Tetramorium kelleri species group
Endemic to Madagascar and Mayotte, there are two species in this group.


 * Tetramorium ankarana
 * Tetramorium kelleri

Tetramorium marginatum species group
An endemic Madagascar group comprised of 6 species.

Key to Tetramorium marginatum-group species


 * Tetramorium hector
 * Tetramorium marginatum
 * Tetramorium norvigi
 * Tetramorium shamshir
 * Tetramorium silvicola
 * Tetramorium valky

Tetramorium naganum species group
Five species found in eastern and northern Madagascar.

Key to Tetramorium naganum-group species


 * Tetramorium alperti
 * Tetramorium dalek
 * Tetramorium enkidu
 * Tetramorium gilgamesh
 * Tetramorium naganum

Tetramorium obesum species group
The single member of this group that occurs in the Malagasy species is a well known, widespread tramp species.


 * ''Tetramorium lanuginosum

Tetramorium plesiarum species group
A small group of 5 species from the Malagasy region.

Key to Tetramorium plesiarum-group species


 * Tetramorium bressleri
 * Tetramorium hobbit
 * Tetramorium gollum
 * Tetramorium mars
 * Tetramorium plesiarum

Tetramorium ranarum species group
An endemic species group only found in the Malagasy region that holds numerous valid and more than 25 tentatively undescribed species.


 * Tetramorium coillum
 * Tetramorium degener
 * Tetramorium ibycterum
 * Tetramorium quasirum
 * Tetramorium ranarum
 * Tetramorium zenatum

Tetramorium schaufussii species group
A Malagasy group that is divided into two species complexes.

Tetramorium cognatum species complex
Key to Tetramorium cognatum species complex workers


 * Tetramorium aspis
 * Tetramorium camelliae
 * Tetramorium cognatum
 * Tetramorium freya
 * Tetramorium gladius
 * Tetramorium karthala
 * Tetramorium myrmidon
 * Tetramorium proximum
 * Tetramorium rumo
 * Tetramorium tenuinode

Tetramorium sericeiventre species group
This group is present in the Malagasy region in the form of two species, one of which is shared with the Afrotropical and Southern Palaearctic regions, while the other represents a new species (T. mahafaly) endemic to Madagascar.


 * ''Tetramorium mahafaly
 * ''Tetramorium sericeiventre

Tetramorium setigerum species group
There is one species present in the Malagasy region.


 * Tetramorium cavernicola

Tetramorium severini species group
This species group contains a single endemic species, T. severini, that is one of the most conspicuous Tetramorium species in Madagascar.


 * Tetramorium severini

Tetramorium simillimum species group
This group includes species from other regions. Within the Malagasy region there are 5 described species and potentially 2 new species.


 * Tetramorium anodontion
 * Tetramorium caldarium
 * Tetramorium delagoense
 * Tetramorium simillimum
 * Tetramorium scytalum

Tetramorium tortuosum species group
This group is widespread and present in most zoogeographic regions except the Palaearctic. Nevertheless, the highest species richness can be found in the Oriental and Indo-Australian regions while the Afrotropics and the New World are relatively species-poor. In the Malagasy region it is represented by about 20 species.

Key to Malagasy Tetramorium tortuosum-group workers

Tetramorium andrei species complex

 * Tetramorium ala
 * Tetramorium andohahela
 * Tetramorium andrei
 * Tetramorium electrum
 * Tetramorium elf
 * Tetramorium isectum
 * Tetramorium isoelectrum
 * Tetramorium nify
 * Tetramorium voasary

Tetramorium jedi species complex

 * Tetramorium avaratra
 * Tetramorium jedi
 * Tetramorium pleganon

Tetramorium noeli species complex

 * Tetramorium aherni
 * Tetramorium ambanizana
 * Tetramorium noeli
 * Tetramorium singletonae

Tetramorium smaug species complex

 * Tetramorium adamsi
 * Tetramorium marojejy
 * Tetramorium latreillei
 * Tetramorium nazgul
 * Tetramorium sabatra
 * Tetramorium smaug

Tetramorium tosii species group
An endemic Madagascar species group.


 * ''Tetramorium tantillum
 * ''Tetramorium tosii

Tetramorium tsingy species group
Endemic to a comparatively small area in Western Madagascar


 * Tetramorium tsingy
 * Tetramorium tyrion

Tetramorium weitzeckeri species group
This group is diverse in the Afrotropical region: Afrotropical Tetramorium weitzeckeri species group. The sole representive in the Malagasy region also occurs in the Afrotropics.

Tetramorium humbloti

New World Tetramorium
Relatively depauperate with just 13 species.

Key to US species

Tetramorium mixtum species group
Created by Bolton (1977), abandoned as per Roncin (2002).

Tetramorium scabrosum species group

 * Tetramorium aptum
 * Tetramorium crepum
 * Tetramorium curtulum
 * Tetramorium kieti
 * Tetramorium kraepelini
 * Tetramorium malabarense
 * Tetramorium parvum
 * Tetramorium pulchellum
 * Tetramorium punctiventre
 * Tetramorium rugigaster
 * Tetramorium scabrosum
 * Tetramorium securis
 * Tetramorium sentosum
 * Tetramorium transversarium

Tetramorium tonganum species group

 * Tetramorium christiei
 * Tetramorium cuneinode
 * Tetramorium difficile
 * Tetramorium laparum
 * Tetramorium infraspinum
 * Tetramorium mixtum
 * Tetramorium salvatum
 * Tetramorium seneb
 * Tetramorium tonganum
 * Tetramorium vandalum

Palaearctic Tetramorium
See Steiner et al., 2005; Schlick-Steiner et al., 2006a; Csösz et al., 2007; Csösz & Schulz, 2010; Steiner et al., 2010.

Tetramorium ferox species complex

 * Tetramorium aegeum
 * Tetramorium densopilosum
 * Tetramorium diomedeum
 * Tetramorium ferox
 * Tetramorium feroxoides

Tetramorium caespitum species complex

 * Tetramorium hungaricum
 * Tetramorium A
 * Tetramorium B
 * Tetramorium C
 * Tetramorium D

Tetramorium chefketi species complex

 * Tetramorium alternans
 * Tetramorium anatolicum
 * Tetramorium annectens
 * Tetramorium chefketi
 * Tetramorium exile
 * Tetramorium forte
 * Tetramorium moravicum
 * Tetramorium rhodium
 * Tetramorium sanetrai
 * Tetramorium sulcinode
 * Tetramorium syriacum

Tetramorium semilaeve species complex

 * Tetramorium semilaeve judas
 * Tetramorium semilaeve jugurtha
 * Tetramorium caespitum maura
 * Tetramorium davidi
 * Tetramorium schmidti
 * Tetramorium sp. 1
 * Tetramorium sp. 2