Key to Ethiopian Bothroponera

An old but still useful worker key, based on: Wheeler, W. M. 1922b. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. II. The ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45:39-269.

Species and subspecies present in the Afrotropical region but not present in this Key: Bothroponera cavernosa montivaga, Bothroponera crassa crassior, Bothroponera crassa ilgii, Bothroponera kenyensis, Bothroponera kruegeri asina, Bothroponera kruegeri rhodesiana, Bothroponera laevissima aspera, Bothroponera lamottei, Bothroponera mlanjiensis, Bothroponera pachyderma attenata, Bothroponera pachyderma funerea, Bothroponera pachyderma postsquamosa, Bothroponera rubescens, Bothroponera sanguinea, Bothroponera silvestrii nimba, Bothroponera soror ancilla, Bothroponera talpa variolata, Bothroponera umgodikulula, Bothroponera variolosa, Bothroponera wasmannii, Bothroponera zumpti

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Bothroponera

1

 * Head, thorax, petiole and postpetiole coarsely punctate, punctate-rugulose or striated . . . . . 2


 * These regions finely and densely punctate, sometimes with superimposed, larger but shallow punctures . . . . . 9

2
return to couplet #1
 * Mandibles striate . . . . . 3


 * Mandibles smooth, sparsely punctate . . . . . 7

3
return to couplet #2
 * Petiolar node broadly excised posteriorly . . . . . Bothroponera cariosa


 * Petiow node sharply truncated posteriorly . . . . . 4

4
return to couplet #3
 * Length 8 mm.; testaceous yellow . . . . . Bothroponera cribrata


 * Length not less than 9 mm.; black or brownish black . . . . . 5

5
return to couplet #4
 * Antennal scapes reaching to occiput . . . . . Bothroponera cavernosa


 * Antennal scapes not reaching to occiput.; eyes small . . . . . 6

6
return to couplet #5
 * Length 9 mm.; golden pubescence on body, especially on head, abundant; sculpture less pronounced . . . . . Bothroponera talpa


 * Length 12 to 15 mm.; golden pubescence less pronounced; sculpture coarser . . . . . Bothroponera pachyderma

7
return to couplet #2
 * Petiolar node broadly excised posteriorly; body covered with golden pubescence . . . . . Bothroponera granosa


 * Petiolar nodc truncated behind; body without golden pubescence . . . . . 8

8
return to couplet #7
 * Gaster opaque, finely striated . . . . . Bothroponera strigulosa


 * Gaster more or less shining . . . . . Bothroponera pumicosa

9
return to couplet #1
 * Eyes well developed in the workers . . . . . 10


 * Eyes vestigial in the workers . . . . . 15

10
return to couplet #9
 * Length 5.5 mm . . . . . 11


 * Length at least 7 mm . . . . . 12

11
return to couplet #10
 * Mandibles 7 -toothed; petiole as long as broad . . . . . Bothroponera picardi


 * Mandibles 6-toothed; petiole nearly twice as broad as long . . . . . Bothroponera silvestrii

12
return to couplet #10
 * Mandibles shining, sparsely punctate . . . . . Bothroponera soror


 * Mandibles finely striate . . . . . 13

13
return to couplet #12
 * Opaque; head ovoid . . . . . Bothroponera kruegeri


 * Subopaque or shining; head subrectangular . . . . . 14

14
return to couplet #13
 * Very shining; length 12 mm.; clypeus angularly produced in middle; eyes small . . . . . Bothroponera laevissima


 * Subopaque; length 7 to 7.5 mm.; clypeus feebly sinuate in middle; eyes larger . . . . . Bothroponera crassa

15
return to couplet #9
 * Length only 4.5 to 5.5 mm.; mandibles smooth, sparsely punctate; eyes very small, with less than a dozen facets . . . . . Bothroponera sjostedti (= Euponera sjostedti)


 * Length 6.5 to 7 mm.; mandibles striate at the tip; eyes larger, with about 45 facets . . . . . Bothroponera fugax