Key to Myrmicinae genera of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

This key to workers is based on: [[Media:Heterick 2009.pdf|Heterick, B. E. 2009a. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76: 1-206. Part 1 PDF]]

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 * Australia
 * SWBP
 * Myrmicinae

1

 * Distinctive ants with triangular, deeply emarginate heads (e.g. Figures 92, 94, 95); antennal segments (including the scape) less than nine; mandibles usually elongate, sometimes tongs-like . . . . . 2


 * Ants not as above, heads more rounded (Figure 93); antennal segments nine or more; mandibles triangular . . . . . 6

2
return to couplet #1
 * Mandibles long and thin, meeting only at the tips (Figure 94) . . . . . 3


 * Mandibles more elongate-triangular in shape, meeting along their entire length (Figure 95) . . . . . 5

3
return to couplet #2
 * Antennal scape at rest passing below the eye (Figure 96a); head capsule about as long as wide (Figure 96b); nodes without foam-like material around them . . . . . Epopostruma


 * Antennal scape at rest passing above the eye (Figure 97); head capsule much longer than wide (Figure 98); nodes may have foam-like cuticular material attached . . . . . 4

4
return to couplet #3
 * Antenna with five segments, the third segment being longer than the other three segments of the flagellum (Figure 99); PF 5,3; waist segments without foam-like cuticular material attached (SW, one rare species) . . . . . Orectognathus (There is a single species present: Orectognathus clarki)


 * Antenna with four or six segments (Figure 100); third segment at most the same length as the other segments; PF 1,1; waist segments often with foam-like material attached . . . . . Strumigenys

5
return to couplet #2
 * Lateral margins of both petiole and postpetiole with thin, wing-like flanges (Figure 101) . . . . Colobostruma


 * Wing-like flanges found only on postpetiole (petiole has at most a slight ridge) (Figure 102) . . . . . Mesostruma

6
return to couplet #1
 * Antenna with nine segments; dorsum of anterior mesosoma flattened and projecting to form a shield, often with regular protruding edges and translucent 'windows' between these edges (Figure 103) . . . . . Meranoplus


 * Antenna with 10 or more segments; dorsum of mesosoma never forming a shield as above . . . . . 7

7
return to couplet #6
 * Postpetiole attached to upper surface of gaster, which is heart-shaped when seen from above; petiole flattened; viewed from above, postpetiole often distinctly bilobed (Figure 104) . . . . . Crematogaster


 * Postpetiole attached to the front of the gaster, which is not distinctly heart-shaped; petiole usually with a node, not flattened (Figure 105); postpetiole not bilobed as above . . . . . 8

8
return to couplet #7
 * Eyes absent or (rarely) single faceted (Figure 106); antennal club 3-segmented . . . . . Monomorium (in part - also,  and ; this key also includes the species Trichomyrmex destructor)


 * Eyes usually present, though may be small (Figure 107); if minute or absent (in some specimens of Solenopsis belisarius), then antennal club 2-segmented . . . . . 9

9
return to couplet #8
 * Viewed from front, area of clypeus below antennal sockets raised into a sharp ridge (Figure 108a); tip of sting with a triangular or club-like appendage projecting upwards from the shaft (Figure 108b); propodeal angle usually a pair of stout spines, sometimes flanges . . . . . Tetramorium


 * Viewed from front, area of clypeus below antennal sockets smooth or a dull ridge (Figure 109); tip of sting usually thin and pointed, occasionally slightly flattened, but without appendage (Figure 110); propodeal angle often absent or with pair of protuberances only . . . . . 10

10
return to couplet #9
 * First and second antennal segments much longer than remaining segments and forming a distinct two-segmented club (Figure 111) . . . . . 11


 * Antenna either without a club (Figure 112) or with a club of three or more segments (Figure 113) . . . . . 13

11
return to couplet #10
 * Deep, elongate antennal scrobes present, able to accommodate entire antenna; eyes elongate, with lower sector oblique and narrow (Figure 114) . . . . . Mayriella (There is a single species present: Mayriella occidua)


 * Antennal scrobes absent; eyes small and round (Figure 115) or vestigial . . . . . 12

12
return to couplet #11
 * Rear face of propodeum rounded, never with teeth, spines or flanges (Figure 116a); midpoint of anterior clypeal margin with a single seta, often surrounded by paired setae (Figure 116b); WA species monomorphic or weakly polymorphic . . . . . Solenopsis


 * Rear face of propodeum with spines, teeth or flanges (Figure 117a); clypeus with a pair of setae that straddle the midpoint of the anterior clypeal margin (Figure 117b); strongly dimorphic, major workers with a pair of short horns on the vertex of the head capsule in some Eastern states species (major of SWBP species not known) . . . . . Carebara sp. JDM 440)

13
return to couplet #10
 * Antennal segments 10. . . . . Monomorium (in part - also, and ; this key also includes the species Trichomyrmex destructor)


 * Antennal segments 11 or 12 . . . . . 14

14
return to couplet #13
 * Antennal segments 11 . . . . . 15


 * Antennal segments 12 . . . . . 17

15
return to couplet #14
 * Femora and often tibiae of middle and hind legs greatly swollen; petiole round in crosssection, long and low, usually with a pair of short spines or teeth or acuminate (Figure 118); arboreal ants . . . . . Podomyrma


 * Femora and tibiae not or only weakly swollen; petiole short or long with a node, but without processes (e.g. Figure 119); species wholly (e.g. Adlerzia) or predominantly (e.g. Monomorium) terrestrial . . . . . 16

16
return to couplet #15
 * Central anterior margin of clypeus with a pair of setae surrounded by other setae (Figures 120a and 120b); major and minor workers (i.e. dimorphic worker caste) (Note: Also look for circular striations on the promesonotum.) . . . . . Adlerzia (There is a single species present: Adlerzia froggatti)


 * Central anterior margin of clypeus with single seta, which is surrounded by paired setae (Figure 121); single worker caste only (i.e. monomorphic). . . . . Monomorium (in part - also, , and ; this key also includes the species Trichomyrmex destructor)

17
return to couplet #14
 * Central anterior margin of clypeus with single seta, which is surrounded by paired setae . . . . . 18


 * Central anterior margin of clypeus with pair of setae, or with numerous setae or lacking setae . . . . . 19

18
return to couplet #17
 * Maxillary palp (outer palp) five segmented; clypeus not bicarinate; postpetiole (seen from above) much more massive than petiole (Figure 122) . . . . . Cardiocondyla (There is a single species present: Cardiocondyla nuda)


 * Maxillary palp with one or two segments; clypeus often bicarinate with the central clypeal region depressed; viewed from above the postpetiole usually smaller or the same size as the postpetiole (Figure 123). . . . . Monomorium (in part - also, , and ; this key also includes the species Trichomyrmex destructor)

19
return to couplet #17
 * Antenna with loose, four-segmented club (Figure 124); monomorphic (medium-sized yellow or orange ants that have a which have a distinctive nest formed of a deep, wide tunnel surrounded by a pile of loose dirt.) . . . . . Aphaenogaster


 * Antennal club three-segmented (Figure 125); Rogeria is monomorphic, the other genera are dimorphic (Pheidole) or polymorphic (Anisopheidole) . . . . . 20

20
return to couplet #19
 * In lateral view promesonotum steeply sloping down to the propodeum; dimorphic (Figure 126) . . . . . Pheidole


 * In lateral view all segments of mesosoma more-or-less on the same plane, interrupted only by the shallow metanotal groove; monomorphic or polymorphic (Figure 127) . . . . . 21

21
return to couplet #20
 * Eyes minute (four facets wide at widest point) (Figure 128); polymorphic . . . . . Anisopheidole (= Pheidole, there is a single species of Pheidole with this character: Pheidole antipodum)


 * Eyes moderate (at least eight facets wide at widest point) (Figure 129); monomorphic . . . . . Austromorium