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.

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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