Tetraponera natalensis species group

This article is based on [[Media:Ward 2006.pdf|Ward, P. S. 2006. The ant genus Tetraponera in the Afrotropical region: synopsis of species groups and revision of the T. ambigua-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8:119-130.]]

Worker diagnosis

 * Medium to large species (HW 0.99 -1.68)
 * Masticatory margin of mandible with three teeth, preceded by a single tooth on basal margin. Basal margin notably longer than masticatory margin
 * Labrum with a pair of widely flanking lateral tubercles near proximal margin and a median tubercle on distal third of labrum near cleft
 * Anteromedial margin of clypeus usually crenulate or toothed, rarely emarginate
 * Distance between frontal carinae equaling or exceeding basal scape width (FCI 0.10 - 0.18), scape length subequal to head width (SI 0.45 - 0.56)
 * Head capsule typically with two ocelli, median ocellus lacking or weakly developed
 * Pronotum with sharp lateral margination, extending (sometimes weakened) to lateral borders of propodeum and petiole
 * Mesonotum 2 - 3 times wider than long, and semicircular in dorsal view with a straight posterior margin
 * Dorsal face of propodeum long and flat, sometimes with a weakly differentiated metanotal (or mesoscutellar?) plate interpolated between propodeum and mesonotum
 * Posteroventral margin of petiole notched medially (as seen in ventral view), and well separated from helcium venter (as seen in lateral view)
 * Metabasitarsal sulcus present
 * Appressed pubescence dense on abdominal tergite 4. Integument densely punctulate to punctulate-coriarious, the sculpture giving a subopaque (matte) appearance to most of body

This is a distinctive group of species, easily recognized in the worker and queen by the sharp margination on the pronotum (extending to the propodeum and petiole) combined with a subopaque and densely punctulate-coriarious integument. The worker has a characteristic form of the mesonotum: semicircular in dorsal view, much wider than long, and with a straight posterior margin. The median notch on the posteroventral margin of the petiole is also unique to the group

Distribution
Africa, northwestern Madagascar

Valid Species

 * Tetraponera andrei (Mayr, 1895)
 * Tetraponera angusta (Arnold, 1949)
 * Tetraponera anthracina (Santschi, 1910)
 * Tetraponera caffra (Santschi, 1914)
 * Tetraponera capensis (F. Smith, 1858)
 * Tetraponera emacerata (Santschi, 1910)
 * Tetraponera emacerata oberbecki (Forel, 1911)
 * Tetraponera emacerata odiosa (Forel, 1916)
 * Tetraponera ledouxi Terron, 1969
 * Tetraponera lemoulti (Santschi, 1920)
 * Tetraponera mocquerysi (André, 1890)
 * Tetraponera mocquerysi biozellata (Karavaiev, 1931)
 * Tetraponera mocquerysi elongata (Stitz, 1911)
 * Tetraponera mocquerysi lepida Wheeler, 1922
 * Tetraponera mocquerysi lutea(Stitz, 1911)
 * Tetraponera monardi (Santschi, 1937)
 * Tetraponera natalensis(F. Smith, 1858)
 * Tetraponera natalensis cuitensis (Forel, 1911)
 * Tetraponera natalensis obscurata (Emery, 1895)
 * Tetraponera natalensis usambarensis (Forel, 1911)
 * Tetraponera poultoni Donisthorpe, 1931
 * Tetraponera prelli (Forel, 1911)
 * Tetraponera schulthessi (Santschi, 1915)
 * Tetraponera triangularis (Stitz, 1910)
 * Tetraponera triangularis illota (Santschi,1914)