Key to Cerapachys of India

This worker key is based on: Bharti H, Ali Akbar S. 2013b. Taxonomic studies on the ant genus Cerapachys Smith (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from India. ZooKeys 336: 79–103. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.336.5719 [[Media:Bharti & Akbar 2013.pdf|PDF]]

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 * Cerapachys
 * Ants of India (species list)
 * India Regional Project page

1

 * Antenna 9 segmented . . . . . 2


 * Antenna 11 or 12 segmented . . . . . 3

2
return to couplet #1
 * Larger species (HW 0.46–0.49 mm). Sculpture predominantly punctuate (Fig. 2A) . . . . . Cerapachys biroi


 * Smaller species (HW 0.37–0.39 mm). Sculpture predominantly foveate (Fig. 2B) . . . . . Cerapachys alii

3
return to couplet #1
 * Antenna 11 segmented. . . . . Cerapachys besucheti


 * Antenna 12 segmented . . . . . 4

4
return to couplet #3
 * Petiole with dorsum rounding into sides; dorsolateral margins absent or vestigial (Fig. 3A) . . . . . 6


 * Petiole with strong overhanging dorsolateral margins (Fig. 3B) . . . . . 5

5
return to couplet #4
 * Head brown, trunk red or brown, petiole and postpetiole light to dark reddish, gaster brown or black. Dorsal surface of body shiny, with widely scattered, indistinct punctures, throughout the body (Fig. 4A) . . . . . Cerapachys longitarsus


 * Head, trunk, petiole and postpetiole black coloured. Dorsal surface of body shiny, with widely scattered, indistinct punctures, mostly confined to postpetiole (Fig. 4B) . . . . . Cerapachys nayana

6
return to couplet #4
 * Dorsal surface of petiolar node with a smooth, median area (Fig. 5A) . . . . . Cerapachys sulcinodis


 * Dorsal surface of petiolar node rounded and punctuate, without a differentiated median smooth area (Fig. 5B) . . . . . 7

7
return to couplet #6 average distance separating them (Fig. 6A) . . . . . 8
 * Punctures on dorsum of head relatively small, their diameter smaller than the


 * Punctures on head dorsum large, foveiform, dense, their diameter as large, or larger than, the average distance separating them, and in some cases these are contiguous (Fig. 6B) . . . . . 10

8
return to couplet #7
 * Declivity of propodeum with distinct cariniform margins, continuous across the dorsum; petiolar dorsum flat; colour other than black (Fig. 7A). . . . . . 9


 * Declivity of propodeum without distinct cariniform margins, petiolar dorsum strongly convex; colour black (Fig. 7B) . . . . . Cerapachys anokha

9
return to couplet #8
 * Shiny species; body sculpture reduced; eyes breaking the lateral margins of head; colour varies from light orange to dark red (Fig. 8A) . . . . . Cerapachys schoedli


 * Dull coloured species; body sculpture prominent; eyes not breaking the lateral margins of head; colour brown to dark brown (Fig. 8B) . . . . . Cerapachys seema

10
return to couplet #7
 * Eyes reduced (EL< 0.1mm; Fig. 9A) . . . . . Cerapachys wighti


 * Eyes large (EL >0.2mm; Fig. 9B) . . . . . 11

11
return to couplet #10
 * Head reddish brown or red; trunk and both nodes red; gaster black or dark brown; dorsal surface of mesosoma densely and finely sculptured; foveate or rugo-reticulate (Fig. 10A) . . . . . Cerapachys aitkenii


 * Body unicolorous, lighter brownish red; dorsal surface of mesosoma mostly smooth with few scattered punctures along sides (Fig. 10B) . . . . . Cerapachys indicus