Tetramorium keralense

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
Sheela and Narendran (1998) - This species comes close to Tetramorium yerburyi in the presence of long propodeal spines, and rounded pronotal angles. But it differs from yerburyi in (1) petiole and postpetiole punctate (Petiole and postpetiole rugose and reticulate in yerburyi (2) anterior and dorsal surfaces of petiole node not meet in a sharply defined right angle (anterior and dorsal surfaces of petiole node meet in a sharply defined right angle in yerburyi (3) size under 4mm (size above 4mm in yerburyi).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India.

Nomenclature

 *  keralense. Tetramorium keralensis Sheela & Narendran, 1998a: 39, figs. 4-7 (w.) INDIA.

Worker
Holotype. Head finely reticulate, including, ventral side except mid dorsal line, occipital margin widely emarginate in fullface view; mandible striate, masticatory margin with three acute apical teeth followed by two or three widely spaced small denticles towards base, basalmost part without teeth; dypeus convex with a strong median longitudinal carina and two feeble lateral carinae; anterior clypeal margin entire, arched, with an anterior flange; frontal area depressed but not clearly defined, frontal carinae distinct reaching up to occipital corners; posterior margin of frontal groove not distinct, scrobe finely punctate with two or three weak transverse striae just above antennal insertions and a few weak rugae backwards; eyes dorsal margin arched, ventral margin almost straight, lateral, prominent, placed on transverse mid line. Antennae 11-jointed, scape reaching upto occipital margin; lst flagellar segment elongate, second subequal, 3rd and 4th transverse, 5-6 subequal, 7th elongate club thick, formed of apical three joints, terminal club segment longer than preceding two together (19:15) ; club distinctly longer than remaining flagellar segments together (34:29.5); longest hairs on frontal carinae shorter than diameter of eye.

Thorax: dorsally finely reticulate, lateral portions not much strongly reticulate as dorsal; anteriorly broad, narrowing posteriorly; pro, meso and metanotum together forming a single convexity, sutures absent on dorsum of thorax, pronotum anteriorly produced into a short neck, anterolateral corners of pronotum rounded, not angular; propodeal spines long, stout, its length 2.6x its basal width and 6x distance between bases; spines curved slightly inwards but diverging from base, spine length: peduncle of petiole (9:6); propodeal spiracles large, situated just below base of spines; metapleural lobes short, rounded, not acute at apex; legs slender, elongate, smooth at base, fore coxae shagreened, mid and hind tibiae with simple, weak spur.

Abdomen: Petiole and postpetiole finely minutely punctate, peduncle of petiole smooth, polished, petiole node with a few faint reticulations, peduncle of petiole curved in front, node quadrate, a little higher than long, dorsally longer than broad, a little longer than anterior penduncle (7:6); post petiole broader than long, rounded, globose, lower in a level than petiole, anterior and posterior faces of petiole almost parallel, above nearly convex. Gaster smooth, polished and shining, somewhat globose, junction of postpetiole and gaster except mid ventral portion with cross ridges, first tergite covering more than 3/4 its total length; sting with lamelliform appendage spatulate, projecting at an angle from shaft.

Head, thorax, antennae, mandibles, legs and pedicel uniformly ferrugino-testaceous, gaster blackish brown; head and thorax with erect, pedicel and gaster with suberect, rather sparse, brownish ye!low blunt setae; legs and antennae with appressed small hairs, femora with one or two erect silvery hairs of moperate length sub-basally.

Total length-3.86mm; Head length- 0.80mm; Head width-0.74mm; Cephalic index-93; Eye diameter-0.18mm; Scape length-0.65mm; Scape index-88; Pronotal width-0.59mm; Ali trunk length-1.02mm.

Type Material
Holotype: Worker, India: Kerala, Peruvannamuzhi, Sheela S, 17.1.1995; Department of Zoology, University of Calicut. Paratype: 1 worker, India: Kerala, Iravikulam, K. C. Gopi, 1 0.3.1994.

Etymology
The species name keralensis is given after its locality Kerala.