Tetramorium weitzeckeri, Emery, 1895

Garcia, Francisco Hita & Fischer, Georg, 2014, Additions to the taxonomy of the Afrotropical Tetramorium weitzeckeri species complex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae), with the description of a new species from Kenya, European Journal of Taxonomy 90, pp. 1-16 : 7-10

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2014.90
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3851755
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03806A37-F857-7918-D28E-FC4EFAEFC6F7
treatment provided by	Tatiana
scientific name	Tetramorium weitzeckeri
status

Treatment

Identification key to species of the T. weitzeckeri View in CoL species complex (workers)

1. First gastral tergite without any form of standing pilosity ( Fig. 3A View Fig ).......................................2

– First gastral tergite with standing pilosity ( Fig. 3B–C View Fig )............................................................5

2. Mesosoma with abundant long, erect hairs (usually 7 to 8 pairs of hairs) ( Fig. 4A View Fig ) [ Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, Swaziland] ................................................................................. T. sepultum View in CoL

– Mesosoma usually without long, erect hairs, rarely with up to 4 pairs of hairs at most ( Fig. 4B–C View Fig )...3

3. Whole mesosoma covered with fine, mostly longitudinal rugulae superimposed on a very distinct reticulate-punctate ground sculpture ( Fig. 5A View Fig ) [ Burundi] ................................. T. bendai

– Mesosoma either mostly unsculptured or rugulose, often in parts with weakly punctate ground sculpture, but never fully covered with distinct reticulate-punctate ground sculpture as above ( Fig. 5B–C View Fig )................................................................................................................................................4

4. Most of mesosomal dorsum, especially pronotum, noticeably longitudinally rugulose ( Fig. 5B View Fig ) [ Kenya, Tanzania] ............................................................................................................. T. tanaense

– Dorsum of mesosoma, especially pronotum, unsculptured and shiny ( Fig. 5C View Fig ) [ Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe] ........................................................................................................................ T. humbloti View in CoL

5. Eyes very large (OI 31); first gastral tergite with long, decumbent to subdecumbent (rarely appressed) pilosity [ Kenya] ( Fig. 6A, D View Fig ) ............................................................ T. mpala sp. nov.

– Eyes always smaller than above (OI 16–26); first gastral tergite with long suberect to erect pilosity ( Fig. 6B–C, E–F View Fig )...............................................................................................................6

6. Dorsum of head with conspicuous reticulate-punctate ground sculpture; postpetiole in profile between 1.3 and 1.7 times higher than long (LPpI 59–75) and in dorsal view around 1.4 to 1.5 times wider than long (DPpI 137–154) ( Fig. 7A, E–F View Fig ) [ Cameroon, Central African Republic, D.R. Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria] ...... T. guineense View in CoL

– Character combination never as above; dorsum of head usually without conspicuous reticulatepunctate ground sculpture; if cephalic ground sculpture noticeably reticulate-punctate (as in some series of T. weitzeckeri View in CoL ), then postpetiole in profile around 1.7 to 2.1 times higher than long (LPpI 49–60) and in dorsal view 1.7 to 2.0 times wider than long (DPpI 146–203) ( Fig. 7B–D, G–H View Fig )......7

7. Distinctly bicoloured species, head and mesosoma orange to reddish brown, petiole, postpetiole and gaster very dark brown to black ( Fig. 8A View Fig ) [ Central African Republic, Kenya, Uganda] ... T. snellingi

– Whole body either uniformly brown to black or bicoloured with gaster, and often head, of lighter colour than mesosoma, petiole, and postpetiole ( Fig. 8B–C View Fig ).......................................8

8. Species either bicoloured, with gaster, appendages and head yellowish brown contrasting with reddish brown mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole, or whole body dark brown to black; mesosomal sculpture partly reduced, dorsum generally with weak longitudinal rugulae only, lateral mesosoma to great extent unsculptured; ground sculpture on lateral and dorsal mesosoma absent, appearing smooth and shining ( Figs 8C View Fig , 9A–B, E–F View Fig ) [ São Tomé & Principe] ...... T. renae

– Uniformly coloured species, generally dark brown to black; usually with mesosoma dorsally and laterally strongly longitudinally rugose, very rarely with weaker developed rugae or rugulae, in the latter case the ground sculpture is reticulate-punctate ( Figs 8B View Fig , 9C–D, G–H View Fig ).....................9

9. Larger species (HW 0.77–0.93; HL 0.79–0.94; SL 0.60–0.74; WL 0.91–1.21); propodeal spines long to very long and spinose (PSLI 32–45); body colouration ranging from light brown to almost black, but usually of lighter brown than below; dry forest or savannah species ( Figs 9G View Fig , 10A View Fig ) [ Angola, Eritrea, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe] ............................................................. T. weitzeckeri View in CoL

– Smaller species (HW 0.64–0.74; HL 0.68–0.76; SL 0.47–0.54; WL 0.78–0.91); propodeal spines moderate to long, triangular-elongate to spinose, but never as long as above (PSLI 23– 29); body colouration always very dark brown to black; rainforest species ( Figs 9H View Fig , 10B View Fig ) [ Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, D.R. Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan] .................................................................................................. T. boltoni